Megan McArdle is an American writer and anti-transgender activist. McArdle is a key historical figure in the oppression of trans and gender diverse youth.
McArdle is the central figure in the Washington Post opinion section’s shift to anti-trans positions during the 2020s.
Background
Megan J. McArdle was born January 29, 1973. McArdle earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994, and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago in 2001.
McArdle blogged under the name “Jane Galt” at Asymmetrical Information:
McArdle has something of a contrarian streak. Sheâs the âblack sheepâ of her ârabid Democratâ family. She took her pseudonym from the Ayn Rand novel Atlas Shrugged, solely to irk a frequent commenter on a New York Times Internet forum who smeared anyone to the âright of Chairman Maoâ as a âRandroid.â
McArdle authored the 2014 book The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success.
McArdle is married to Peter Suderman (born September 30, 1981), who ran the blog alarm-alarm.com. Suderman writes for Reason and previously worked for National Review, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, FreedomWorks, Doublethink, and Culture11.
McArdle has described distress from being personally misgendered: “Iâm 6-foot-2, tall enough that distracted store clerks often call me âsir,â a fact that caused me great distress as a young woman.”
Newsmax is a conservative American media organization. Their coverage of transgender topics is consistently negative.
Ad Fontes Mediarates Newsmax in the “Strong Right” category of bias and as “Mixed Reliability/Opinion OR Other Issues” in terms of reliability. AllSidesrates Newsmax with a bias rating of “Right,” their most conservative rating.
Background
fNewsmax was ounded on September 16, 1998 by journalist Christopher Ruddy. Originally launched as the website Newsmax.com with support from private investors including Richard Mellon Scaife, it expanded from a political news and opinion site into a broader media organization covering finance, health, and world affairs. Early board members included figures such as James Dale Davidson and Lord Rees-Mogg.
In 2014, Newsmax expanded into television with the launch of Newsmax TV on June 16, 2014, a cable news channel focusing on political news and opinion programming under the leadership of Ruddy. Over the next decade the channel grew its distribution through major pay-TV providers and streaming platforms, increasing its reach across the United States.
The companyâs profile rose significantly during the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections, as audience growth surged and Newsmax positioned itself as an alternative to other conservative outlets. By 2020, viewership figures rose dramatically, particularly among audiences seeking alternatives to established cable news.
In the early 2020s, Newsmax diversified its platforms with the introduction of streaming services including Newsmax2 and the Newsmax+ app, and continued to expand digital and social media presence. By May 2025, the company reported reaching more than 20 million combined social media followers.
In March 2025 Newsmax, Inc. went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NMAX.
Contributors
Rob Astorino: Host of Saturday Agenda (weekends)
Tom Basile: Host of America Right Now and fill-in host (weekends); former co-host of Wake Up America Weekend.
Wendy Bell: Host of Wendy Bell Common Sense (weekends)
Nancy Brinker: Host of Conversations with Nancy Brinker (weekends)
Lidia Curanaj: Host of Sunday Agenda (weekends)
Rita Cosby: Host of Saturday Report (weekends)
Bianca de la Garza: Host of Newsline (weekdays)
Rob Finnerty: Host of Finnerty (weekdays)
Jon Glasgow: Host of Sunday Report (weekends)
Sebastian Gorka â Host of The Gorka Reality Check and occasional fill-in host (weekends)
Carl Higbie: Host of Carl Higbie Frontline (weekdays)
Greg Kelly: Host of Greg Kelly Reports (weekdays)
Shaun Kraisman: Co-host/anchor of National Report and American Agenda (weekday news programs).
Sharla McBride: Co-host of Wake Up America (weekdays)
Marc Lotter: Co-host of Wake Up America (weekdays)
Chris Plante: Host of The Right Squad (weekdays)
Emma Rechenberg: Co-host of National Report (weekday news program).
Rob Schmitt: Host of Rob Schmitt Tonight (weekdays)
Greta Van Susteren: Host of The Record with Greta Van Susteren (weekdays)
Katrina Szish: Anchor/host contributing to Newsmax programs such as American Agenda (weekday news).
Originally billed as a podcast about “dumb internet garbage” or “internet nonsense,” in 2024 it was rebranded as about “internet controversies.”
Background
Blocked and Reported was founded in 2020 under the auspices of Permabanned Media LLC.
Their original logo was by a follower.They later got a less amateurish logo by Shannon Loys.
Orbiters and employees
In 2022 they engaged the services of two sociopathic trolls from another “drama” site called rdrama.net, a group banned from reddit for trolling who started a rival drama forum. They create hoaxes and memes to ratchet up online drama, which Blocked and Reported can then cover. Singal and Herzog seem unconcerned about the ethics of this practice.
One troll named Jack Despain Zhou uses the online handles Jackal, TraceWoodgrains, and Tracingwoodgrains. This person’s involvement is explained on their site using a homophobic and antisemitic meme:
Original homophobic and antisemitic cartoon by “A. Wyatt Mann” (left), repurposed and published by Singal and Herzog (right) on Blocked and Reported (2022) [enlarge]
The other troll uses the handle LexerLux and interacts with commenters.
As another example of how these Blocked and Reported employees reflect the low-empathy personalities of Singal and Herzog, within hours of the incident, “LexerLux” was posting hoaxes about the murders of six people at a Christian school in Tennessee.
“LexerLux” hoax posted the day of the Nashville school shooting
The podcast’s “one of the good ones” branding was perfected by Herzog’s former employer Dan Savage in the 1990s. They like to pretend they are edgy “lefty” iconoclasts who aren’t bothered by slurs and hoaxes, but these kinds of “pickme” people are invariably thin-skinned and histrionic about progressive neologisms as well as how others describe them.
Episodes have included a number of conservative, ex-trans, and anti-trans guests and guest hosts. Others have not publicly discussed their views on trans people.
On reddit, the r/BlockedAndReported subreddit is one of the few remaining anti-trans hate subreddits. They feature a tag specifically for Trans Issues and frequently disparage and mock trans people in the news.
Because so many of the members were involved in other anti-trans subreddits that have already been banned, moderators have had to set strict rules about how transphobic users contribute: “Any trans-related threads that are not DIRECTLY related to a topic discussed on the pod will be removed. However, feel free to post any other trans topics in the Weekly Discussion Thread.” This rule was later amended:
Trans Topics
Threads around trans topics are subject to removal at the arbitrary discretion of the mods. This sub is not meant to be a replacement for r/GenderCritical! Because of the overzealous reddit policies around this subject, discussions around this topic can put the sub at risk (even when there is nothing genuinely objectionable) and so any such threads will be monitored carefully, and possibly removed or locked if the mods deem it necessary.
Moderators include:
“SoftandChewy” (subreddit creator)
“ShaykItOff”
“Blanderama”
Related subreddits
In addition to r/IntellectualDarkWeb, the reddit algorithm for related communities showed that users frequently monitored the three top trans-supportive subreddits:
r/transgender
r/asktransgender
r/trans
The data visualization below shows the ideological overlap with other subreddits:
workmanswhistle (April 30, 2022). BAR getting some heat for LOTT hoax. reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/BlockedAndReported/comments/ufi6hi/bar_getting_some_heat_for_lott_hoax/ [archive]
blahblahblahblah8 (September 13, 2022). Finally, an accurate and fair-minded assessment of the pod and its sociopathic researcher. reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/BlockedAndReported/comments/xdo0vc/finally_an_accurate_and_fairminded_assessment_of/ [archive] [repost]
Debbie Hayton is a conservative transgender British educator and critic of mainstream transgender activism. Hayton gets money and attention by siding with those opposed to rights for sex and gender minorities.
Hayton is author of the 2024 book Transsexual Apostate: My Journey Back to Reality.
Background
Deborah “Debbie” Hayton was born April 23, 1968. Hayton grew up in Consett in North East England. After graduating Blackfyne Comprehensive School in 1986, Hayton entered Newcastle University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1989 and a doctorate in 1992. Hayton worked in research until 1995, then began a career as a physics teacher. Hayton taught at Handsworth Grammar School in Birmingham from 1996 to 2002, then at King Henry VIII School in Coventry from 2002 to 2022. Beginning in 2016 Hayton began offering classroom timetable support and began freelance writing.
Hayton is based in Bristol, is married to Stephanie, and has three adult children. Hayton transitioned in 2012 at age 44.
An article in Church Times noted of Hayton, “She now believes that she has autogynephilia, a term first coined by the psychologist Ray Blanchard 30 years ago to describe a psychological condition in which a man, usually heterosexual, derives sexual or romantic pleasure from the fantasy of being female.”
Hayton has expressed regret about some aspects of transition:
“Now I realise the whole premise on which I transitioned was wrong. Trans women are not women. Yet I turned my life and my family’s lives upside down, causing them shock, embarrassment, hurt and upset because I thought I was a woman. […] Looking back now, I realise I didn’t need to transition, but if I hadn’t I would only have been increasingly frustrated and distressed. My grandmother would have said: ‘I could have told you but you had to learn the hard way.”
When asked if their marriage is now sexless, Hayton said:
‘Yes. And I am sad because of what was lost. I regret that. There are no other women, no affairs. Straying is not an option,’ says Debbie. ‘We’ve both made sacrifices because we love each other profoundly. What I want is the relationship with Stephanie.
Activism and trolling
Hayton’s writing is a mix of first-person stories and gender critical views on several trans topics:
Like many who regret some of all of their decision to transition, Hayton began seeking validation from those who see trans people as having a sex-fueled disease or being a problem for society. Hayton began promoting the work of anti-trans psychologists like Ray Blanchard and Stella O’Malley and infiltrated trans-exclusive women’s spaces like Woman’s Place UK and Labour Women’s Declaration, giving speeches supporting their aims. Some anti-trans extremists like “trans widow” Karen Ranney (“Ute Heggen”) recognized Hayton’s motives for what they are. Kellie-Jay Keensaid, “No one who understands this issue would be promoting Hayton. Youâre all fucking gaslighting cowards. He embodies all of the insidious trans cult boundary erasing abusive shit that slimed its way into our schools, institutions and language. […] Anyone promoting/following or endorsing Hayton hinders our success in ridding our schools and institutions of this grotesque ideology.”
From that point of view, it makes sense to take an unequivocal position: biological sex is real, binary, and immutable, and under no circumstances will we pretend otherwise. AGPs pose a threat to women and to children, and for that reason, we will give them no quarter, not even the supposedly âgoodâ ones. If we do, theyâll only take advantage of us.
In 2017, Hayton wrote:
If anyone could self-identify as a woman, how can we define the word âwomanâ without resorting to circular reasoning? And without clear definitions, how can society maintain the integrity of sex-based protections?Not surprisingly, women have been speaking out. We need to listen to them and not instantly denounce them as transphobes.
Hayton was welcomed into some trans-exclusionary spaces to agree with them.
Hayton authored a letter supporting anti-trans author Kathleen Stock. The letter was signed by like-minded conservative trans people: Tina Daniels, Lily Geidelberg, Sophie Gibbons, Kristina Harrison, Seven Hex, Jennifer Kenyon, Claudia McLean, Sarah McDonnell, Fionne Orlander, Nyah Putzo, Toni Roche-Simmons, Katie Sangwell, Gillian Simpson, Sian Taylder, and Miranda Yardley.
Hayton appeared in the 2018 anti-trans propaganda piece Trans Kids: It’s Time to Talk hosted by Stella O’Malley, founder of anti-trans hate groupGenspect.
Hayton enjoys trolling and mocking trans community members who hold differing views. Hayton is known for wearing a T-shirt that says “Trans women are men. Get over it.”
References
Staff report (October 30, 2023). Forum to publish Haytonâs memoir.The Bookseller https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/forum-to-publish-haytons-memoir
As transgender people, we need to be honest with ourselves and our therapists (Psychreg, Jan 11 2020)
Trans activists are making life harder for trans people (The Spectator, 14 Dec 2019) https://www.spectator.com/article/trans-activists-are-making-life-harder-for-trans-people
A Womanâs Place is a Safe Port â a transsexual perspective (Debbie Hayton blog, Sep 25 2018) https://debbiehayton.com/tag/womans-place-uk/
The Jack Jewell Podcast with Jack Jewell and Debbie Hayton (July 20, 2024). The Transexual Apostate | Debbie Hayton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYdIThi-rZo
The Spectator with Katy Balls and Debbie Hayton (January 19, 2024). ‘It’ll criminalise normal people’ â Debbie Hayton attacks Scotland’s trans bill | SpectatorTV.
Psychreg with Dennis Relojo-Howell and Debbie Hayton (February 20, 2020). Dr Debbie Hayton: Transwomen Are Men. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO4pFnRdC1o
“Shannon Thrace” is the pen name of Shae Ramsey, an American author, IT professional, and anti-transgender activist. Ramsey is part of the “trans widow” movement of people upset that their spouses and romantic partners made a gender transition. Ramsey is affiliated with anti-trans hate groupGenspect.
Ramsey has used a number of aliases, including:
“Shannon Thrace”
“Sharon Thrace”
“Tracy Shannon”
Sharon Ramsey
Shannon Ramsey
Shae Ramsey
transwidow
Background
Sharon G. “Shae” Ramsey was reportedly born on July 4, 1968 (some sources report July 3). Ramsey attended Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, earning a bachelor’s degree in 2007 and a master’s degree in 2019. Ramsey worked at Key-Art Publishing from 1998 to 2003, managing websites. From 2003 to 2006, Ramsey worked at University Information Technology Services for Indiana University. Ramsey was SharePoint administrator for Hill-Rom from 2008 to 2011. From 2012 to 2013, Ransey was a consultant at PCMS Datafit (now Flooid), then from 2013 to 2014 was a SharePoint administrator at Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions. from 2014 to 2015, Ramsey was a systems administrator at RoundTower Technologies, and from 2015 to 2016 was a SharePoint administrator at Cigna Healthcare. In 2016, Ramsey joiined Eli Lilly and Company as an IT specialist.
Anti-transgender activism
Thrace was reportedly married for about 14 years to someone who came out as trans around age 40. Their relationship fell apart over the following 18 months. Thrace originally published under the pseudonym “Sharon Thrace.”
In 2016, Ramsey contributed a chapter titled “Destruction of a Marriage: My Husband’s Descent into Transgenderism” to the book Female Erasure, edited by Ruth Barrett.
In 2017, Ramsey spoke at TEDxMaastricht about being married to and ultimately divorcing “Jamie,” who made a gender transition.
“Thrace, Sharon” (2016). Destruction Of A Marriage: My Husband’s Descent Into Transgenderism. In Barrett, Ruth [editor] Female Erasure: What You Need To Know About Gender Politics’ War On Women, the Female Sex and Human Rights. Tidal Time Publishing, ISBN 978-0997146707
“Thrace, Shannon” (2022). 18 Months: A Memoir of a Marriage Lost to Gender Identity. Firebush Books, ISBN 979-8986693804
The Umbrella Hour with An Goldbauer, Zander Keig, and “Shannon Thrace” (February 8, 2024). [Interview with “Shannon Thrace”]. https://ukhealthradio.com/blog/episode/shannon-thrace-is-a-writer-cultural-critic-and-it-professional-and-the-author-of-18-months-a-memoir-of-a-marriage-lost-to-gender-identity/
the radical center with Leslie Elliott Boyce, Jennifer Friend, Deborah Knox, and “Shannon Thrace” (December 11, 2023). A Marriage Lost to Gender Identity: Solid Ground #47 with Guest Shannon Thrace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbkEeiSDqQg
OurVoices with Kristen Kalbli and “Shannon Thrace” (February 2022). S5 Ep 2: The Impact of Gender Transition on Sex. https://ourpath.org/ourpath_podcast/s5-ep-2-the-impact-of-gender-transition-on-sex/
The 2023 Statement Regarding Laws Restricting Gender Affirming Medical Care was published in response to state and federal anti-transgender legislation proposed in the United States.
That anti-trans legislation was shaped by these practitioners litigating their views in the mainstream media.
The statement has two key points:
“Gender affirming medical care is important and beneficial for many transgender youth.”
“We do not support laws restricting access to gender affirmative care.”
After it was published, the statement was not covered in the mainstream media.
Statement Regarding Laws Restricting Gender Affirming Medical Care (gamcstatement.org)
Wesley Yang is an author and anti-transgender extremist. Yang has written for several anti-trans publications, including Tablet and The Guardian. Yang is affiliated with anti-trans hate groupGenspect.
Background
Yang was born on October 3, 1974 and grew up in New Jersey.
Yang attended Rutgers University from 1993 to 1997. Yang began freelance writing in 2005. From 2011 to 2013, Yang was a contributing editor at New York. Since 2017 Yang has been a columnist at Tablet. In 2018 Yang became a contributing editor at Esquire.
Yang is author of the 2018 book The Souls of Yellow Folk: Essays. That book includes Yang’s provocative 2008 piece on mass shooter Seung-Hui Cho.
Yang coined the term “successor ideology.,” which was popularized by other reactionary centrists and conservatives. Yang describes it as “authoritarian Utopianism that masquerades as liberal humanism while usurping it from within.”
In 2022 Yang, spouse, and child were living in Montreal.
Anti-transgender activism
Yang got explicity involved in anti-transgender activism in around 2022 through Jesse Singal, Lisa Selin Davis, and “Eliza Mondegreen.” Yang cites anti-trans activism in Sweden and Finland as what finally provided cover for coming out as anti-trans. Yang walked around with anti-trans extremist “Billboard Chris” and found that nearly everyone agreed with the anti-trans messages Billboard Chris wears, yet still claims that anti-trans views are “heterodox.” Yang also had an extensive conversation with anti-trans extremist Leor Sapir.
Year Zero with Wesley Yang, Joey Brite and a Christian Homeschooling Mother (November 10, 2022). You’re never gonna be a man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNi9HpaE4y8
Louise Perry is a British writer and anti-transgender activist.
Background
Louise M. “Lulu” Perry is based in London. Perry grew up in a left-leaning household with a younger sibling. Perry studied anthropology and women’s studies at the SOAS University of London [School of Oriental and African Studies]. Perry published a fashion blog called Make Do On Trend. Perry’s early career involved working in a rape crisis center.
Perry has written for the New Statesman, the Daily Mail, The Critic, UnHerd, and Quillette.
Perry’s debut book, The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century, was published by Polity.
Perry is the Press Officer for the campaign group We Canât Consent To This, documenting women allegedly killed during “rough sex.” Perry is also the Research Director and Co-founder of think tank The Other Half.
Perry is married and has one child.
Anti-transgender activism
Perry frequently promotes anti-transgender views in publications. Perry came to believe in college that “it was completely impossible to say anything critical about trans activism in public.” That was the “first domino” that led Perry to radical feminism.
Perry left the rape crisis center after they began serving all people who had experienced sexual assault, including transfeminine people.
Perry, Louise (June 22, 2022). Why the gender wars become so extreme.New Statesman https://www.newstatesman.com/quickfire/2022/06/gender-wars-trans-critical-activists-become-extreme
Perry, Louise (October 2020). The real facts of life.The Critic https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/october-2020/the-real-facts-of-life/
Perry, Louise (September 18, 2020). The Dishonest and Misogynistic Hate Campaign Against J.K. Rowling. Quillette https://quillette.com/2020/09/18/the-dishonest-and-misogynistic-hate-campaign-against-j-k-rowling/
Perry, Louise (November 6, 2019). What Is Autogynephilia? An Interview with Dr Ray Blanchard. Quillette https://quillette.com/2019/11/06/what-is-autogynephilia-an-interview-with-dr-ray-blanchard/
Quillette is an anti-transgender media organization that includes a group blog and podcasts. It is a key historic platform for conservative trans people and anti-transgender activists.
Ad Fontes finds that Quillete “skews right” politically. Media Bias / Fact Check rates Quillette right-wing and “low credibility.”
Columbia Journalism Reviewnoted that Quillette is among “the worst offenders in the disinformation world,” adding that it is “the right wingâs highly influential answer to Slate. Lehmann publishes members of the âintellectual Dark Webââacademics, journalists, and tech entrepreneurs who defend debunked race, gender, and climate science.”
Quillette is a key publication within the so-called intellectual dark web, a group of reactionary academics and media figures that has been described as “a gateway to the far right.”
