Christopher Rufo is an American professional anti-transgender activist. Attacking trans rights is part of Rufo’s conservative activism at the Manhattan Institute and elsewhere.
Christopher Ferguson “Chris” Rufo was born August 26, 1984 and grew up in Sacramento, California. Both parents are attorneys.
Rufo earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in 2006 and a master’s degree from Harvard Extension School in 2022. Rufo has worked at The Heritage Foundation, Claremont Institute, and Discovery Institute.
Rufo has produced documentaries and has run for public office in Seattle.
Rufo is best known for conservative activism around critical race theory, intersectionality, diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and homelessness.
Rufo and spouse Suphatra “Kip” Paravichai live in Gig Harbor, Washington with their three children.
Intellectual dark web
Rufo was considered part of the intellectual dark web (IDW), a loose alliance described as a āgateway to the far right.ā Many people involved are prominent opponents of transgender rights. IDW members typically get money and attention by claiming to be ācanceledā or silenced by the minorities and progressive movements they criticize (called DARVO in general; see also the Dregerian Narrative in relation to trans issues, named after IDW inaugural member Alice Dreger).
The coalition did not hold together long, and Rufo chalked up the collapse to these events that splintered the IDW:
The presidency of Donald Trump
COVID and response to it
The George Floyd protests
Rufo also correctly noted that the alliance collapsed because it was a reactionary movement with no political will. They stood against many things, but as a group, they did not stand for anything.
Most IDW members craved money and/or attention, and once that became more elusive, the alliance began to dissipate.
Anti-transgender activism
As part of a push to end public libraries and public education, Rufo has heavily promoted the idea that LGBTQ people are “groomers,” echoing similar efforts in the 1970s. As part of these “save the children” initiatives, Rufo seeks to stop schools from discussing LGBTQ people and their role in American history and culture (so-called “Don’t Say Gay” activism). Rufo is a major force behind threats and protests at Drag Queen Story Hour events.
In 2023, Florida’s anti-trans governor Ron DeSantis named Rufo to the board of trustees of New College of Florida, part of an attempt to turn the school conservative.
In May 2023, Rufo published an article about gender affirming care at Texas Childrenās Hospital. In May 2024, surgeon Eithan Haim was charged with illegally obtaining the private medical records of pediatric patients receiving gender transition care at Texas Childrenās Hospital and providing them to Rufo. In 2025, the Trump administration dropped the charges against Haim.
References
Dreher, Rod (October 25, 2022). Chris Rufo Vs Drag Queen Story Hour Groomers.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/chris-rufo-vs-drag-queen-story-hour-groomers/
“Chloe Cole” is the stage name of Chloe Brockman, an American ex-transgender activist. Similar to the ex-gay movement, ex-trans activists get money and attention by making it harder for others to get trans healthcare. Many claim to have been cured of being trans via “desistance” or “detransition.”
Background
Chloe Elise Brockman was born July 27, 2004.
Brockman’s mother is Jocelyn V. (Torrecampo) Brockman (born 1968), a perioperative nurse who has worked for Kaiser Permanente. Jocelyn Brockman married Jeffrey Allen “Jeff” Brockman (born 1971), an IT entrepreneur who was raised in a Mormon household.
Chloe Brockman has four adult siblings: Jacob, Chelsea, Maddie, and Calvin. They are a blended family. Chloe Brockman grew up in Manteca, California. As a child, Brockman had two cleft palate repair surgeries.
Brockman had an “emotionally troubled” childhood that included several assessments and diagnoses:
September 12, 2012 (age 8): “disruptive behavior disorder”
November 26, 2013 (age 9): “encounter for school problem”
October 9, 2015 (age 11): “attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD)
According to self-reports, Brockman came out as trans after exhibiting gender-diverse behavior starting about age 9, around the time puberty started. Brockman created an Instagram account at 11. In May 2017, at age 12, Brockman wrote a letter to both parents, asking to be referred to as a boy and by the names Ky or Chi.
On November 30, 2017, Brockman had a consultation with an endocrinologist who advised against beginning hormone therapy. The family sought a second opinion on Brockman’s insistence and gave legal consent for medical transition.
In early 2018, at age 13, Brockman began a medical transition under the care of endocrinologist Lisa Taylor, with puberty blockers followed by testosterone injections starting a month later.
At age 14, Brockman’s chest was groped at school by a bully. This traumatic event led to daily use of a chest binder. Brockman asked Taylor for a referral to plastic surgeon Hop Le. Brockman then had a psychological evaluation with Susanne Watson, who recommended honoring Brockman’s request for top surgery.
Amid the pressure of trying to help their troubled child, Brockman’s parents filed for divorce in 2019.
Brockman began using the given name Leo and was encouraged to attend classes with a family peer group of other transmasculine minors. Brockman’s surgery occurred following parental consent. On June 3, 2020, Brockman underwent top surgery a month before turning 16. During COVID quarantine in the summer of 2020, Brockman started to have “regrets” before discontinuing hormones in May 2021. According to the 2023 lawsuit, Brockman “became intensely suicidal for the first time and prone to emotional outbursts.” Elsewhere in the lawsuit, they claim Brockman was exhibiting “passive suicidal ideation” around the time Jeff and Jocelyn filed for divorce (which it appears they never finalized).
Brockman failed out of high school as a senior and had to get a California High School Proficiency Exam Certificate instead. As failure, isolation, and rejection took their toll, Brockman was radicalized by conservative edgelord online culture. Anti-transgender activism soon followed. This brought Brockman to the attention of Harmeet Dhillon and other conservative or fascist activists, who began showering Brockman with money and attention.
April 19:Do No Harm Foundation’s Stanley Goldfarb announces launch; later funds some of Brockman’s activism
May: Testifies against gender-affirming care in Ohio
June 28: Testifies against gender-affirming care in California (SB107)
July: Turns 18
July: Testifies against Medicaid coverage for trans healthcare in Florida
July 13: Registers imperfectlyme.org
July 15: Creates GoFundMe
July 24: Conservative IT entrepreneur Steven Corpus “Steve” Beddoe registers the corporation Trenderz LLC in California as part of the domain and GoFundMe marketing campaign. “Trender” is a slur in toxic online communities to describe people who allegedly make a gender transition because it’s trendy.
September: Supports “Protect Children’s Innocence Act” by Marjorie Taylor Greene
September: Testifies against California becoming a sanctuary state for children seeking gender-affirming care
September 28: Interview with David Freiheit of Viva Frei
October: Speaks at “Rally to End Child Mutilation” in Tennessee
October 8: starts a YouTube channel and interviews other ex-trans activists, including Katie Anderson, Layla Jane, Jade Martin, Maia Poet, and Luke Healy. Cole also posts speeches from rallies, testimony against gender affirming care for minors, and attacking trans-supportive public figures like John Oliver and Neil Degrasse Tyson.
February: Supports Idaho ban on gender-affirming care for minors (House Bill 71,); her appearance was financed by conservative Idaho Freedom Foundation
February: Testifies in favor of Kansas ban on gender-affirming care for minors (Senate Bill 233)
February 17: Testifies in favor of South Dakota HB 1080 banning gender-affirming care for minors
February 21: addressed the Florida House Health & Human Services Committee
March 3: Appears on a panel at Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)
March 12: Appears with six ex-trans activists in Sacramento for “Detransition Awareness Day”
March 28: Interview with Charlie Kirk and Jack Posobiec
April 17: Appears at Dartmouth Republicans event in New Hampshire
April 20: Testifies in favor of New Hampshire Parental Rights Bill
May 2: Testifies in favor of Louisiana ban on gender-affirming care for minors (House Bill 463)
April 19: Testifies in favor of New Hampshire Bill SB272 banning gender-affirming care for minors
May 26: Testifies in favor of House Bill 454 banning gender-affirming care for minors
2023 lawsuit
On February 22, 2023 conservative lawyers filed suit in California, alleging Brockman was a victim of medical negligence.
Plaintiff
Chloe E. Brockman a/k/a Chloe Cole
Defendants
Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Inc.
Permanente Medical Group, Inc.
Lisa Kristine Taylor, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist
Hop Nguyen Le, MD, a plastic surgeon
Susanne E. Watson, PhD, a clinical psychologist
Does 1 through 50
Brockman’s lawyers
Charles S. LiMandri
Paul M. Jonna
Robert E. Weisenburger
Harmeet K. Dhillon
John-Paul S. Deol
Jesse D. Franklin-Murdock
Mark E. Trammell
The lawyers claim Brockman has had these conditions:
pornography addiction
disruptive behavior disorder (diagnosed September 12, 2012)
encounter for school problem (diagnosed November 26, 2013)
ADHD (diagnosed October 9, 2015)
general anxiety
social anxiety
speech difficulties
depression
pubertal struggles associated with significantly increased negative emotions
body dysmorphia and serious self-image concerns
symptoms of an eating disorder
learning disabilities
autism spectrum symptoms
a cleft palate for which surgery had been performed
concerns about being sexually abused or raped, that eventually materialized into a sexual assault
exposure to only negative aspects about being female, without any discussion of the positive aspects of being female, including menstrual cycles, pregnancy, childbirth, male domination, and similar distorting ideas
difficulty at school
trouble with social interaction and learning
social troubles
severe distress
ongoing confusion regarding her gender
suicidal ideation
They put forth the “social contagion” model that claims Brockman was misled by LGBT activist groups and transgender social media influencers.
They also make the common ex-trans claim: “The fact that Plaintiff detransitioned after the so-called treatment establishes res ipsa loquitor that Plaintiff was not transgender.”
Suratos, Pete (February 23, 2023). Kaiser Permanente sued over hormone therapy.NBC Bay Area https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/kaiser-permanente-sued-over-hormone-therapy/3164935/
Herner, Hannah (October 21, 2022). Anti-Trans rally led by Matt Walsh brings right-wing media stars to Nashville. Nashville Scene. https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/anti-trans-rally-led-by-matt-walsh-brings-right-wing-media-stars-to-nashville/article_62c08340-5160-11ed-81bb-53478d4387aa.html
Weiss, Suzy (April 19, 2022). The testosterone hangover.Common Sense / The Free Press https://www.thefp.com/p/the-testosterone-hangover
Masters, Hamilton Matthew (January 30, 2022). Proud Boys and LGBTQ rights supporters face off in Murfreesboro. Nashville Scene. https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/proud-boys-and-lgbtq-rights-supporters-face-off-in-murfreesboro/article_4434885c-a0c7-11ed-9435-df49b232d251.html
San Joaquin County Superior Courts (May 14, 2019). Jocelyn Brockman v. Jeffrey Brockman Stockton Family Law Courthouse, Judge Robin Appel presiding. https://unicourt.com/case/ca-sj-jocelyn-brockman-vs-jeffrey-brockman-565410
Chaya Raichik is an American conservative activist who created the Libs of TikTok social media accounts. Raichik frequently targets transgender and gender diverse people and their supporters. The project’s avatar is the transgender symbol styled in TikTok logo colors.
Raichik reposts social media posts made by others, often with commentary, which typically inspires followers to abuse and harass those Raichik has featured.
Since Raichik began targeting upcoming drag and pride events, anti-transgender protesters have been showing up at these events, requiring the presence of police and additional security.
Since Raichik began targeting Jewish and Christian youth camps with inclusive policies for all children, staff had to take steps to ensure security.
Since Raichik began targeting medical professionals who support transgender and gender diverse youth, death threats and bomb threats have been called in to children’s hospitals and clinics that help trans youth. Some hospitals have switched to telemedicine appointments to protect children and their families.
Libs of TikTok is sometimes styled Libs of Tik Tok and abbreviated LoTT or LTT. It has become a primary pipeline for anti-liberal and anti-progressive content, similar to other anti-transgender “drama” platforms like Blocked and Reported and The Matt Walsh Show. Content that generates enough outrage then gets featured on mainstream conservative outlets hosted by people like Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson.
Several people are named Chaya Raichik, including an author and a homemaker. In Chabad-Lubavitch communities, Raichik is a common surname and Chaya is a common given name. Please do not contact anyone with this name directly.
Parent Rabbi Yaakov Raichik, aka Yankee Raichik, is a Los Angeles-based chaplain in the California Department of Corrections.
Chaya Raichik worked in New York as a licensed real estate investor at Evergreen Realty / ERNY LLC in Brooklyn (listed as Chaya Raichek). Raichik created what became the Libs of TikTok Twitter account in November 2020.
Soon after, Raichik claimed to have participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Photographic evidence appears to place Raichik trespassing on restricted Capitol ground, standing on the plaza steps among others prosecuted for insurrection.
Raichik’s New York real estate license expired in February 2021. Raichik reportedly moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles since becoming an anti-transgender activist.
Twitter timeline
Raichik was not a heavy social media poster before Twitter. Raichik’s account was inspired by and supported by other conservative accounts, some of which have since been suspended:
Liberal_Ls [suspended]
johnny_commie [suspended]
_callmeriss [suspended]
consoftiktok [suspended]
BidenLs
basedtiktok
Accounts Raichik has mentioned are almost all conservative media figures and include:
Year in review: Libs of Tik Tok top 3 highlights of 2021: 1. Contributed to the removal of FIVE bad teachers from schools ?? 2. Four shoutouts (plus a dm) from Joe Rogan ? 3. Got fact checked by Snopes on a sarcastic tweet ?
In 2022, software developer Travis Brown revealed that the Twitter account used for Libs of TikTok had used the screen names @shaya69830552, then @shaya_ray. Raichik used @chayaraichik until late February 2021, and that name appears on the libsoftiktok.us domain registration.
According to the Washington Post, Raichik claimed to have attended the January 6 protests:
In January 2021, Raichik started talking about traveling to D.C. to support Trumpon Jan. 6 at the Stop the Steal rally. When violence broke out at the Capitol that day, she tweeted a play-by-play account claiming to be on the ground. āThey were rubber bullets from law enforcement. 1 hit right next to me,ā she said. She posted videos from the crowd and spoke of tear gas being deployed nearby. After saying she left the riot, she used Twitter to downplay the event, claiming that it was peaceful compared to a āBLM protest.ā
Began posting “a lot about the LGBTQIABCD… community” specifically targeting trans and nonbinary people
Raichik credits Joe Rogan with helping the account grow after he began promoting the channel in June 2021
Began targeting teachers supportive of LGBTQ rights
Began calling people supportive of LGBTQ youth “groomers”
Began attacking drag events, especially those with young people present or participating
Began attacking specific medical professionals, their employers, and their facilities.
In April 2022, Raichik said, “Whenever we have a big victory through my account, like a crazy groomer teacher being fired, it really fires me up a lot.”
The next day, The Washington Post profiled the site and confirmed Raichik’s name. Raichik announced a monetizing plan via Substack:
Substack has become the platform of choice for “hate actors,” said Center for Countering Digital Hate CEO Ahmed, because the company and its leaders fail to enforce the rules and guidelines that it sets to keep the platform safe.
That week, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon announced that he had personally made a deal with Raichik āthat will turn her heroic, high-risk work into a career.ā
Bans and suspensions
TikTok account
permanently banned in March 2022
Twitter account
temporarily suspended on April 13, 2022 for promoting “violence, threats or harassment against others based on their sexual orientation or other factors such as race or gender,” reinstated
temporarily suspended on August 27, 2022, for “hateful conduct,” reinstated
Instagram account
automatically suspended on May 27 for multiple copyright complaints, reinstated
Facebook account
suspended on August 17 for one day “in error,” reinstated
Attacks on Jewish children’s camps
In 2022, Raichik began a “social media offensive” against Camp Ramah for their gender-inclusive policy. Camp Ramah is a network of summer overnight camps and day camps affiliated with Conservative Judaism. Camp leadership responded, “We are in contact with our security partners out of an abundance of caution.”
Attacks on Christian children’s camps
In 2022, Raichik posted an attack on Camp Akita, a nondenominational Christian camp in Ohio, for its gender-inclusive policies. The camp is affiliated with First Community Church, part of The United Church of Christ and The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Staffers have not responded publicly to the attack.
Attacks on drag and pride events
Raichik frequently posts about scheduled events featuring drag performers at libraries and other public locations, as well as drag performances at restaurants and entertainment venues. In several instances, the events were then protested, disrupted, or cancelled outright due to potential violence.
Attacks on children’s hospitals
Raichik began targeting Boston Children’s Hospital, an early innovator in trans health services for young people. Threats quickly followed:
According to VICE and other mainstream media outlets, doctors and other hospital staff are now receiving death threats. The Hospital confirmed that they are receiving a ālarge volume of hostile internet activity, phone calls and harassing emails including threats of violence toward our clinicians and staff.ā
Raichik, Matt Walsh, Chris Rufo, and other anti-trans activists immediately began dismissing the threats to this and other targeted hospitals as fake news.
On September 15, the FBI announced the first arrest in connection to the threats. Catherine Leavy, a 37-year-old from Westfield, Massachusetts admitted that calling Boston Children’s Hospital on August 30, 2022, and made the threat, āThere is a bomb on the way to the hospital. You better evacuate everybody. You sickos.ā Leavey made over 200 contributions to conservative causes since 2016, including former President Trumpās Campaign, MAGA PACs and other Republican campaigns.
FBI Boston Special-Agent-in-Charge Joseph Bonavolonta said:
In recent months, Boston Childrenās Hospital has been the subject of sustained harassment related to the airing of grievances pertaining to services they provide to gender-diverse and transgender individuals and their families. This has caused a huge amount of angst, alarm and unnecessary expenditure of limited law enforcement resources. Specifically, the hospital has received dozens of hoax threats, including harassing phone calls and emails, individual death threats and threats of mass-casualty attacks. This behavior is nothing short of reprehensible, and it needs to stop now. The real victims in this case are the hospitalās patients. Children with rare diseases, complex conditions and those seeking emergency care who had to divert to other hospitals because of these hoax threats. Threatening the life of anyone who seeks any type of health service is a heinous act and will not be tolerated.
Following the success of these attacks, Raichik began targeting other children’s hospitals and providers.
In 2022, Raichik appeared on Tucker Carlson Today and revealed that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis offered Raichik the guest house at the Governor’s mansion in response to Raichik’s self-outing in public public posts. New Twitter owner Elon Musk began reinstating anti-trans accounts and liking Raichik’s transphobic posts, adding to the surge in transphobic content on Twitter.
In 2024, Taylor Lorenz reported that Raichik was using “anti-woke” job board RedBalloon to hire an investigative journalist.
References
Lorenz, Taylor (November 1, 2024). LibsofTikTok is hiring an investigative journalist to launder her hate campaigns.User Mag https://www.usermag.co/p/libsoftiktok-is-hiring-an-investigative?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=3238&post_id=150807866&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1mn67&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
Staff report (December 12, 2022). The artificial growth of hate speech. Chuds of TikTok https://chudsoftiktok.substack.com/p/the-artificial-growth-of-hate-speech
“Libs of TikTok is a popular anti-LGBTQ+ twitter account operated by former real estate agent Chaya Raichik. The account, which has over 1.3 million followers as of August 2022, attempts to generate outrage and stoke anti-LGBTQ+ hostility by reposting selected out-of-context social media content created by LGBTQ+ people and liberals. The individuals, events and organizations targeted by the account are frequent targets of harassment, threats and violence.”
Note: In 2025, this site phased out AI illustrations after artist feedback. The previous illustration is here.
Billy Burleigh is an American engineer and ex-transgender activist. Burleigh gets money and attention by making it more difficult for others to get trans healthcare.
Background
Clifton Francis “Billy” Burleigh, Jr. was born in November of 1966. Burleigh claims to have had several childhood issues, “including a speech impediment, a learning disability, and childhood sexual abuse.”
Burleigh attended Louisiana State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1991 and a master’s degree in 1993. After college, Burleigh had therapy for five to six years until “I told my therapist that I wanted to transition.”
Burleigh has worked as a hydraulic engineer at Motion Industries and transitioned on the job there. Around 1999, Burleigh started taking hormones, and about three years later had bottom surgery and facial surgery. During this time, Burleigh used the name Billie Frances Burleigh and worked at Belcan and Parker Hannifin.
Burleigh claims to have lived as a woman from ages 31 to 38. Around 2004, “After presenting myself as a woman for seven years, I detransitioned.” The process took about three years.
After making additional gender changes, Burleigh worked at Fluid Power Systems Consultants, Kemper Engineering Services, Teledyne Brown Engineering, Geocent, SpaceX, and ManTech.
Anti-trans activism
In 2017, Burleigh legally changed name and gender in Santa Barbara County Superior Courts.
Burleigh has gone on to be a key figure in testifying against trans healthcare at the state and federal levels:
Amicus Clifton Francis (āBillyā) Burleigh Jr.ās biography is brief, however, his personal background still brings a valuable perspective to this case. Mr. Burleigh was one of the many who contacted Mr. Heyer, regretting the decision to transition. Initially, when Mr. Burleigh first transitioned to identifying as a female, he was excited. Unfortunately, soon after the transition he felt discomfort identifying as a female, and states that, āI was better off as I was before the surgery, before the hormone treatment.ā After six years of identifying as a woman, Mr. Burleigh started maturing in his relationship with Jesus and, as a result, learned the truth ā that he was not female — and a desire grew in his heart to transition back to identifying as male. After seven years of identifying as a female, Mr. Burleigh underwent surgery to revert back to identifying as male.
Burleigh has been active in Lompoc Foursquare Church.
Rod Dreher is a conservative American author who frequently publishes anti-transgender articles. The GuardianĀ writer Jason Wilson stated that Dreher “appears to view fomenting transgender panic more as a vocation than a job.”
Background
Raymond Oliver Dreher, Jr. was born February 14, 1967 in Baton Rouge,Ā Louisiana. Dreher’s eponymous parent was a leader in the Ku Klux Klan and was involved in local politics through those connections.
The younger Dreher earned aĀ bachelor’sĀ degree fromĀ Louisiana State UniversityĀ in 1989. Dreher was a media critic forĀ The Washington Times andĀ New York Post before becoming an editor for theĀ National Review. Dreher has also written for, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Weekly Standard, and theWall Street Journal. Dreher has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and Court TV.
Dreher married Julie Harris Dreher in 1997.Ā They began divorce procedings in 2022, and Dreher moved to Budapest, Hungary.
The American Conservative
Dreher was a contributor to the American Conservative from 2008 to 2023. Dreher’s salary was covered by Howard Ahmanson, Jr., and Dreher’s work had no editorial oversight.
According to Vanity Fair, the arrangement began to unravel in 2021, when Dreher published a vivid description of a black elementary school classmate’s uncircumcised penis: “All us boys wanted to stare at his primitive root wiener when we were at the urinal during recess, because it was monstrous.” Two years later, Ahmanson had enough:
Some of Dreherās commentary on the gay and transgender communities also proved off-putting to Ahmanson, such as his lurid musings onĀ anal sex,Ā rectal bleeding, and the āpartially rotted offā nose of a gay manĀ whoĀ contracted monkeypox. āAt some point, he basically decided, ‘This is too weird,āā the source, paraphrasing Ahmanson, explained to me. āāI donāt want to read this or pay for this anymore.āā
Dreher advocates for the “Benedict Option,” where conservative Christians segregate from sex and gender minorities via intentional communities.
Dreher, Rod (January 6, 2023). How GOP Helped Big Trans Conquer South Dakota.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/how-gop-helped-big-trans-conquer-south-dakota/
Dreher, Rod (October 18, 2022). Trans Propaganda, Blue And Red.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trans-propaganda-blue-and-red/
Dreher, Rod (October 4, 2022). Trans Tyranny: The Dangerous New Phase.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trans-tyranny-the-dangerous-new-phase/
Dreher, Rod (August 16, 2022). Trans Totalitarianism: Time For Moral Panic.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trans-totalitarianism-time-for-moral-panic/
Dreher, Rod (April 13, 2022). Building Trans America.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/building-trans-america-children-transgender/
Dreher, Rod (March 11, 2022). This Diabolical Moment.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/this-diabolical-moment-cbdc-transgender/
Dreher, Rod (January 27, 2021). The Tyranny Of Tech & Trans.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/tyranny-of-tech-and-trans/
Dreher, Rod (December 18, 2019). The Trojan Horse Of Gender Ideology.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trojan-horse-gender-ideology/
Dreher, Rod (March 1, 2019). Trans Through A Teacherās Eyes.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trans-through-a-teachers-eyes/
Dreher, Rod (July 11, 2018). Truscum, Tucutes, and Kelpselves.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/transgender-truscum-tucutes-kelpselves/
Dreher, Rod (March 19, 2018). Peak Trans, Part II.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/peak-trans-part-ii/
Dreher, Rod (March 7, 2018). āPeak Transā Turned Her Rightward.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/peak-trans-turned-her-rightward/
Dreher, Rod (November 8, 2017). Leaving The Trans Cult.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/leaving-the-transgender-cult/
Dreher, Rod (August 26, 2016). How To Fight The Trans Cult.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/how-to-fight-the-trans-cult/
Dreher, Rod (August 10, 2016). The Cult Of Transgender.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-cult-of-transgender/
Dreher, Rod (May 11, 2016). Texas Schools Go Trans.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/texas-schools-go-trans/
Dreher, Rod (March 18, 2016). Transgenderism Hurts Children.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/transgenderism-hurts-children/
Books
Dreher, Rod (2020). Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents
Dreher, Rod (2017). The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation
Dreher, Rod (2015). How Dante Can Save Your Life: The Life-Changing Wisdom of History’s Greatest Poem
Dreher, Rod (2013). The Little Way of Ruthie Leming: A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life
Dreher, Rod (2006). Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, Gun-Loving Organic Gardeners, Evangelical Free-Range Farmers, Hip Homeschooling Mamas, Right-Wing Nature Lovers, and Their Diverse Tribe of Countercultural Conservatives Plan to Save America (Or at Least the Republican Party)
Hanania is closely linked with the “human biodiversity,” “rationalist,” and “effective altruism” movements.
In 2023, Hanania was revealed to be the author of misogynistic and pro-genocidal posts on white nationalist sites under the pseudonym “Richard Hoste.”
Background
Richard Anton Hanania was born on August 28, 1985 and grew up in Oak Lawn, Illinois. After completing high school early, Hanania attended Moraine Valley Community College, then earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Colorado. Hanania then earned a law degree from University of Chicago and a doctorate from UCLA.
“Richard Hoste” and “human biodiversity”
In 2010, Hanania published a blog on eugenics titled HBD: Human Biodiversity as “Richard Hoste” on the group blog Alternative Right. Hanania’s profile stated:
“Richard Hoste is the editor of the HBD blog at Alternative Right. He writes prolifically on race, immigration, political correctness and modern conservatism. His blog is HBD Books, where he regularly reviews classic and modern works on these topics.”
One of the bloggers at āAlternative Rightā is Richard Hoste, who recently wrote that ālow-IQ Mexican immigration is the greatest threat to America.ā He also wrote: āSchools should stop wasting time trying to close achievement gaps. And not only do whites have nothing to feel guilty about, they are the best thing to ever happen to blacks. Even ignoring race, humanity will not move forward through equality or by raising up the really stupid to the level of just plain stupid.ā Finally, Hoste had this pithy observation: āWhile thereās more miscegenation [interracial sex] than in the past ā¦ we should be heartened that white teenage girls arenāt passing themselves around in black neighborhoods.ā
In 2023, Christopher Mathias revealed Hanania’s posting history as “Richard Hoste”:
Richard Hanania, a visiting scholar at the University of Texas, used the pen name āRichard Hosteā in the early 2010s to write articles where he identified himself as a ārace realist.ā He expressed support for eugenics and the forced sterilization of ālow IQā people, who he argued were most often Black. He opposed āmiscegenationā and ārace-mixing.ā And once, while arguing that Black people cannot govern themselves, he cited the neo-Nazi author of āThe Turner Diaries,ā the infamous novel that celebrates a future race war.
“Hoste, Richard” (November 24, 2010). Left Wing Union Busting and Race. http://www.alternativeright.com/main/blogs/hbd-human-biodiversity/left-wing-union-busting-and-race/
“Hoste, Richard” (November 3, 2010). The Sailer Strategy Refuted? http://www.alternativeright.com/main/blogs/district-of-corruption/classical-and-cultural-sailerism/
“Hoste, Richard” (August 29, 2010). Kill’em All Conservatism. http://www.alternativeright.com/main/blogs/untimely-observations/kill-em-all-conservatism/
“Hoste, Richard” (August 22, 2010). Crypto-White Nationalist at the Post? http://www.alternativeright.com/main/blogs/hbd-human-biodiversity/crypto-white-nationalist-at-the-post/
“Hoste, Richard” (August 3, 2010). An Alliance with Whom?!? http://www.alternativeright.com/main/blogs/untimely-observations/an-alliance-with-whom/
“Hoste, Richard” (July 23, 2010). The Obama Election and Our Cultural Shift. http://www.alternativeright.com/main/blogs/district-of-corruption/the-obama-election-and-our-cultural-shift/
“Hoste, Richard” (July 23, 2010). It’s Not About Oil. http://www.alternativeright.com/main/blogs/exit-strategies/it-s-not-about-oil/
“Hoste, Richard” (July 21, 2010). Where Black Rules White. http://www.alternativeright.com/main/blogs/untimely-observations/where-black-rules-white/
Ring earned a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Uppsala, Sweden. Ring then taught there as an associate professor and worked in cellular electrophysiology. At the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), Ring was a chief scientist, working on countermeasures to chemical warfare.
Ring and spouse Eva lived in the Lofthus borough of Oslo and had a transgender child named Jennifer (1985ā2017). The family had a complicated relationship with Jennifer.
Anti-transgender activism
Ring’s child Jennifer transitioned at age 28. Jennifer dealt with a number of problems in living beyond trans issues, and committed suicide four years after transition, in 2017.
At the same time,Ā FilterĀ magazine profiled the case of Jennifer Ring, a 32-year-old trans woman who hanged herself four years after her surgery. An expert on psychosis who was shown her medical journal by her father, Avi Ring, was quoted as saying that she had shown clear signs of psychosis at the time she first sought treatment for gender dysphoria.
Indeed, the first clinic she approached refused to treat her, citing signs of schizotypal symptoms and lack of a history of gender dysphoria. But the team at Karolinska went ahead. āKarolinska donāt stop anyone; virtually 100% get sex reassignment,ā says Ring.
Ring founded GENID: Gender Identity Challenge and began connecting with other parents skeptical of trans healthcare:
Gender Identity Challenge Scandinavia (GICS) are behind the push to change the public debate. Set up by retired neurophysiologist Ring, toxicologist Karin Svens and Norwegian teacher Marit RĆønstad, they label themselves as a group of concerned parents. Other actors are psychiatrist Christopher Gillberg whose article in newspaper Svenska Dagbladet decried hormone treatment and surgery for young people. An investigative TV programme also attacked a hospital providing gender-affirming care. The campaign against securing access to gender-affirming healthcare for trans people along with media transphobia led to the Swedish government halting plans to change the age for young people to access gender-affirming care. In February 2022, the National Board of Health and Welfare issued new guidelines preventing young trans people accessing puberty blockers, arguing incorrectly that ācosts outweigh the benefitsā and in disagreement with guidance from the World Professional Association of Transgender Health. This was in response to seeing a rise in people assigned female at birth accessing services.
Anti-trans actors tend to verge on social media, particularly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They place themselves outside the pro-feminist and pro-LGBTI+ rights discourse in Sweden, which they see as undermining the stateās ability to protect people during the pandemic.
It is argued that this approach is not yet having the same impact as āgender criticalā groups in the UK or Spain because feminism is a less politically charged idea in Sweden than other European countries. Barring one, all political parties include feminism in their policies. However, this appears to be shifting and concerningly, the HOPE not Hate Charitable Trust found the Swedish general public expressed more anti-feminist sentiment than Poland (30%), the UK (28%), France (26%), Hungary (22%), Germany (19%) and the Netherlands (15%).
Ring served on a panel with the Norwegian Directory of Health during development of new trans treatment guidelines and lectured at both the Norwegian and Swedish Parliament seminars.
In 2019, Rina and Marit RĆønstad published an article titled āHĆøy risiko for feilbehandlingā [High risk of mistreatment], criticizing the World Health Organization for renaming the classification for trans people as “gender incongruence” that is related to sexual health instead of a mental disorder. They claim 60ā90% of children with gender incongruence may āgrow out of itā during puberty and argue against medical interventions for trans minors, which they consider āethically and medically problematic.ā
In 2020 Ring and William Malone published a letter criticizing a 2019 study by Richard BrƤnstrƶm and John E. Pachankis. In the first total population study of transgender people, BrƤnstrƶm and Pachankis found that for the 2,679 trans people on Sweden’s national patient register diagnosed with gender incongruence, “the longitudinal association between gender-affirming surgery and reduced likelihood of mental health treatment lends support to the decision to provide gender-affirming surgeries to transgender individuals who seek them.”
On September 25, 2023, Genspectannounced Ring’s death on social media. This was confirmed in a posthumous piece Ring wrote for Subjekt. Ring asked relatives to publish a piece arguing against banning conversion therapy in Norway under paragraph 270.
Ring, Avi (October 14, 2023) Stortinget bĆør ikke godkjenne forbudet mot konverteringsterapi [The Storting should not approve the ban on conversion therapy]. Subjekt https://subjekt.no/2023/10/14/stortinget-bor-ikke-godkjenne-forbudet-mot-konverteringsterapi/
BrƤnstrƶm R, Pachankis JE: Reduction in mental health treatment utilization among transgender individuals after gender-affirming surgeries: a total population study. Am J Psychiatry 2020; 177:727ā734 https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19111169
Diamond views sexual orientation identity and gender identity as potentially fluid over developmental time, starting in childhood and continuing into adulthood. Diamond’s claim that these characteristics can change over time has been used to argue against LGBT rights by conversion therapists and in Supreme Court briefs.
Background
Diamond earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Chicago in 1993, then attended Cornell University, earning a master’s degree in 1996 and a doctorate in 1999, studying with Ritch Savin-Williams.
Criticism of “born this way”
Diamond has been a key critic of the idea that sexual orientation is an innate and unchangeable characteristic. A 2018 article states:
Sexual fluidity entered the spotlight in 2008 when Lisa Diamond published her book, Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Womenās Love and Desire, where she presents the results of a study in which she tracked womenās desires and identity labels over the course of a decade. She found that over time many of her participants shifted along Kinseyās sexual orientation spectrum, often adopting new identity labels to accommodate their changing attractions and relationships. Sheās careful to point out that sexual fluidity is not the same as bisexuality. Traditionally, even bisexual people were thought to occupy a fixed spot on the spectrum, but Diamond challenges that narrative. She recalls one participant who described herself as equally attracted to men and women, but two years later reported that she was four times more attracted to women than to men.
“Research on sexual orientation has been based almost entirely on self-reports, and this is one of the few good studies using physiological measures,” said Dr. Lisa Diamond, an associate professor of psychology and gender identity at the University of Utah, who was not involved in the study.
The discrepancy between what is happening in people’s minds and what is going on in their bodies, she said, presents a puzzle “that the field now has to crack, and it raises this question about what we mean when we talk about desire.”
“We have assumed that everyone means the same thing,” she added, “but here we have evidence that that is not the case.”
Bailey frequently engages in “science by press conference,” a way of getting money and attention through carefully timed media manipulation with gullible or biased reporters. This study involved the use of a penileĀ plethysmograph, a sort of genital “lie detector” which is considered inadmissible in court because it does not meet legal standards for reliability.
In 2020 Bailey and Rieger suddenly “discovered” male bisexuality after getting money from the anti-trans American Institute of Bisexuality. The person who gave them the money, AIB leader John Sylla, was also a co-author of their “discovery,” a clear conflict of interest. Once again, they got favorable press coverage for their remarkable “discovery” in the New York Times:
While some bisexual activists filled Baileyās email inbox with hate mail, Sylla invited Bailey to dinner. āI wanted to work with Mike and help him design a better study,ā Sylla told me. āWhat I said to him early on was: āOf course there are bisexual men. You just havenāt found them yet.ā ā Bailey said he was skeptical, but he was impressed with Syllaās civility and decided to hear him out. That turned out to be a smart decision: A few years later, A.I.B. became an important source of funding for research on bisexuals. Lisa Diamond, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah who receives A.I.B. support, told me, āItās difficult to get funding to study sexual orientation for its own sake, unless youāre linking it to mental or physical health issues like H.I.V. or suicidality.ā
Boso, Luke, Disrupting Sexual Categories of Intimate Preference (2010). 21 Hastings Women’s L. J. 59 (2010), Available at SSRN:Ā https://ssrn.com/abstract=1537243
Vaughn-Blount, Kelli (2008). Champions of Psychology: Lisa Diamond.Observer. 21 (2). https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/champions-of-psychology-lisa-diamond original url https://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2008/february-08/champions-of-psychology-lisa-diamond.html
Diamond, Lisa M.; VillicaƱa, Ćngel; Burton, Raven (2024). The Development of Diversity in Gender/Sexual Identity and Expression. In Marc H. Bornstein,Ā Michael E. Lamb [editors]. Developmental Science (8th edition). Routledge, ISBN 9781003387145
Diamond, Lisa M. (2023). The Health of Sexually-Diverse and Gender-Diverse Populations. In Gia Merlo,Ā Christopher P. Fagundes [editors]. Lifestyle Psychiatry: Through the Lens of Behavioral Medicine. CRC Press ISBN 9781003275671
Diamond, L. M. (2020). Gender Fluidity and Nonbinary Gender Identities Among Children and Adolescents. Child Development Perspectives, 14(2), 110ā115. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12366
Diamond, L. M., & Rosky, C. J. (2016). Scrutinizing Immutability: Research on Sexual Orientation and U.S. Legal Advocacy for Sexual Minorities. The Journal of Sex Research, 53(4ā5), 363ā391. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2016.1139665
Diamond, L. M. (2013). Sexual-minority, gender-nonconforming, and transgender youths. In D. S. Bromberg & W. T. O’Donohue (Eds.),Ā Handbook of child and adolescent sexuality: Developmental and forensic psychologyĀ (pp. 275ā300). Elsevier Academic Press.Ā https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-387759-8.00011-8
Diamond, L.M., Pardo, S.T., Butterworth, M.R. (2011). Transgender Experience and Identity. In: Schwartz, S., Luyckx, K., Vignoles, V. (eds) Handbook of Identity Theory and Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_26
Diamond, L.M., Butterworth, M. Questioning Gender and Sexual Identity: Dynamic Links Over Time.Ā Sex RolesĀ 59, 365ā376 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9425-3
Savin-Williams, R. C., & Diamond, L. M. (2000). Sexual Identity Trajectories Among Sexual-Minority Youths: Gender Comparisons. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 29(6), 607ā627. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1002058505138
Book
Diamond, Lisa (2009). Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Womenās Love and Desire. Harvard University Press, ISBN 978-0674032262
Camille Kiefel is an American “ex-transgender” activist. Kiefel gets money and attention by making it harder for others to get trans healthcare.
Background
Kiefel identified as nonbinary and medically transitioned as an adult.
Kiefel is heavily invested in metaphors of disease and impairment as identity and reportedly has the following problems:
CPTSD
major depressive disorder
ADHD
generalized anxiety disorder
suicidal ideation
Anti-trans activism
In 2022 Kiefel announced a lawsuit against the healthcare providers who tried to help. Keifel filed another case in 2024.
Kiefel is listed as principal of Detrans Help, a nonprofit founded in 2023.
Kiefel has made the rounds on conservative and fascist media promoting the ex-trans movement.
References
Goldstein, Julie Rei (March 12, 2025). “For #DetransAwarenessDay a major #DeTransLaw update! Camille Kiefel’s (@GetBetterTweets ) lawsuit against her surgical team has been Dismissed with Prejudice along with a Money Award Camille now owes the Defendants for bringing forth this action. These lawsuits keep failing.” https://x.com/JulieRei/status/1899849055397912972
Goldstein, Julie Rei (January 23, 2024). “Interesting #DeTransLaw News: Camille Kiefel’s case has been reinstated after last years dismissal. Notably, she is no longer represented by @CEJacksonLaw. Her current attorney is Benjamin Boyd of Hostetter Law Group, neither of which lists expertise in Medical Malpractice.” https://x.com/JulieRei/status/1749872414916530289
Veale completed a doctorate at Massey University in 2012. Veale then worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, researching the health of Canadian transgender youth.
In 2015 Veale was appointed Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Waikato.
Veale has served on the Board of Directors of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and has served as an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Transgender Health. Veale also helped to establish the University of Waikato Rainbow Staff/Student Alliance. Projects include:
Veale has attempted to refute Ray Blanchard and the controversial diagnosis of “autogynephilia” by applying Blanchardās Core Autogynephilia Scale to people who are not trans women. This in effect reified the diagnosis itself, allowing “autogynephilia” activistAnne Lawrence to retort that “Transsexual groups in Veale et al. (2008) are ‘autogynephilic’ and ‘even more autogynephilic.'”
In 2022, Veale and biologist Julia Serano published a paper refuting J. Michael Bailey and Kevin Hsu, who made the claim that “autogynephilia in women” does not exist. Veale and Serano argued that “autogynephilia” is a flawed framework and expanded on Serano’s model of “female embodiment fantasies,”
BA Clark, JF Veale, M Townsend, H Frohard-Dourlent, E Saewyc 4 Non-binary youth Today’s Transgender Youth: Health, Well-being, and Opportunities for ā¦
JF Veale, RJ Watson, T Peter, EM Saewyc (2017). Mental health disparities among Canadian transgender youth. Journal of Adolescent Health 60 (1), 44-49 265 2017 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.09.014
BA Clark, JF Veale, M Townsend, H Frohard-Dourlent, E Saewyc (2018). Non-binary youth: Access to gender-affirming primary health care. International Journal of Transgenderism 19 (2), 158-169 125 2018 https://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2017.1394954
RJ Watson, JF Veale, EM Saewyc (2017). Disordered eating behaviors among transgender youth: Probability profiles from risk and protective factors. International Journal of Eating Disorders 50 (5), 515-522 126 2017 https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22627
JF Veale, T Peter, R Travers, EM Saewyc (2017). Enacted stigma, mental health, and protective factors among transgender youth in Canada. Transgender Health 2 (1), 207-216 116 2017 https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2017.0031
N Adams, R Pearce, J Veale, A Radix, D Castro, A Sarkar, KC Thom (2017). Guidance and ethical considerations for undertaking transgender health research and institutional review boards adjudicating this research. Transgender Health 2 (1), 165-175 114 2017 https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2017.0012
J Veale, EM Saewyc, H Frohard-Dourlent, S Dobson, B Clark (2015). Being safe, being me: Results of the Canadian trans youth health survey. Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC) 146 2015 [PDF] https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/Diff/gahps/SARAVYC_Trans%20Youth%20Health%20Report_EN_Final_Web.pdf
F Pega, JF Veale (2015). The case for the World Health Organizationās Commission on Social Determinants of Health to address gender identity. American Journal of Public Health 105 (3), e58-e62 https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302373
Veale J, Clark DE, Lomax TC (2012). Male-to-female transsexuals’ impressions of Blanchard’s autogynephilia theory. International Journal of Transgenderism. 13 (3): 131ā139. https://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2011.669659.
Veale JF, Lomax T, Clarke D (2010). “Identity-Defense Model of Gender-Variant Development”. International Journal of Transgenderism. 12 (3): 125ā138. https://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2010.514217
JF Veale, DE Clarke, TC Lomax (2010). Biological and psychosocial correlates of adult gender-variant identities: A review. Personality and Individual Differences 48 (4), 357-366 93 2010 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.09.018
JF Veale (2008). Prevalence of transsexualism among New Zealand passport holders. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 42 (10), 887-889 93 2008 https://doi.org/10.1080/00048670802345490
