David Arthur Kendall is an American sex offender and activist in the ex-transgender movement. Kendall gets money and attention by making it more difficult to get trans healthcare. Using the name “David Arthur,” Kendall is featured in the 2023 anti-trans film Affirmation Generation by Laura VanZee-Taylor and Penka Kouneva.
Background
David Arthur Kendall was born October 16, 1972. Kendall has alleged being sexually abused from around the age of 6 and contracting HIV/AIDS in 1986 at age 14.
After making a gender transition, this person used the name Paige Giannetto.
In 2002, Kendall was sentenced to two years and four months in Florida prison for violating Florida Statute 800.04 on May 1, 1995: “Lewdly fondle or assault, commit or simulate sexual acts on or in presence of a child under 16 in a lewd, lascivious or indecent manner.”
In 2004, Kendall was sentenced to two years in prison for failing to meet Florida’s mandatory community notification and registration requirements for sex offenders, among other crimes:
I was arrested on a probation violation for drugs, prostitution and robbing a gas station. I was also charged with failing to register (comply) at the time as well. During the sting operation it was discovered that my “boyfriend”, who was caught with me in our hotel room, was 15 years old. This did not look good for me as a convicted sex offender and I was given the option of another charge or “cash in” my probation for state prison time, I chose the latter. I chose to have no probation in place of prison time.
Kendall was released in 2006 and stopped identifying as Paige in 2012. Kendall has described “deliverance from a very dark life,” including
prostitution
sex-trafficking
gender confusion/transgenderism (dysphoria)
molestation
rape
drugs
alcohol
gambling
“full blown AIDS”
no immune system
infections in his brain & blood
severe progressive Osteoporosis
diabetes
etc.
After “the doctors sent him home to die,” Kendall experienced a “moment of grace.” Kendall has described being cured of many problems:
gender confusion
addictions
Chronic Major Depression
bipolar
anxiety
PTSDÂ
lust-filled activity
the weight of sin
no longer used a walker
diabetes was gone
HIV/AIDS virus was no longer detectable
immune system returned
“rescued from the cesspools of gender dysphoria, the lgbTQia TransQueer Gender Cult”
Supreme Court brief
In 2019, Kendall participated in an amicus curiae brief in support of a funeral home that had fired a transgender employee. The brief was submitted by:
Public Advocate of the United States
Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund
Poll Watchers
I Belong Amen Ministries
David Arthur
Policy Analysis Center
Eagle Forum Foundation
Pastor Chuck Baldwin
Restoring Liberty Action Committee
Center for Morality
Relevant passages from Kendall:
I Belong Amen Ministries is a ministry headed by David Arthur, a former homosexual and former transgender person.
The good news is that transgender status is not immutable, and the mindâs perspective about the body can, and often does, change over time. Consider the situation of David Arthur, one of the amici curiae filing this brief. David Arthur was sexually abused from around the age of five. He was involved in homosexual behavior, and then worked as a transgender prostitute. He contracted HIV/AIDS at age 14, and by age 37 he was on his deathbed. That was in 2009. With his body weakening, in a hospital bed that was placed in his bedroom at home, David Arthur hit rock bottom and turned to God, who rescued him from the captivity of his addictions. Today, he is healthy and strong, and living proof that people are not immutably transgendered or homosexual. On his website,8 David summarized the matter as follows:
Using myself as an illustration, as a former homosexual, and former transgender person, with decades of experience in that world, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that homosexuality (including transgenderism) is absolutely mutable and curable!
God has created each one of us in a heterosexual design which cannot be altered. We are born male or female. Our DNA makes us male or female and no surgery in the world can change our DNA. Changing our sex/gender is not possible. Indeed, homosexuality is not truly a sexual orientation at all, but just one type of sin, and a type of bondage. Those who tell us that homosexuality is just one of many sexual orientations seek to keep us in bondage, whether they know it or not.
Once we embrace our heterosexual design, we can find the freedom from the bondage of homosexuality. Being set free from homosexuality (including transgenderism) is just as desirable, just as real, and just as common, as a drug addict being set free from the bondage and hold of drugs. Our âtrue selfâ is exactly who we were created to be from conceptionâŠ.
In 2022, Shawn McBreairty of the far-right Maine First Project teamed up with Kendall to attack trans people.
In April, McBreairtyâs podcast featured David Arthur Kendall, who describes himself as a former transgender woman and former prostitute. âChanging sex is not an option,â his website says. He describes being transgender as a type of âconfusionâ or âmental disorderââa compelling story for transphobic groups like Maine First Project.
McBreairty subsequently returned the favor by appearing on Kendallâs podcast.
In 2022, Kendall showed up at a local school board meeting to “gender identity movement is dangerous.”
Kendall said the LBGTQ agenda is dangerous because it can force sexual identity on children and lead to gender confusion.Â
Kendall described himself as being a transgender woman for years, and said he was seduced into the LGBTQ movement. He identifies as a gay man and said he is glad he wasnât placed on puberty blockers that would have affected his growth and development. He alluded to past behaviors and said he has since reformed his life.Â
âPlease let these children know itâs OK to be gay,â Kendall said. âThey donât have to run into the arms of a rainbow movement that is bound to destroy them, body and soul.â
Below are Kendall’s comments throughout the film before they were deleted:
As a child, what I didnât know, I didnât call it internalized homophobia because I didnât know the term for it, but thatâs when I started noticing the stigma over homosexuality. I recognized the guilting, the shaming of same-sex attraction within society and culture alone.
Because of the estrogen, I have severe bone loss. First, it was osteopenia then it turned into osteoporosis, and the bone loss was severe, so severe I was hunched over, couldnât stand up straight, walking with a walker.
Even though I didnât want it, I never wanted the full surgery, I was contemplating on going to Thailand to get the complete sexual reassignment surgery, which is what they called it then. Now itâs called gender affirming surgery. So first I was going to New York to get castrated and to get more work, more silicone, put in my body. I was on Coney Island with two trannies that had already had complete sexual reassignment surgery. And we are laughing and joking and having a good old time, and then they both looked at me, and one of them said, “Donât do it.” And I said, “Donât do what?” And he said, “All of my life I thought that if I could just become a woman, I would find peace and joy and happiness.” And he said, “And now that I am legally and medically a woman, I am more miserable now than I was my entire life.” He said, “I think about taking my life every day.” And the other one said “I think about taking my life several times a day every day.”Â
Everyone that knew me, they wouldâve argued with anybody that “Paige” was content and secure and happy, and just being the person she was meant to be. And none of them had a clue that I was depressed, that I was bitter, that I hated myself, that I attempted to take my life quite a few times. Even the young queens that looked up to me, that would come and stay at my apartment, they didnât know that. And then come to now, when I think back and I think, “Wow, how many of them felt the same way?” I recognize that I was just living a lie. I became the lie. I was the lie.Â
Itâs lonely enough being a detransitioner, and not having the support of a group of friends that you can go out and have fun with, right? Like when you were in that movement.
Thereâs no reasoning behind most of what is spewed by trans activists. No reasoning. And I know this because I was one, right? As a pawn for the movement, I was one. Not only was I a victim, I victimized young boys. I helped young boys into the movement. I watched boys be seduced into the movement and then passed around and profited off of. And then, when they were no more good, tossed out in the garbage, and then they became the groomers. And so I know that being that is just emotionally driven. Itâs all about thoughts and feelings, thoughts and feelings. There is no real reality in that world.Â
I think that one of my biggest goals is to make young people understand that you can just be gay, and itâs OK.
References
Supreme Court of the United States (August 23, 2019). Amicus Curiae in R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-107/229226/20220630125559710_Harris%20Funeral%20amicus%20brief%20on%20the%20merits.pdf
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 âgateway to the far right.â Many people involved are prominent opponents of transgender rights. IDW members typically get money and attention by claiming to be âcanceledâ 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 Childrenâs 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 Childrenâs 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. âThey were rubber bullets from law enforcement. 1 hit right next to me,â 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 âBLM protest.â
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 âthat will turn her heroic, high-risk work into a career.â
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 âlarge volume of hostile internet activity, phone calls and harassing emails including threats of violence toward our clinicians and staff.â
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, âThere is a bomb on the way to the hospital. You better evacuate everybody. You sickos.â Leavey made over 200 contributions to conservative causes since 2016, including former President Trumpâs Campaign, MAGA PACs and other Republican campaigns.
FBI Boston Special-Agent-in-Charge Joseph Bonavolonta said:
In recent months, Boston Childrenâs 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 hospitalâs 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 (âBillyâ) Burleigh Jr.âs 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, âI was better off as I was before the surgery, before the hormone treatment.â After six years of identifying as a woman, Mr. Burleigh started maturing in his relationship with Jesus and, as a result, learned the truth â 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.
Andy Cuong NgĂŽ was born on April 6, 1986 and grew up in Portland, Oregon. NgĂŽ earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 2009.
NgĂŽ came out as gay around age 30.
In 2015, NgĂŽ enrolled in graduate school at Portland State University. NgĂŽ was fired from student newspaper Portland State Vanguard in 2017 after allegedly misrepresenting statements made at a protest.
NgĂŽ covered leftist student protests at Evergreen State University. After that, NgĂŽ became well-known for covering Antifa activity in the Pacific Northwest. NgĂŽ would frequently attend protests and publish mugshots of those arrested. NgĂŽ is author of the 2021 book Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy.
Anti-transgender activism
NgĂŽ was suspended from Twitter in 2019 for a tweet disputing rates of violence against trans people.
In 2021, Ngo revealed that sex offender Darren Agee Merager was the suspect in an incident at Wi Spa in Los Angeles. Merager identifies as a trans woman and was accused by Wi Spa guests of indecent exposure while nude in a sex-segregated part of the spa. The incident was initially declared a hoax by some people who covered it, and it led to tense protests.
Urquhart, Evan (June 14, 2023) Did Andy Ngo coin âTRANTIFAâ?Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/did-trantifa-originate-with-andy-ngo
Gais, Hannah (September 11, 2019). The Making of Andy Ngo.Jewish Currents https://jewishcurrents.org/the-making-of-andy-ngo/
NgĂŽ, Andy (September 2, 2021). Sex offending suspect claims transgender harassment in Wi Spa case.New York Post https://nypost.com/2021/09/02/charges-filed-against-sex-offender-in-wi-spa-casecharges-filed-against-sex-offender-in-notorious-wi-spa-incident/ [alt headline: Charges filed against Darren Agee Merager in Wi Spa case]
Ngo, Andy (May 12, 2017). Fired for Reporting the Truth. National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/05/free-speech-islam-portland-state-vanguard-editor-fired-tweets/
Amy E. Sousa is an American anti-transgender extremist. Sousa is an unlicensed therapist, according to self-reports. Do not go to Sousa for therapy of any kind.
A search for Sousa’s therapy license in the State of Washington database did not show any results in 2023.
Background
Amy Elizabeth Sousa was born February 26, 1976. Sousa earned a bachelor’s degree from New York University and a master’s degree from Pacifica Graduate Institute. After living in New York for 15 years, Sousa moved to Port Townsend, Washington in 2009. Sousa was formerly involved in Key City Public Theatre. Sousa as also been involved in Sootsprites Productions and has volunteered for the local film festival.
“My activism has included organizing multiple protests: Against Biden’s EO in Washington DC, against the UN in New York City, against swimmer Lia Thomas at the NCAA championships in Atlanta, against child gender clinics in Seattle, free speech events, speaking at state legislature in defense of women/girl’s sports and in defense of single sex prisons for women, as well as speaking at school board meetings to protect kids from indoctrination by sex denying curriculum.”
When Sousa’s friend Julie Jaman was permanently banned from the local YMCA pool following an anti-trans encounter in 2022, Sousa organized those protests as well.
Sousa has been involved in additional protests against Marci Bowers and others who provide gender affirming care.
RevFoXX
Sousa is a member of anti-transgender group RevFoXX (“Reality Encompassed Values” for XX). They claim they are “advocating for the safeguarding of women & children, observing objective reality in solidarity, and countering the narrative of the gender lobby in the United States.” Members include:
Katie Herzog is an American author and podcaster best known for gender critical views and anti-transgender activism. Herzog co-hosts the anti-trans “drama” podcast Blocked and Reported with Jesse Singal. Herzog’s work includes
Catherine Ronan “Katie” Herzog was born on May 18, 1983 in Asheville, North Carolina. Herzog’s parents are both emeritus professors who taught at Western Carolina University: Harold Albert “Hal” Herzog served as a psychology professor, and Mary Jean Ronan Herzog served as an education professor. Katie Herzog graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville with a bachelor’s degree in English literature and continued to graduate school before dropping out. Herzog has siblings.
Herzog has published writing in numerous outlets, listed below. Herzog got a start as a blogger on Tumblr and on a personal website. Herzog has attempted to delete much of this early work.
Herzog identifies as lesbian and lives in Washington state and North Carolina with spouse Janna Krein, a nurse.
Anti-trans activism at The Stranger
Herzog worked for Dan Savage as a freelancer for The Stranger, later serving as a staff writer from 2017 to 2020.
In 2017, Herzog wrote “The Detransitioners,” a piece critics considered a biased and flawed article supporting the ex-trans movement. The piece mentioned several people:
Brynn Tannehill, a trans journalist whose criticism of the ex-trans movement appears to have motivated Herzog’s piece
Marlo Mack, How to Be a Girl podcaster and supportive parent of a gender diverse child
John Otto, a happily transitioned trans man
Supporting Herzog’s views were several activists promoting the ex-trans movement:
James Cantor, a fellow gender critical troll in Toronto and promoter of many disease models of gender identity and expression
“Jackie” aka “Jackal,” a Seattle area resident who was 25 in 2017 and moderated detransinfo.tumblr.com
“Jane,” a Southern California resident who was 53 in 2017 and who joined the ex-trans movement after discovering radfem forums online
“Ryan,” who was 43 in 2017 and who underwent medical transition steps but was not socially transitioned at the time
“Cass,” who later came out as ex-trans whistleblower Ky Schevers
Schevers was deeply involved in the “gender critical” movement connected to trans-exclusionary radical feminism (TERF):
While hanging out among ourselves, I and other younger members of this scene would jokingly refer to ourselves and each other as âTERFsâ, reclaiming what we viewed as a slur. Many of us got a kick out of having a secret life in a subculture outsiders (correctly) viewed as a hate group. We thought such people were ridiculous and misogynistic for seeing us as hateful and we frequently mocked them, acting as if they were ignorant, misled and/or overly sensitive. We would gather at a lesbian-owned coffee shop and complain about how trans activists were a threat to lesbian culture, talk about dangerous and disgusting âautogynephilesâ trying to infiltrate âfemale-onlyâ spaces, and the social forces supposedly pushing lesbians to âdis-identify from femalenessâ and identify as trans.
Schevers 2021
Herzog never updated the original piece or covered the subsequent developments. No one has ever independently confirmed Herzog’s claims about “Jackie,” “Jane,” or “Ryan,” and the only one independently confirmed has come out against Herzog’s article and its thesis. This is probably the prime example that Herzog is not an objective source for information on trans issues.
In response, some critics burned copies of The Stranger and distributed stickers that said “Katie Herzog (writer at the stranger) Is A Transphobe.” Herzog claims to have been ostracized by some friends. The New York TimesandThe New Republicdescribed the reaction to “The Detransitioners” as an example of “cancel culture.”
In 2024, The Stranger allowed Schevers to set the record straight on Herzog’s coverage, but none of Herzog’s other sources have been independently verified.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Herzog was furloughed and was no longer employed there as of 2020. In 2020, Herzog founded Permabanned Media LLC and in March began the podcast Blocked and Reported with Singal. In July, Singal and Herzog both signed “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate” for Harper’s. That letter was signed by a disproportionate number of anti-transgender extremists.
After leaving The Stranger
Since leaving The Stranger, Herzog has become more outspoken on anti-transgender topics. Herzog has spoken frequently about the alleged cultural shift away from “lesbian” as an identity, promoted the disputed diagnosis “rapid onset gender dysphoria,” and suggested that the increase in trans-identified people is part of a “social contagion.” Herzog has also gotten money and attention for claiming that medical schools are “denying biological sex” by presenting more inclusive and value-neutral scientific terminology. Herzog’s posts on the topic via intellectual dark web promoter Bari Weiss were tagged as unreliable self-published sources by the r/medicine forum on reddit, causing the usual suspects to claim they were being censored.
As with most people who claim to be “canceled,” Herzog has seen an enormous increase in media appearances on conservative and anti-transgender shows and platforms since 2017. They include
In 2025, Herzog released a book titled Drink Your Way Sober, which outlined Herzog’s struggles with alcohol use and dependence. Herzog promotes the Sinclair Method, which involves taking the opioid inhibitor naltrexone.
Doyle, Jude Ellison S. (March 15, 2023). The making of a detransitioner.Xtra* https://xtramagazine.com/power/detransition-terf-movement-elisa-shupe-247592
Lieberman, Hallie (May 3, 2019). Why Is Reporting on Trans Issues So Fraught?News-to-Table / Pressland https://medium.com/news-to-table/https-medium-com-news-to-table-why-is-reporting-on-trans-issues-so-fraught-c3b52b4b97c4
A Special Place in Hell with Meghan Daum, Sarah Haider, and Katie Herzog (November 20, 2022). Katie Herzog Visits Hell. https://aspecialplace.substack.com/p/katie-herzog-visits-hell
PhilosophyInsights (June 19, 2020). [Edit] The Moral Panic and the Corruption of Journalism. YouTube / PhilosophyInsights. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjT9NVOQW10 [deleted]
The Versus Media Podcast with Stephen L. Miller and Katie Herzog (November 3, 2019). Episode 2 – The Very Cancelled Katie Herzog. https://millerversusmedia.substack.com/p/episode-2-the-very-cancelled-katie-aea
Chapter One: “And then I met Janna, the woman who would become my wife, and not only did I change my mind about dog fanatics, Iâm ashamed to say I even became one myself.”
This profile originally misstated Herzog’s birthday. In 2025, this site phased out AI illustrations after artist feedback. The previous illustration is here.
Coleman Hughes is an American writer and anti-transgender activist.
Background
Coleman Cruz Hughes was born February 25, 1996 and grew up in Montclair, New Jersey. Hughes earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in 2020.
Like Glenn Loury, Thomas Chatterton Williams, and John McWhorter, Hughes has gained a reputation for criticizing progressive views and policies around race.
Rod Dreher is a conservative American author who frequently publishes anti-transgender articles. The Guardian 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, 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 a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in 1989. Dreher was a media critic for The Washington Times and New York Post before becoming an editor for the 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. 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 Dreherâs commentary on the gay and transgender communities also proved off-putting to Ahmanson, such as his lurid musings on anal sex, rectal bleeding, and the âpartially rotted offâ nose of a gay man who contracted monkeypox. âAt some point, he basically decided, ‘This is too weird,ââ the source, paraphrasing Ahmanson, explained to me. ââI donât want to read this or pay for this anymore.ââ
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 Teacherâs 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). âPeak Transâ 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)
