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David French is an American lawyer, writer, and anti-transgender extremist.

French is an initial signatory of the transphobic 2017 Nashville Statement.

In 2023, Kathleen Kingsbury and Patrick Healy brought French on to the notoriously transphobic Opinion section at the New York Times. Their decision was a major event in the Times’ anti-transgender coverage crisis of the 2020s.

Background

David Austin French was born on January 24, 1969 in Opelika, Alabama.

French earned a bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb University in 1991 and a law degree from Harvard in 1994.

French has been a prominent conservative activist. French served as legal counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice and the Alliance Defending Freedom. French was president of Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) until 2005. From 2007 to 2014 French served in the Army as a judge-advocate general officer stationed in Iraq.

Following discharge, French wrote for National Review from 2015 to 2019 and was a senior fellow at the National Review Institute. French is a senior editor for The Dispatch and has authored several books.

French and spouse Nancy live in Franklin, Tennessee and have three adult children.

2017 Nashville Statement

French was a signatory of the homophobic and transphobic Nashville Statement. Other anti-trans signatories include:

  • James Dobson, psychologist, founder of Focus on the Family
  • Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council
  • Ken Ham, young-earth creationist and founder, CEO, and president of Answers in Genesis

References

Staff report (January 4, 2023). GLAAD responds to New York Times hiring anti-LGBTQ attorney as opinion columnist. GLAAD https://glaad.org/releases/glaad-responds-new-york-times-hiring-anti-lgbtq-attorney-opinion-columnist/

Kingsbury, Katie; Healy, Patrick (January 3, 2023). David French Joins The Times as an Opinion Columnist. New York Times Company https://www.nytco.com/press/david-french-joins-the-times-as-an-opinion-columnist/

Resources

The Dispatch (thedispatch.com)

Nancy French (nancyfrench.com)

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (cbmw.org)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Twitter (twitter.com)

National Review (nationalreview.com)

New York Times (nytimes.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

David J. Ley is an American psychologist and author. Ley has promoted and supported several anti-trans activists, including James Cantor, Benjamin Boyce, Jesse Singal, Lee Jussim, Zhana Vrangalova, Dan Savage, Debra Soh, Candice Horbacz, Kenneth Zucker, and Alice Dreger. Ley has quietly deleted some of that promotion and support after pushback.

Ley is on the editorial board of the most transphobic journal ever produced, Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Background

David Jonathan Ley, Jr. was born on January 26, 1973. Ley earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Mississippi in 1995 and a doctorate from University of New Mexico in 2001.

From 2003 to 2004, Ley was a manager at Lovelace Sandia Health System. Since 2004 Ley has been affiliated with New Mexico Solutions and was serving as Executive Director as of 2024.

Ley has served on the boards of Sexual Health Alliance, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and New Mexico Behavioral Health Providers Association.

Ley has authored several books and frequently criticizes the spurious concept of “sex addiction.” Ley is also a critic of pathologizing many unusual sexual interests and frequently appears in mainstream media to discuss sexuality.

Ley lives in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. Ley and spouse Roxanne Inez Candelaria-Ley (born 1973) have an adult child, Samantha. Ley trains and competes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

References

Ley DJ (2014). A Review of “Treating Transgender Children and Adolescents: An Interdisciplinary Discussion.” Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 40:1, 69-70, https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2013.854548

Ley DJ (March 1, 2021). The Cancel Mob Is Coming. Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-who-stray/202103/the-cancel-mob-is-coming

Media

Benjamin Boyce (February 8, 2022). The Ins & Outs of Sex | with Dr. David J. Ley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBAhe56Xzf8

Resources

David Ley PhD (davidleyphd.com)

New Mexico Solutions (newmexicosolutions.com)

Psychology Today (psychologytoday.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Twitter (twitter.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Joe Rogan is an American entertainer and one of the most influential figures in promoting and platforming conservative and anti-transgender views. Rogan is the host of The Joe Rogan Experience, which has disproportionately presented anti-trans beliefs and guests.

Background

Joseph James Rogan was born on August 11, 1967 in Newark, New Jersey. Rogan’s Catholic parents divorced when Rogan was five. Rogan lived in San Francisco and Gainesville, Florida before moving to Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts. Rogan got involved in martial arts competitions as a teen and continued until age 21.

After graduating high school in 1985, Rogan briefly attended University of Massachusetts Boston. In 1988, Rogan began performing stand-up comedy, moving to New York City in 1990 to pursue it. In 1994 Rogan moved to Los Angeles and began acting while continuing stand-up, soon becoming a regular at The Comedy Store. Rogan starred in the sitcom NewsRadio from 1995 to 1999 and continued developing possible shows. In 1997, Rogan began a professional relationship with UFC as an interviewer and color commentator.

Rogan was an early online adopter among comedians, uploading blog posts and later video clips at joerogan.com starting in 1999. In 2000, Rogan released a comedy album. From 2001 to 2006 Rogan hosted reality show Fear Factor, and in 2003 Rogan co-hosted one season of The Man Show. In 2007 Rogan released a second stand-up special.

Rogan and Jessica Ditzel married in 2009 and have three children, one of whom is from Ditzel’s previous relationship. Rogan relocated to Austin, Texas in 2020 and opened the nightclub Comedy Mothership there in 2022.

The Joe Rogan Experience

In 2009, Rogan and Brian Redban began a podcast later titled The Joe Rogan Experience. In 2011, the podcast was picked up by SiriusXM. In 2020, Rogan made a deal with Spotify to move all but 42 episodes to their platform, with exclusive episodes starting in 2021. In 2022, about 70 additional episodes containing racially insensitive language were removed.

The podcast quickly became a key platform for laundering right-wing and anti-transgender extremism into mainstream media. A 2018 report by Data & Society found that the show was part of a network of YouTube channels logrolling alt-right and intellectual dark web extremism: “By connecting to and interacting with one another through YouTube videos, influencers with mainstream audiences lend their credibility to openly white nationalist and other extremist content creators.” Rogan dismissed the report as “guilt by association.”

See this list of selected conservative and anti-transgender guests. Themes of Rogan’s anti-trans guests include evolutionary psychology, biological essentialism, maintaining sex segregation (especially regarding transgender athletes), and attacks on policies and healthcare supporting trans and gender diverse youth. In contrast, the show has had far fewer guests with moderate or progressive views about trans people.

References

Lewis, Rebecca (September 18, 2018). Alternative Influence: Broadcasting the Reactionary Right on YouTube. Data & Society https://datasociety.net/library/alternative-influence/ [PDF]

Ellis, Philip (July 22, 2020). Joe Rogan Is Spreading Transphobic Hate Speech and It’s Putting Lives in Danger. Men’s Health https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a33391944/joe-rogan-abigail-shrier-interview-transphobia/

Shatto, Rachel (January 31, 2022). Joe Rogan Continues to Spew Anti-Trans Rhetoric on His Spotify Podcast. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/2022/1/31/joe-rogan-continues-spew-anti-trans-rhetoric-his-spotify-podcast

Factora, James (January 31, 2022). Joe Rogan, Who Is Literally On Testosterone, Says Trans People Will Cause Societal Collapse. them. https://www.them.us/story/joe-rogan-trans-people-societal-collapse-testosterone-jordan-peterson

Factora, James (November 10, 2022). Nightmare Pairing Joe Rogan and Matt Walsh Compared Transness to Being in a Cult. them. https://www.them.us/story/joe-rogan-matt-walsh-transphobia

Resources

GLAAD (glaad.org)

Joe Rogan (joerogan.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Spotify (open.spotify.com)

Twitter (twitter.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

IMDb (imdb.com)

Greg Lukianoff is an American author, lawyer, and anti-transgender activist. Lukianoff leads the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a key resource for the “academic freedom” faction of anti-transgender activists.

Background

Gregory Christopher “Greg” Lukianoff was born in 1974 in New York City to Joanna Dalton Lukianoff and Basil Lukianoff. Lukianoff earned a bachelor’s degree from American University and a law degree from Stanford.

In 2012 Lukianoff married Michelle Aline LaBlanc (born 1977). Children Benjamin and Maxwell were born in ~2015 and ~2017.

Anti-transgender activism

In 2019 Lukianoff and Heterodox Academy founder Jonathan Haidt co-authored The Coddling of the American Mind.

They are key figures in promoting Alice Dreger’s cover-up of J. Michael Bailey’s fabricated “Danny Ryan” case report that got him tenure.

References

Lukianoff, Greg; Haidt, Jonathan (2019). The Coddling of the American Mind How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. Penguin, ISBN

Staff report (October 14, 2012). Weddings: Michelle LaBlanc, Gregory Lukianoff. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/fashion/weddings/michelle-lablanc-gregory-lukianoff-weddings.html

Resources

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Dave Rubin is a conservative media figure.

Background

David Joshua Rubin was born on June 26, 1976 in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from Syosset High School in 1994, Rubin earned a bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University in 1998. Rubin pursued stand-up comedy and intered on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Rubin hosted the podcasts Hot Gay Comics, The Ben and Dave Show, and The Six Pack. Rubin amassed a large following on Twitter.

In 2013, Rubin began hosting The Rubin Report on The Young Turks Network, which later moved to RYOT News, then Ora TV. In 2014 Rubin hosted The Golden Girls Ultimate Fan Club.

Rubin came out in 2006 and married producer David Janet in 2015.

Views on LGBTQ+ politics

Rubin is part of the anti-progressive faction of anti-trans media figures.

In 2022, Rubin spoke out against rainbow logos for gay pride month.

Rubin’s Twitter account was suspended after retweeting Jordan Peterson’s misgendered actor Elliot Page.

Rubin said “If I found out a teacher talked to my 6-year-old about gender or sexuality, I might kill that person.”

References

Staff report (September 15, 2022). Dave Rubin: If I found out a teacher talked to my 6-year-old about gender or sexuality, “I might kill that person.” Media Matters for America https://www.mediamatters.org/google/dave-rubin-if-i-found-out-teacher-talked-my-6-year-old-about-gender-or-sexuality-i-might

Ortiz, Candice (September 16, 2022). Dave Rubin Declares if a Teacher Talked to His Kids About Gender and Sexuality He ‘Might Kill That Person'”. Mediaite https://www.mediaite.com/podcasts/dave-rubin-declares-if-a-teacher-talked-to-his-kids-about-gender-and-sexuality-he-might-kill-that-person/

Resources

Rubin Report (rubinreport.com)

Rubinville (rubinville.com) [archive: 2001–2009]

  • dailydave.rubinville.com [archive: 2008–2011]

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Twitter (twitter.com)

Locals (locals.com)

Rumble (rumble.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

IMDb (imdb.com)

Greg Gutfeld is a conservative media figure and anti-transgender activist.

Background

Gregory John Gutfeld was born September 12, 1964 in San Mateo, California. Gutfeld grew up Catholic and earned a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley 1987.

Gutfeld worked for Rodale Press titles Prevention and Men’s Health. In 2003, Gutfeld was fired as editor of Stuff, then was editor of Maxim for two years. From 2005 to 2008, Gutfeld wa s a contributor to The Huffington Post.

Gutfeld joined Fox News in 2007, hosting Red Eye. In 2011, Gutfeld joined panel show The Five. In 2015 Gufeld began hosting The Greg Gutfeld Show.

References

HRC (October 30, 2011). HRC to FOX News: Stop Employing Anti-LGBT Bigots. HRC https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/hrc-to-fox-news-stop-employing-anti-lgbt-bigots

Staff report (January 7, 2009). GLAAD lists worst anti-gay defamers of 2008. OUTvoices https://outvoices.us/amp/glaad-lists-worst-anti-gay-defamers-of-2008-2655385476

Gutfeld, Greg (June 14, 2023) Greg Gutfeld: Trans Is Everywhere. Gutfeld! / Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/video/6329380875112

Vaillancourt, William (March 23, 2023). Greg Gutfeld Wonders About Transgender Athlete’s ‘Junk’. The Daily Beast https://www.thedailybeast.com/greg-gutfeld-wonders-about-transgender-athletes-junk

Resources

Greg Gutfeld (ggutfeld.com)

Greg Gutfeld (ggutter.com) [archive]

(ontheroadwithgutfeld.com)

(http://gutfeld.unisonevents.com/)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Twitter (twitter.com)

Locals (locals.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Mark Steyn is a conservative media figure and anti-transgender activist.

Anti-transgender activism

According to GLAAD:

  • Referred to transgender activists as “Big Tr*nny”: “So, when Big Tr*nny came for [the Boy Scouts], they caved instantly, and admitted transgender cubs.”
  • Called a Canadian non-discrimination law protecting trans people an “Orwellian assault on the most fundamental language, the language which defines the two sexes.”
  • A critic of transgender youth in sports, insisting that trans competitors “wreck a statewide sport for all the other participants.”
  • Suggested transgender activism is “biological man’s” attempt to replace women: “But where else can a biological man’s natural genetic strength find an outlet in today’s world? All the physical jobs are being lost to automation, and all the non-physical ones—from hotshot lawyering to the paper-shuffling cubicle jobs in health-care administration—are better done by women. When it comes to being the breadwinner and the provider, women are better at being men. When it comes to the fashion catwalk and the beauty pageant and the female athletics track, men are better at being women. Sooner than you think, the swap will be complete.”
  • Demeaned presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren for saying she would include the voices of transgender youth: “[Voters] wanted actual, serious policy, and they are not interested in letting the 9-year-old transgender fly the plane. They understand all that rubbish for the gesture politics that it is.”

Resources

GLAAD (glaad.org)

Mark Steyn (steynonline.com)

-PrisonerOfWindsor.com
MarkSteynClub.com
MarkSteynCruise.com
MarkSteynShow.com

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Facebook (facebook.com)

Twitter (twitter.com)

Xenny Xu is a conservative American author, politician, and activist who opposes affirmative action policies and progressive transgender policies.

Background

Kenneth M. “Kenny” Xu was born on August 6, 1997 to Cheng Kenneth Xu and Weiguang Grace Zhang (both born 1967). Xu attended Princeton High School in Princeton, New Jersey. Xu applied to Princeton University for college but was rejected. Xu believes this was due to policies that penalize applicants of Asian descent.

Xu earned a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College in 2019. While there, Xu interened at Young America Foundation and Heritage Foundation.

Xu is involved in activism opposing affirmative action, founding Color Us United and serving on the board of Students for Fair Admissions, the group that prevailed in a landmark 2023 Supreme Court ruling against Harvard over race-based admission policies.

Xu has authored books, including:

  • Trisk (2013)
  • An Inconvenient Minority: The Harvard Admissions Case and the Attack on Asian American Excellence (2021)=
  • School of Woke: How Critical Race Theory Infiltrated American Schools and Why We Must Reclaim Them (2023)

Anti-trans activism

Xu has stated opposition to healthcare for trans and gender diverse youth, as well as opposition for sex education until after many students have reached puberty. Xu stated:

Most Americans and I are supportive of topics around sexuality to be out of the classroom until at least middle school. But transgender care outfits like UNC Health and ECU Health claim to “work with schools” to identity kids who are eligible for their transitioning clinics.

Xu has appeared on several shows with anti-trans hosts, including Tim Pool, Megyn Kelly, Robby Soave, Lauren Chen, Debra Soh, Peter Boghossian, Allie Beth Stuckey, Christopher Rufo, Benjamin Boyce, Vivek Ramaswamy, James Lindsay, Charles Murray, Tucker Carlson, Jonathan Kay, and Sebastian Gorka.

Xu is an advisor to anti-trans group Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism.

References

Xu, Kenny (December 16, 2021 ) Elite Winsor Girls School In Boston Moving Away From Calling Girls “Girls.” Legal Insurrection https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/12/elite-winsor-girls-school-in-boston-moving-away-from-calling-girls-girls/

Resources

Kenny Xu for Congress (kennyxuforcongress.com)

Color Us United (colorusunited.org)

Students for Fair Admissions (studentsforfairadmissions.org)

Inconvenient Minority (inconvenientminority.com) [unsecure]

Twitter (twitter.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

“Michael Malice” is the stage name of Michael Krechmer, a Ukrainian-American podcaster and troll who frequently platforms conservative and anti-transgender guests.

Background

Michael Schock Krechmer was born on July 12, 1976 in Lviv. Krechmer’s family came to the US about two years later, settling in New York City.

In 2000, Krechmer co-founded the blog Overheard in New York.

Anti-transgender activism

In 2017, Krechmer began hosting the podcast Your Welcome. Conservative and ati-trans guests include:

References

Pekar, Harvey (2006). Ego & Hubris: The Michael Malice Story. Ballantine, ISBN 978-0345479396

Malice, Michael (2019). The New Right: A Journey to the Fringe of American Politics. St. Martin’s Press, ISBN 9781250154668.

Resources

Michael Malice (michaelmalice.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Twitter (twitter.com)

Iinstagram (instagram.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

Erec Smith is an American academic and anti-transgender activist. Smith’s work opposing progressive racial policies and views overlaps with people and groups opposing progressive gender policies and views, including:

Background

Smith earned a doctorate from University of Illinois Chicago in 2002. Smith began teaching at York College of Pennsylvania.

Free Black Thought

Smith co-founded Free Black Thought, a group of “heterodox” academics who oppose progressive policies and positions regarding race. They produce a Substack newsletter and podcast.

  • Michael DC Bowen
  • Dave Gilbert
  • Tabia Lee
  • Jason Littlefield
  • Jake Mackey
  • Connie Morgan
  • Glenn C. Loury
  • John McWhorter

References

Smith, Erec (August 4, 2021). They Don’t Speak for Me: The need for free black thought in academia—and beyond. City Journal https://www.city-journal.org/article/they-dont-speak-for-me

Media

Institute for Liberal Values and Free Black Thought (September 28, 2021). AUTHENTICITY: ERASED & REPLACED, with Prof. Erec Smith, Angel Eduardo, and Zander Keig. Host Jen Richmond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg0v5y_7cQE

Resources

Twitter (twitter.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Free Black Thought (freeblackthought.com)

Substack (substack.com)

Cato Institute (https://www.cato.org/people/erec-smith)