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Rya Jones and transgender people

Rya Jones is an American former publishing executive who has espoused conservative transgender views. Jones posted many videos expressing conservative or religious views about gender, many of which were later deleted.

Background

Rya Jones was born on June 24, 1974. Jones graduated from high school in 1992, then earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996. Jones served as CEO of Jones Publishing, Inc. It was founded by Jones’ parents in 1986 and has produced a number of specialty periodicals:

  • Religious (via Crosslife LLC): Today’s Christian Living, Today’s Pastor
  • Aircraft: Pipers Magazine, Cessna Owner Organization
  • Small business: Smart Retailer, Handmade Business
  • Arts and crafts: Sunshine Artist, Dolls, Doll Costuming, Doll Crafter, Dollmaking, Popular Ceramics, Ceramics Arts and Craft, Teddy Bear Review

Jones transitioned in around 2015. Jones’ time as CEO ended in 2016. In 2017, JP Media LLC purchased Jones Publishing, Inc. in a planned transfer of the company from Joe and Maggie Jones to Diana Jones, Rya Jones’ former spouse. Rya and Diana Jones had seven children who were home-schooled. Jones has served as an ordained pastor in Cornerstone Churches in Wisconsin and studied part-time for a Master’s in Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Jones now identifies as a “former pastor.” Jones has been involved with Madison Community Cooperative and has been licensed as a health insurance agent with Humana.

Online activity

Jones uses several online handles, including:

  • Rya N.T. Jones
  • HeyThisIsRya

In around 2017, Jones published a number of videos on YouTube about various gender-critical topics including a possible “detransition” before removing all of the videos. One video, titled “I am an autogynephile,” led to Jones being listed on this site as an autogynephilia activist. Jones claimed in the 2025 statement below that the provocative title was to generate engagement and was not a statement of identity.

Starting in September 2022, Rya Jones and parent Joe Jones produced dozens of episodes of a podcast titled TranDescendant.

Statement from Rya Jones

In June 2025. Jones sent the following statement for publication on this profile:

I am not, nor have I have I ever been, an “Autogynephilia activist.” On November 3, 2017, I published a video arguing that gatekeeping in the transgender community needed to stop. I told the story of my interaction with a straight trans woman who told me I was not really trans because I am attracted to women instead of men. I then made the point that some people that call my condition autogynephilia in order to marginalize us. The point I intended to make was that, no matter what you choose to call me, it does not make me less authentically-trans. The thumbnail had a picture of me with the phrase, “Not Trans Enough.”

But then almost as an afterthought, I titled it “I am an autogynephile.” I knew that YouTube likes controversy, and that using such a title would almost certainly get more views. Once people saw the video, I reasoned, they would hear my argument and stop belittling women like me. That was almost certainly the wrong decision, because nearly everyone, from transphobes to trans people, took the title at face value. Ironically, some people used it as an admission that I was not really trans after all.

It didn’t help that I posted some similarly provocative videos, including one where I talked about challenging gender norms by “detransitioning” but continuing to present female. I regretted the idea almost instantly after I published the video. I used my very next video to explain why I was wrong. Some commenters accused me of broadcasting internalized transphobia on that channel. I did my best not to do so. Looking back, they were probably right. I don’t think I ever described myself as Gender Critical, but I was certainly trying to engage a Gender Critical audience in order to change their minds. When I realized that approach was never going to work, I quit the channel.

To those I hurt with my words, I am sincerely sorry. I cannot change that I said those things. But I did unpublish the channel years ago. I reject Ray Blanchard’s widely-rejected hypothesis of autogynephelia. And I most certainly would NEVER describe myself as a “man trapped in a man’s body.” If there’s anything more I can do to right the wrongs I may have caused, please email me at rya dot nt dot jones at gmail.

References

MacGregor, Ilsa (August 20, 2018). ‘I am not a Woman’ – Transsexuals and Transgender Women Speak Out. Tasmanian Times https://tasmaniantimes.com/2018/08/i-am-not-a-woman-transsexuals-and-transgender-women-speak-out-d1/#google_vignette

Media

Miranda Yardley and Rya Jones (July 12, 2017). ‘TERF’ and ‘Cis’: Misogyny and Homophobia in Transgender Culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUP2csDBG-E [deleted]

Female Erasure Anthology with Rya Jones and Ruth Barrett (Oct 2, 2017). A trans-identified male interviews Ruth Barrett, editor of ‘Female Erasure.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulemepEkohg

Resources

Jones Publishing (jonespublishing.com) [archive]

JP Media LLC (jpmediallc.com)

TranDescendant (transdescendant.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

  • heythisisrya7702
  • most videos from previous channel deleted, including
    • I HATE BEING TRANSGENDER
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wxt0XfplPM
    • Why I Didn’t Realize I was Transgender for Most of My Life
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oyc_Aq4llI
    • A Transgender Woman Talks About the Pressures of Gender Conformity
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn_Wo5NzRo4
    • WHAT I’M TRYING TO DO WITH THIS CHANNEL | A chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MakFBxmD7aY
    • DO OUR OPPRESSORS DESERVE TO HAVE US LISTEN TO THEM? | A Thougtful Response to Riley J. Dennis
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gDgEz6BAOc
    • ARE TRANSGENDER PEOPLE POSSESSED? | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMzsv8ab4W8
    • WHEN YOUR DAD GOES FROM FUNDAMENTALIST TO TRANSGENDER | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L96esw36h8Q
    • HOW TO OVERCOME THE COTTON CEILING | A Transgender Response to Arielle Scarcella
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_VXfZE0Hg8
    • Are Trans Women Biologically Male?
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXHeifREMbA
    • THE TRUTH ABOUT TERFS | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrOudAt-yUs
    • WHAT MAKES SOMEONE A WOMAN? | A Chat With Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaXbqvYU5iQ
    • STOP CALLING PEOPLE TERFS! | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGUBfoTAJ5Y
    • IS IT OKAY TO HAVE WOMEN-ONLY SPACES THAT EXCLUDE TRANS WOMEN? | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB-R3o5fQ0w
    • WHY AREN’T TRANS FOLKS LISTENING?! | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDM92WgrmI0
    • FIRST KISS AT THE ALTAR | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnU6DdxjwKo
    • GENDER IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giAOLuibmNg
    • I’M A TRANSGENDER TERF? | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY_8SWBUvoc
    • ARE TRANSWOMEN WOMEN? | A Chat with Miranda Yardley
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyUNuD8WUSY
    • CAN A TRANS PERSON HIT PEAK TRANS? | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ggX-lvgErc
    • People are FREAKING OUT about Miranda Yardley’s Attack on Transgenderism
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPi021G9lls
    • WHY I ADORE RILEY J. DENNIS, YOUTUBE’S MOST HATED TRANS PERSON | A Chat With Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNs8A4pAIoY
    • WELL THIS WAS A HUGE LET DOWN | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioJsfXLbDs4
    • DOES THE BIBLE CONDEMN HOMOSEXUALITY? | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h9d8OC7KZQ
    • ‘TERFS’ DON’T HATE TRANS PEOPLE! | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtOKFUe7JBg
    • I DEBATE MY FUNDAMENTALIST SELF FROM 17 YEARS AGO | A Chat With Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMSZEIekW8
    • DO RADICAL FEMINISTS HATE TRANSPEOPLE? | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf-jVhZdJEg
    • I AM AN AUTOGYNEPHILE | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ferdf6iRTOg
    • WARNING: TRANS LEGISLATION IS DANGEROUS (But Not for the Reason You Think) | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0WLFOLO7vE
    • A FEMINIST RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT STATE OF THE TRANS MOVEMENT | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_oKPUZxEBA
    • ARE TRANSWOMEN WOMEN? | A Battle to the Death Between Rya Jones and Miranda Yardley
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmwlQLBfknE
    • TERFS | A response to ContraPoints
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh0E_gM_Sf4
    • HAS THERYN MEYER LOST IT? | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVrm96aX4NE
    • RESPONDING TO TROLLS | A Chat With Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWgsWCNaG40
    • I’m Sick of Being a TERF | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0evnXBNjqVI
    • I MIGHT DE-TRANSITION (Not Clickbait) | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRpxHA7p9wQ
    • MY DECISION ABOUT DE-TRANSITIONING | A Chat With Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcqpJY-W7p0
    • YOUR GENITAL PREFERENCES MAKE JESUS CRY | A Response to Ash Hardell and Arielle Scarcella
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP0xkAG4bOA
    • I’M SO SICK OF THIS!!! | A Rant from Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rtkPYyHyzI
    • 10 BOOKS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFwDYRzir6Q
    • WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SKYLAR BAKER-JORDAN
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvUe7cUVk0Y
    • WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MY MELTDOWN LAST WEEK | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dZcsIhWQ5Y
    • DO TRANS WOMEN HAVE FEMALE BRAINS? | A Chat with Rya
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciAFCe6V0sU
    • AESTHETICS ARE OVERRATED | A Response to Contrapoints
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTbjiWA-Gz4