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Elisa Shupe and transgender people

Elisa Shupe was an American veteran who was the first US citizen to get legal recognition of nonbinary status.

After a period of activism in the ex-transgender movement, Shupe released a trove of communication that revealed how anti-transgender activist networks operate.

Shupe was known by several names, including:

  • James Clifford Shupe
  • Jamie Shupe
  • Lisa Shupe
  • Elisa Rae Shupe

note: this profile includes information about Elisa Shupe’s suicide. If you are in crisis, please contact Trans Lifeline / (877) 565-8860 or The Trevor Project or call 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline).

Background

Elisa Rae Shupe was born on August 10, 1963 in Washington, DC and grew up in southern Maryland with seven siblings. Shupe was reportedly sexually abused by a relative as a child and punished by family for having a feminine gender expression.

Shupe served for 18 years in the United States Army after graduating high school. Shupe and spouse Sandra “Sandy” Shupe married in 1987 and had one child. Shupe was honorably discharged in 2000 as a sergeant first class. Shupe and spouse moved to Pittsburgh.

Nonbinary activism

Shupe made a gender transition in 2013. In 2016 an Oregon court approved Shupe’s petition to be legally declared nonbinary, later obtaining an amended birth certificate with sex designation “unknown.”

Conservative activism and “detransition”

Starting in around 2017, Shupe became increasingly critical of the trans rights movement and of trans healthcare. Shupe espoused a number of conservative transgender views, such as stating that trans people whould not serve in the military.

According to the trove of emails Shupe disseminated, Shupe’s timeline involvement with anti-trans activists is as follows:

2017

  • March 20, 2017: Shupe contacts Lisa Marchiano. Shupe begins contributing posts to Marchiano’s blog at youthtranscriticalprofessionals.org
  • April 9, 2017: “Cult deprogrammer” Steven Hassan expresses interest in Shupe’s experiences
  • May 23, 2017: Marchiano loops in Denise Caignon of 4thWaveNow
  • May 24, 2017: Anti-trans extremist Cathy Brennan offers Shupe a writing gig on Gender Identity Watch
  • May 26, 2017: Lisa Bourne of LifeSiteNews is working on a piece about Shupe
  • June 2, 2017: Marchiano introduces Shupe to Lisa Selin Davis
  • July 12, 2017: Joy Pullmann of The Federalist works with Shupe on a story opposing military-funded trans healthcare
  • July 22, 2017: Marchiano publishes Shupe’s post “You Can’t Feel Like a Girl: An Essay by Jamie Shupe.”
  • July 23, 2017: Marchiano hopes to republish Shupe’s post from Marchiano’s blog in The Federalist
  • August 1, 2017: Neil Munro of Breitbart contacts Shupe about the trans military ban and the “gay erasure” conspiracy theory
  • August 2, 2017: Cathy Brennan refers Shupe to Michelle Goldberg
  • November 3, 2017: Shupe tells Marchiano about a planned lawsuit against the Veterans Administration over Shupe’s “failed transition.” Marchiano says Ken Zucker and Mike Bailey would probably testify.
  • November 8, 2017: lawyer Larry McCaleb of Alliance Defending Freedom expresses interest in representing Shupe
  • November 16, 2017: McCaleb introduces Shupe to Walt Heyer. Mentioned ADF meetings involving Mark Regnerus, Michelle Cretella, Hacsi Horvath, Paul Hruz, Patrick Lappert, and Andre Van Mol.

2018

2019

In January 2019, Shupe emailed Marchiano about “desist[ing] back to male.” Shupe published a commentary in the Daily Signal claiming the nonbinary identity “was all a sham.” This led to significant attention from anti-transgender extremists. Shupe submitted an affidavit regarding Alberta School Act (Bill 24) submitted by Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms and endorsed an anti-trans “gender resource guide” prepared by Minnesota Family Council and several other anti-trans groups. Shupe made appearances in anti-trans media, including an episode of Calmversations with Benjamin Boyce and a segment on Fox News’ Ingraham Angle with Laura Ingraham. Shupe was listed as a “critical thinker” on the site for Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights (caWsbar)/

Shupe spoke at a Family Policy Alliance event, and was then invited to a secretive group of anti-trans politicians led by Fred Deutsch.

  • January 26, 2019: Transgender Trend refers Shupe to Andrew Gilligan at the the Sunday Times
  • February 7, 2019: Walt Heyer tells Shupe that Heyer’s child is upset about Heyer’s support of a trans military ban in The Daily Signal
  • February 11, 2019: Michael Laidlaw messages via Twitter to thank Shupe “for speaking out to protect kids and adults from the trans cult.”
  • February 12, 2019: Ray Blanchard responds to a question from Shupe about the VA’s diagnosis
  • February 12, 2019: Shupe reveals to gay conservative Bruce Bawer that Shupe won a recent case represented by James Lake Perriguey because the judge’s child was trans.
  • February 13, 2019: Jesse Singal follows Shupe after Bruce Bawer publishes an article about Shupe in PJ Media
  • February 19, 2019: Daniel Davis of the Heritage Foundation asks Shupe if she wants to write a “detransition” testimony for them
  • March 11, 2019: Laura Ingraham’s producers invite Shupe onto Fox News
  • March 12, 2019: anti-trans lawyer Robert Sullivan privately messages Shupe
  • March 12, 2019: anti-trans activist Jon Uhler messages Shupe: “I strongly feel the Lord has chosen you, much like he did Paul. You have been rescued from darkness, to be a strategic weapon in this fight. The armies of Hell will be unleashed against you, but you are not alone.”
  • March 13, 2019: Brandon Showalter of the Christian Post corresponds with Shupe.
  • March 13, 2019: Women’s Liberation Front connects Shupe with Kara Dansky
  • March 14, 2019: Family Policy Alliance arranges a meeting with Shupe
  • March 18, 2019: ADF’s McCaleb introduces Shupe to Jeff Shafer, Roger Brooks, and CEO Paul Weber
  • March 23, 2019: Congressmember Fred Deutsch (R-SD) DMs Shupe about testifying by phone
  • March 26, 2019: Daniel Davis of Heritage Foundation discusses s judicial fitness complaint by Shupe against the judge with a trans child.
  • March 28, 2019: lawyer Robert Sullivan of Sullivan Shoemaker discusses a possibel book deal for Shupe connected to litigation
  • April 2, 2019: Stephanie Curry of Family Policy Alliance asks Shupe for written testimony against a conversion therapy ban in Maine on behalf the Christian Civil League of Maine
  • April 4, 2019: Robert Sullivan recommends Shupe cut contact with Shelby Hanssen: “She is an advocate for gender ideology and gender rights”
  • April 15, 2019: Emilie Kao of Heritage Foundation invites Shupe to to speak with Congressmembers in Washington DC
  • April 17, 2019: Stephanie Curry of Family Policy Alliance prays for Shupe: “May the God of peace, who surpasses all understanding, grant you peace, and wrap you in it. May your hormones even out from here on out smoothly and gracefully and your mood swings be limited”
  • May 1, 2019: Autumn Stroup of Family Policy Alliance invites Shupe to their Statesmen Academy event
  • July 6, 2019: Ray Blanchard adds Shupe to a group chat with J. Michael Bailey, “Tailcalled,” James Cantor, and others.
  • July 10, 2019, Autumn Stroup of Family Policy Alliance provides questions they’ll discuss at the Statesmen Academy event
  • July 16, 2019: Heyer asks if Shupe with help Alliance Defending Freedom with R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • August 1, 2019: Robert Sullivan recommends Shupe start working with Ryan T. Anderson at Heritage Foundation
  • August 20, 2019: John K Uhler tries to enlist Shupe in attacking Drag Queen Story Hour events
  • September 3, 2019: Following a Wall Street Journal report on nonbinary identities, ADF lawyer Gary McCaleb to Shupe: “We have some relationships with WSJ editorial board now, and if you succeed in this quest I think we could get a counterpoint oped placed under your name in due time(!)”
  • September 6, 2019: Ray Blanchard added Shupe to a private conversation, noting “Mike Bailey alerted me to these two delf-published books about “autogynephilia,” then publicly complains that “Felix Conrad” and “Max Morris” both “find it necessary or expendient to distance themselves from me>’
  • September 10, 2019: ADF lawyer Roger G. Brooks asks if Shupe is “interested in writing an op-ed to be placed in a New York or national paper at a useful moment” during an ADF case against conversion therapy bans, Schwartz v. City of New York, adding, “There will be multiple points during the litigation when an op-ed would be appropriate.”
  • September 27, 2019: ADF’s Walt Heyer tells Shupe, “I did just finish a podcast with Candace Owens a couple of days ago on transgender ideology, school and the early sexualization of kids.”
  • October 11, 2019: Shupe’s lawyer Robert Sullivan says ADF is the only option for a detransition lawsuit
  • November 27, 2019: after ADF refers Shupe to Herbert Grey at Grey Law, Grey tells Shupe about connections to Walt Heyer and Kathy Grace “through my connection with Portland Fellowship.”
  • December 30, 2019, ADF lawyer Roger G. Brooks tells Shupe “ADF may also want to use this as a springboard for some op-ed placements”

2020

  • January 5, 2020, Shupe and Marchiano discuss both appearing in a November 2019 Channel One Russia story by Julia Olkhovskaya on transition regret (“Gender reassignment surgeries are reaching epidemic proportions in the US”).
  • January 21, 2020: Shupe tells Daniel Davis of Heritage Foundation “bathroom bills, etc. the pressure from conservatoves and fath based groups was actually beneficial in hastening the collapse of my fake identity as a female.”
  • January 24, 2020: Herb Grey warns Shupe about an op-ed in Daily Signal: “ADF has requested that you not mention their participation in any way.”
  • February 9, 2020: Ed Sparrius of Stop Safe Schools in Australia asks for testimony from ex-gays and detransitioners to campaign against a conversion therapy ban
  • February 10, 2020: Stephanie Curry of Family Policy Alliance shares a “Desisters & Detransitioners Study” by Lisa Littman http://brown.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e9zMF1HisGJPdyT
  • February 20, 2020: Walt Heyer responds to a check-in message from Shupe, “I consider this time ‘serving the Lord’ that is our mission to fight the opposition who want to destroy the foundation of the church namely man an women with gender insanity.”
  • March 4, 2020: Walt Heyer sends a message about the Australian conversion therapy ban, copying Billy Burleigh, Erin Brewer, Sydney Wright, KathyGrace Duncan, Laura Perry, Linda Seller, Jeffrey McCall, and Jeff Johnston of Focus on the Family.

In 2021, Shupe engaged in “autogynephilia” activism, publishing a Substack called “Autogynephilia Diaries,” with at least one piece edited by anti-trans activist Lisa Selin Davis, according to Sandra Shupe. In 2023, Shupe replaced the text with images that said “HA HA TERFS!” and later adding “infiltration mission complete” before deleting everything.

“Retransition” and whistleblowing

In 2022, Shupe received a revised driver’s license with a female gender marker.

On January 2, 2023, Shupe contacted me to share the trove of email correspondence (described in part above) between Fred Deutsch and other anti-trans activists that Shupe received while “detransitioned” and communicating with anti-trans extremists. Shupe wrote, “I’m reaching out to see if you’d be willing to talk with me about how best to expose some data involving the conservatives and gender-critical folks attacking the health care of trans kids.” On February 4, Shupe wrote again:

Hi Andrea,

I’ve been talking to journalists for a couple of months now, and getting anything firm off the ground remains elusive, so do as you please with these documents. Write a story in a smaller publication, etc.

The same thing applies to what I’ve told them. I was a shitty person on the same religious crusade as all these folks were. I don’t get a free pass for that. I only get credit for realizing how wrong it was to attack these trans kids and come clean about what happened. Rep. Fred Deutsch brought together a group of nefarious skill sets intending to harm these kids, their parents, and the clinicians that treat them.

In March, Maia Crimew released the emails to correspond with a Mother Jones article.

Later life

In 2023, Shupe created the website AI Machinations to self-publish a book titled AI Machinations: Tangled Webs and Typed Words, which was largely produced using ChatGPT. When the US Copyright Office declined to register the work, Shupe appealed and was later granted a limited copyright.

In 2024, Shupe created a website called “Hound Him To Suicide: Chronicling the Terrorization of Elisa Rae Shupe by Gender-Critical Extremists.”

Shupe committed suicide at a Veterans Affairs hospital building in Syracuse, New York, on January 27, 2025. Shupe emailed a suicide note that morning, which was later republished online.

References

see also Shupe’s collection of articles through 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181125074102/https://jamieshupe.wordpress.com/

Riedel, Samantha (April 8, 2025). Elisa Rae Shupe, First Person in U.S. to Be Legally Recognized as Nonbinary, Has Died at 61. them https://www.them.us/story/elisa-rae-shupe-obituary-army-veteran-activist-vigil

Stuckey, Greta (April 3, 2025). Her long search for herself ends in a Syracuse tragedy: A vet’s life on an ‘identity rollercoaster.’ Syracuse.com https://www.syracuse.com/news/2025/04/her-long-search-for-herself-ends-in-a-syracuse-tragedy-a-vets-life-on-an-identity-rollercoaster.html

Busey, Kelli (February 20, 2025). Read Transgender Veteran Elisa Rae Shupe Suicide Note. She wanted you to. Planet Trans https://www.planetrans.org/2025/02/read-transgender-veteran-elisa-rae.html

Giardina, Henry (February 18, 2025). Elisa Rae Shupe’s suicide strikes a chord for trans folks everywhere. Into https://www.intomore.com/culture/elisa-rae-shupes-suicide-strikes-a-chord-for-trans-folks-everywhere/

Kerr, Sue (February 14, 2025). I Knew Elisa Rae Shupe (1963-2025) and She Deserved Better. Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondence https://www.pghlesbian.com/2025/02/i-knew-elisa-rae-shupe-1963-2025-and-she-deserved-better/

“zerodoesn’tsleep” (Feburary 4, 2025). Vet found hanging draped in trans flag: The suicide letter they won’t publish. Substack https://zerodoesntsleep.substack.com/p/vet-found-hanging-draped-in-trans

Stuckey, Greta (January 31, 2025). VA patient died by suicide at top of hospital’s garage in Syracuse. Syracuse.com https://www.syracuse.com/news/2025/01/va-patient-died-by-suicide-at-top-of-hospitals-garage-in-syracuse.html

McNaughton, Spencer; Pisoni, Hope (September 28, 2024). How the Far-Right Leverages Detransitioners Against Transgender Healthcare. Uncloseted Media https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/how-the-far-right-leverages-detransitioners

Knibbs, Kate (April 17, 2024). How One Author Pushed the Limits of AI Copyright. Wired https://www.wired.com/story/the-us-copyright-office-loosens-up-a-little-on-ai/

Parks, Casey (December 27, 2023). Her story fueled anti-trans bills. Now, she’s fighting them. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/27/ohio-transgender-carey-callahan-detransitioner/

Astor, Maggie (May 16, 2023). How a Few Stories of Regret Fuel the Push to Restrict Gender Transition Care. The New York Times

Crimew, Maia (Mar 26, 2023). the emails pt 2 – 810 more hateful emails. https://maia.crimew.gay/posts/the-emails-2/

Doyle, Jude Ellison S. (March 15, 2023). The making of a detransitioner. Xtra* https://xtramagazine.com/power/detransition-terf-movement-elisa-shupe-247592

Newton, Jacob (March 13, 2023). ‘Their goal was to inflict maximum harm’: Behind the scenes of the anti-trans movement. Keloland https://www.keloland.com/keloland-com-original/their-goal-was-to-inflict-maximum-harm-behind-the-scenes-in-the-anti-trans-movement/

Pauly, Madison (March 8, 2023). Inside the secret working group that helped push anti-trans laws across the country. Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/03/anti-trans-transgender-health-care-ban-legislation-bill-minors-children-lgbtq/

Crimew, Maia (Mar 8, 2023). the emails – 2600 pages of hate. https://maia.crimew.gay/posts/the-emails/

Medina, Carlos E. (January 6, 2020). Gender identity pioneer calls Ocala home. Ocala StarBanner https://www.ocala.com/story/news/local/2020/01/06/gender-identity-pioneer-calls-ocala-home/1949546007/

Dorman, Sam (November 17, 2018). Some Veterans Call for Taxpayer-Funded Gender Surgery — This Fmr Army Sergeant Tried Transitioning and Disagrees. IJR https://ijr.com/former-army-sergeant-disagrees-a-funded-surgeries/ [archive]

Foden-Vencil, Kristian (July 26, 2017). Oregon’s Transgender Population Reacts To Trump’s Military Ban. Oregon Public Broadcasting https://www.opb.org/news/article/donald-trump-transgender-military-ban-oregon/

Segal, Corinne (August 21, 2016). The complications of ID for non-binary people — and how it could change soon. PBS News https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/ids-nonbinary-people

Mele, Christopher (June 13, 2016). Oregon Court Allows a Person to Choose Neither Sex. The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/us/oregon-nonbinary-transgender-sex-gender.html

Coverage in anti-trans press

Singal, Jesse; Herzog, Katie (February 27, 2025). Premium: Where Are They Now? Blocked and Reported https://www.blockedandreported.org/p/premium-where-are-they-now

Davis, Lisa Selin (March 19, 2023). On the One Hand, I Don’t Want to Call Attention to This. On the other, I want to point out what’s really going on. BROADview https://www.broadview.news/p/on-the-one-hand-i-dont-want-to-call

Singal, Jesse; Herzog, Katie (March 18, 2023). Episode 156: Hey Jude (Doyle) (Shupe, Shupe-ba-doop Remix). Blocked and Reported https://www.blockedandreported.org/p/episode-156-hey-jude-doyle-shupe

Selected writing by Shupe

Shupe, James [edited by Lisa Selin Davis] (September 14, 2021). Auogynephilia: In seach of my cure. Freed from editors and media outlets to report the truth about autogynephilia. Autogynephilia Diaries https://autogynephilia.substack.com/p/autogynephilia-in-search-of-my-cure [archive]

Shupe, James (February 10, 2020). Commentary: My New Life After Transgender Despair. Daily Signal https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/02/10/my-new-life-after-transgender-despair/

Shupe, Jamie (July 9, 2019). Affidavit of Jamie Shupe regarding Alberta School Act (Bill 24) submitted by Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, Court File 1808-00144. https://www.jccf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Filed-Affidavit-of-Former-Transgender-and-Non-Binary-Person-1.pdf

Shupe, James (March 10, 2019), Commentary: I Was America’s First ‘Nonbinary’ Person. It Was All a Sham. Daily Signal https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/03/10/i-was-americas-first-non-binary-person-it-was-all-a-sham/

Shupe, Jamie (January 26, 2019). Public Announcement: I Have Returned To My Male Birth Sex https://jamieshupe.wordpress.com/2019/01/26/public-announcement-i-have-returned-to-my-male-birth-sex/ [archive]

Shupe, Jamie (December 19,, 2018). Criminal Records Show Women Are Prudent To Not Want Men In Their Bathrooms. The Federalist https://thefederalist.com/2018/12/19/criminal-records-show-women-prudent-not-want-men-bathrooms/

Shupe, Jamie (September 4, 2018). Many Newspaper Reports Back Up That Blockbuster Study About Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria. The Federalist https://thefederalist.com/2018/09/04/many-newspaper-reports-back-blockbuster-study-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria/

Shupe, Jamie (April 12, 2018). I Became Transgender In The Military. That’s How I Know People Shouldn’t. The Federalist https://thefederalist.com/2018/04/12/became-transgender-military-thats-know-people-shouldnt/

Shupe, Jamie (August 31, 2017). How The Lawsuit Against Trump’s Trans Military Ban Contradicts Itself. The Federalist https://thefederalist.com/2017/08/31/lawsuit-trumps-trans-military-ban-contradicts/

Shupe, Jamie (August 29, 2017). I’m A Transgender, Decorated Veteran. I Oppose Military-Sponsored Sex Changes. The Federalist https://thefederalist.com/2017/08/29/im-transgender-decorated-veteran-oppose-military-sponsored-sex-changes/

Shupe, James (August 7, 2017). Commentary: I Was a Transgender Soldier. Gender Dysphoria Poses Real Problems for the Military. Daily Signal https://www.dailysignal.com/2017/08/07/transgender-soldier-gender-dysphoria-poses-real-problems-military/

Media

Calmversations with Benjamin Boyce and Jamie Shupe (May 29, 2024). The Anguish of Autogynephilia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtPljJvVsVE

Elisa Rae Shupe (March 9, 2023). April 2022 Notification By Sandra Shupe To Gender-Critical Feminists Concerning Defamatory Behaviors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jGFIjzOFpI

The System is Down (April 14, 2019). 106: Gender Identity is a Fraud w. Jamie (James) Shupe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90gcx0fi53I

Fox News with Laura Ingraham and Jamie Shupe (Mar 11, 2019). First ‘non-binary’ American says it was all a sham. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHKOdwGAvu8

Calmversations with Benjamin Boyce and Jamie Shupe (March 5, 2019). First Legally “Non-Binary” Individual Detransitions | Interview with Jamie Shupe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l-b7Ke8qBk

This Morning with Sandra Shupe and Jamie Shupe (October 14, 2016). Non-Binary Gender: Comments | This Morning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgtZoqHjLeQ

Resources

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Daily Signal (dailysignal.com)

The Federalist (thefederalist.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

WordPress (wordpress.com)

  • jamieshupe.wordpress.com [archive]
  • elisashupe.wordpress.com [archive]

Substack (substack.com)

  • elisasdiaries
  • elisaraeshupe.substack.com [archive]
  • Autogynephilia Diaries
  • autogynephilia.substack.com

YouTube (youtube.com)

AI Machinations (aimachinations.com) [archive]

Hound Him To Suicide (hhts.info) [2024 – partial archive]