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Kevin Whitt vs. transgender people

Kevin Whitt is an American hair stylist, right-wing extremist, conspiracy theorist, and anti-transgender activist. Whitt is heavily involved in “ex-gay” activism and has sometimes claimed to have “lived as a transsexual.”

Background

James Kevin Whitt was born in October of 1978. According to autobiographical posts, Whitt grew up in Dallas, Texas. Whitt’s parents divorced when Whitt was two. Whitt reports experiencing sexual abuse from a family member as a child and from a friend at age 14. Whitt came out as gay at 15.

Whitt began doing drag as a teen and later performed as a drag artist named Dominique O’Hara Skyy. Whitt unsuccessfully auditioned for season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Whitt was reportedly involved in sex work. In 2012, Whitt began styling hair at Absolutely Fabulous Hair and The Beauty Room in Frisco, Texas.

In around 2016, Whitt moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but returned to Texas after eight months. After a religious experience on Easter, Whitt contacted Living Hope, an “ex-gay” ministry run by Ricky Chelette. Whitt was also reportedly outreach coordinator for Coming Out Inc., another “ex-gay” ministry.

Whitt announced plans to release a book titled God Saved the Queen: A Drag Queen’s Journey from the Stage to the Pulpit. Whitt served as assistant diector of the Texas branch of far-right hate group Mass Resistance.

In September 2020, Whitt appeared in anti-trans ads released by the American Principles Project. Whitt was hired on November 30, 2020 as a field organizer for the Republican Party of Texas. Whitt spoke at a “We Are The Storm” QAnon rally on December 5 in Dallas. In 2021, Whitt was fired after posting on social media about attending the January 6 insurrection in Washington, DC. Whitt also posted video arguing with a Comet Pizza employee about the “Pizzagate” child sex ring conspiracy theory and expressed support for far-right group the Proud Boys.

In 2021, Whitt launched the website The Whitt Project with co-founder Tracy Shannon and member Jen Loh. In April 2021, Whitt participated in a “White Lives Matter” rally in Fort Worth. Whitt attended a protest in Austin on April 14, 2021 and reportedly harassed a trans minor in attendance:

One of the mothers who told me this story was Lauren Rodriguez, a social worker who lives in Austin with her 17-year-old son, Greyson. He had come out to his mom about being trans a few years before; if these bills had been law back then, Lauren said, she wasn’t sure her son would still be alive. Like Rachel, she approached the dire stakes with a gentle dose of levity. “I may as well move into the Capitol,” she once told me with a laugh.

In the Capitol basement, Lauren saw a man begin following Greyson on his way to the bathroom, with a phone in hand, recording and demanding, “What bathroom are you going to use, tranny?” She confronted him, took his phone, and deleted the photos while he protested. When security came, Lauren recalled, “the cops were like, ‘Sir, how many times have we had to tell you?’” After that, she and the other moms started cautioning people to make sure their kids locked the main bathroom door.

In 2022, Whitt launched the Facebook page Culture Warriors for America with Tracy Shannon.

In 2024, Whitt appeared in a video by Irish minister Jamie Bambrick promoting Christianity. Whitt was described as a “former drag queen & prostitute.” It also featured Laura Perry Smalts as a “former transgender.”

References

Villarreal, Daniel (January 27, 2023). Prominent anti-trans activist mocked after realizing that transphobic Christians hate gay people: Kevin Whitt, an “ex-gay” man who worked for an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group, is surprised that his colleagues hate gay people. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/01/prominent-anti-trans-activist-mocked-realizing-transphobic-christians-hate-gay-people/

McGaughy, Lauren (November 10, 2022). Texas drag queens, protesters at odds in latest battleground over LGBT rights. Dallas Morning News https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2022/10/26/how-texas-drag-shows-formed-a-new-front-in-the-lgbt-culture-war/

Foxhall, Emily (September 26, 2022). Houston church’s drag bingo event brings hundreds of protesters. San Antonio Express-News https://www.expressnews.com/news/houston-texas/article/Protesters-bring-guns-and-insults-to-drag-bingo-17465007.php

Staff report (July 28, 2022). Whitt, Proud Boys attack another drag brunch. Dallas Voice https://dallasvoice.com/1000343734-2/

Breeding-Gonzales, Lucinda (May 4, 2022). Whitt: ‘Dysphoria is real,’ but Texas should ban puberty blockers, hormones & surgery for kids. Denton Record-Chronicle https://dentonrc.com/whitt-dysphoria-is-real-but-texas-should-ban-puberty-blockers-hormones-surgery-for-kids/html_2bc7e5d0-bb3c-5a2c-bd2d-e7169616e561.html

Breeding-Gonzales, Lucinda (May 3, 2022). Conservative UNT student group ends semester with final heated gathering: Guest speakers denounce child transitions, and union mall boils over with protesters. Denton Record-Chronicle https://dentonrc.com/news/politics/conservative-unt-student-group-ends-semester-with-final-heated-gathering/article_503c2ab7-d376-5eae-98c0-084ff9be80ca.html

Grant, Melissa Gira (August 9, 2021). Behind the GOP Strategy to Outlaw Trans Youth. New Republic https://newrepublic.com/article/163113/behind-gop-strategy-outlaw-trans-youth

Griffey, Eric (July 22, 2021). Conservative groups are training activists to swarm school board meetings. Spectrum News https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/politics/2021/07/21/conservative-groups-are-training-activists-to-swarm-school-board-meetings-

Monacelli, Steven (April 11, 2021). Dozens of Counterprotestors and Supporters Gather for “White Lives Rally” Downtown. Fort Worth Weekly https://www.fwweekly.com/2021/04/11/dozens-of-counterprotestors-and-supporters-gather-for-white-lives-rally-downtown/

Carter, Simone (February 10, 2021). Fired North Texas GOP Staffer Kevin Whitt Is Ready to Deny It All. Dallas Observer https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/gop-staffer-dropped-following-social-media-posts-11985998/

Marr, Rhuaridh (February 8, 2021). ‘Ex-gay’ Republican fired by Texas GOP for attending Capitol riot: Kevin Whitt, a former “homosexual, transsexual, drag queen,” filmed himself in a crowd of Trump supporters at the Capitol. Metro Weekly https://www.metroweekly.com/2021/02/ex-gay-republican-fired-by-texas-gop-for-attending-capitol-riot/

Staff report (February 4, 2021). Watch the ‘Drag Race’ Audition Video of Accused Insurrectionist & ‘Ex-Gay’ Kevin Whitt. Edge Media Network https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/story/301723/title

Reddish, David (February 4, 2021). WATCH: “Ex-gay” QAnon queen’s ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ audition tape resurfaces. Queerty https://www.queerty.com/watch-ex-gay-qanon-queens-rupauls-drag-race-audition-tape-resurfaces-20210204/

Palmer, Ewan (February 2, 2021). Kevin Whitt Fired by Texas GOP for Filming Himself at Capitol Riot. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/texas-gop-capitol-qanon-kevin-whitt-pizzagate-1566187

Bollinger, Alex (February 2, 2021). “Ex-transgender” & “ex-gay” Republican staffer fired after being busted at MAGA riot. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/02/ex-transgender-ex-gay-republican-staffer-fired-busted-maga-riot/

Duffy, Nick (February 2, 2021). ‘Ex-gay’ Republican staffer who led protests against Drag Queen Story Time fired after attending Capitol riot. PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2021/02/02/kevin-whitt-ex-gay-republican-staffer-fired-capitol-riot-drag-queen/

Staff report (February 2, 2021). Texas Republican Party fires ex-gay-former-prostitute-drag-queen field organizer. Dallas Voice https://dallasvoice.com/texas-republican-party-fires-ex-gay-former-prostitute-drag-queen-field-organizer/

Svitek, Patrick (February 1, 2021). Texas GOP fires staffer after he posted video from Capitol riot and spread false conspiracy theories at D.C. pizzeria. Texas Tribune https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/01/texas-republican-party-capitol-riot/

Villarreal, Daniel (September 15, 2020). “Former trans person” in political attack ad only identified as trans after he joined a hate group. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2020/09/former-trans-person-political-attack-ad-identified-trans-joined-hate-group/

Clifton, Derrick (September 16, 2020). Facebook Added a Fact Check to Transphobic Ads about Sports Participation and Trans Youth. them https://www.them.us/story/facebook-fact-check-transphobic-sports-ads

Sopelsa, Brooke (September 4, 2020). Conservative group releases anti-transgender political ads in Michigan: American Principles Project announced that it will spend millions in battleground states to expose Democrats’ “transgender radicalism.” NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/conservative-group-releases-anti-transgender-political-ads-michigan-n1239319

MassResistance (July 29, 2019). Meet the ex–drag queen who now fights public libraries to save innocent kids: Here, we present the story of a former ‘Drag Queen’: Kevin Whitt. He lived it — but now he’s freed from it. LifeSite News https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/meet-the-exdrag-queen-who-now-fights-public-libraries-to-save-innocent-kids/

Anti-trans coverage

Staff report (December 11, 2020). At a major GOP rally in Dallas – MassResistance speaks out on transgender “sex-change” treatments being done on children! MassResistance https://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen4/20d/Kevin-Whitt-TX-GOP-rally-speech/index.html

Staff report (September 19, 2019). Former drag queen shares testimony, Lauren Daigle world tour, Honduran pastor granted asylum. Christian Post https://www.christianpost.com/news/sep-19-2019-former-drag-queen-shares-testimony-lauren-daigle-world-tour-honduran-pastor-granted-asylum.html

Showalter, Brandon (September 18, 2019). Former drag queen, prostitute of 20 years shares how God restored identity as a man. Christian Post https://www.christianpost.com/news/former-drag-queen-male-prostitute-of-20-years-shares-how-god-restored-identity-as-a-man.html

Selected writing by Whitt

Whitt, Kevin (March 8, 2021). Written testimony of Kevin Whitt in support of Misouri HB 33. https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills211/witnesses/HB33Testimony.pdf

Whitt, Kevin (~2016). From Drag Queen to Child of the King: Kevin Whitt’s Story. Preach It Teach It https://www.preachitteachit.org/articles/detail/from-drag-queen-to-child-of-the-king-kevin-whitts-story

Announced book

Whitt, Kevin ([not released]). God Saved the Queen: A Drag Queen’s Journey from the Stage to the Pulpit.

Media

Jamie Bambrick (February 13, 2024). The Christian Super Bowl Ad They SHOULD Have Made | He Saves Us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV3AnTUPiDY

Jeff Morgan (October 3, 2021). THE WHITT PROJECT IS ONE OF THE ONLY ORGANIZATIONS TARGETING PEDIATRIC GENDER REASSISGNMENT, 9 of 10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0CunvhnAX4

American Principles Project (September 3, 2020). Not Ok. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mzo20sT9qw

American Principles Project (September 3, 2020). More Time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnl_BxHLMvc

Kevin Whitt (April 27, 2010). Dominique O’hara Skyy -RuPaul Drag Race Audition Season 3. https://vimeo.com/11274885

Resources

Trans Data Library (transdatalibrary.org)

Legit with Kevin Whitt (kevinwhitt.me) [archive]

The Whitt Project (whittproject.com) [archive]

Preach It Teach It (preachitteachit.org)

  • Kevin Whitt
  • preachitteachit.org/writers-profile/kevin-whitt

Changed Movement (changedmovement.com)

  • Kevin Whitt
  • changedmovement.com/stories/kevin-whitt [archive]

X/Twitter (x.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Revv (revv.co)

Vimeo (vimeo.com)