Three Republican Wisconsin state legislators attended a rally held by right-wing extremists on Saturday. Reps. John Macco, Nate Gustafson, and Joy Goeben were present at a far-right demonstration organized by Gays Against Groomers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
This event, a segment of the hate group's broader “Worldwide Stop the War on Children Rally,” had about a dozen attendees and garnered attention for its hateful signage, Heartland Signal reports.
Some signs falsely accused transgender individuals and LGBTQ activists of coordinated child abuse, while others advocated for Assembly Bill 465 to ban gender-affirming care for minors. Despite passing both state legislative chambers earlier this month, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, has promised to veto AB 465 alongside other anti-trans bills.
Related: Gays Against Groomers Is Not a Grassroots Organization: Report
Gays Against Groomers, registered as a non-profit in Wisconsin by Jaimee Michell, opposes what they describe as the “sexualization and indoctrination of children"The group has faced significant backlash for its controversial stance. The Anti-Defamation League has designated them an extremist hate group, associating them with other extremist factions like Moms for Liberty and the Proud Boys.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has also labeled Gays Against Groomers “one of the most notable propagators of anti-trans rhetoric.”
The controversy surrounding Gays Against Groomers escalated recently when the Pulaski Community School District in Wisconsin obtained a temporary restraining order against Jose “Rocky” Rodriguez, leader of the group’s Wisconsin chapter, as The Advocatereported. This legal action followed false accusations by the far-right social media account Libs of TikTok, claiming a teacher who performs drag exposed students to “graphic sexualized content.” The district’s investigation debunked these allegations.
Related: Armed Neo-Nazis With Swastika Flags Disrupt Wisconsin Pride Event
On October 13, a Brown County Circuit Court commissioner granted the Pulaski School District’s request for a four-year restraining order against Wisconsin’s chapter leader of Gays Against Groomers, Rodriguez. This legal maneuver followed Rodriguez’s confrontation with the district in September when he posted a threatening video on TikTok against a staff member, the district, and the school board. Though Rodriguez later downplayed his statements as “internet lingo” in an interview, the district saw them as attempts to incite intimidation.
Jaimee Michell, known for her earlier support for former President Donald Trump, has recently aligned with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, causing a significant rift within Gays Against Groomers and leading to the resignation of co-founder David Leatherwood. The split occurred following a homophobic video posted by DeSantis, which didn’t affect Michell’s support for the governor.
Further controversy arose when Gays Against Groomers was temporarily suspended from Instagram on Wednesday, only to be reinstated later without an explanation from Meta, Instagram’s parent company. Amid these developments, the association of political figures with extremist groups, like the attendance of state representatives at the far-right rally, casts a spotlight on the broader political endorsement of such ideologies, particularly in light of contentious legislative proposals like AB 465.
