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After making unfounded accusations against gay family influencer José Rolón, right-wing pundit Stew Peters was immediately forced to retreat.
A gay family influencer is fighting back against a right-wing talk show host that falsely accused him of committing heinous crimes against his children – and he's winning.
José Rolón, known by the handle @nycgaydad, came under attack in February after conservative pundit Stew Peters accused him – without evidence – of committing sex crimes against his three young children. Rolón began receiving threatening messages from Peters' followers shortly after the host's claims, which included dubbing the father a “creep” and “pervert homo," as well as accusing Rolón of “criminal sexual conduct” and calling for his public execution.
“Some pervert homo has access to at least four kids around the clock all the time,” Peters said in a video posted to both Instagram and Rumble. “He can take them to drag conventions and then post the evidence, post pictures and videos of criminal sexual conduct … and somehow not end up in jail, or better yet, the gallows.”
While Rolón told The Advocate at the time that the false statements were "shocking," he wasn't going to let Peters spread hateful "misinformation" unchecked. The father soon after received help from attorneys at Locke Lord LLP, who took on his case pro bono and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Peters demanding that his network remove all videos that mention Rolón or his children.
Within days, Peters' company took the videos down.
“This is a win, not just for me and for my family, but for anyone who has been unfairly targeted by right-wingers using hate for entertainment,” Rolón said in a statement, first shared with The Advocate. “We have to stand up to these bullies and trolls. Free speech doesn’t mean you are free to say anything you want just to get clicks and views. Hate shouldn’t be a business model.”
Peters' segment, from a 50-minute video targeting multiple LGBTQ+ families, did not just featured insults and false accusations against Rolón, but also uncensored views of his children's faces and their home. The father said it was "terrifying to think that the people who posted threatening comments could easily show up where we live and where my children go to school.”
“Most of our videos and social media posts are fun and light-hearted,” Rolón continued. “They show the joy and challenges of being a single LGBTQ+ dad. I couldn’t wrap my brain around why Peters decided to target me and my family."
Rolón, whose husband died shortly after their son was born and while their surrogate was pregnant with twin girls, said that he is "beyond grateful for all the support" from his customers, followers, and attorneys. While the videos have been taken down, the influencer said the fight isn't over yet.
“Yes, I wanted the videos about my family to come down, but is that enough? What about the next family he sets out to destroy?” Rolón said. “It’s time to hold these awful hate-mongers accountable for the things they say. I’m blessed with a platform to speak out and to fight back, and I am figuring out the best way to do that.”
