“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” ~ Eric Hoffer
“Live not by lies.” ~ Alexander Solzhenitsyn
I am a sixth generation Georgian who became a gay rights advocate in 1993. I live not far from the dirt road I was born (and raised) on 62 years ago, in a rural county with my husband and our two dogs.
We live in a Georgia where we are safe, welcome, and included wherever we go. We have gay friends all over the state, outside of Atlanta, living similar happy lives.
I used to be on Georgia Equality’s board of directors. The Human Rights Campaign even gave me its Atlanta humanitarian award a few years back. The reason for my activism was to help create the world that gay men and lesbians are blessed to live in today.
Mission accomplished. It was not easy to get here. I’m old enough to remember the darkest days of the gay rights movement. I was there. I remember my friends who did not make it. We dreamed of dignified lives. That was the focus of our work.
Not everyone shared our dream. While extremist thinking has always existed, the gay movement succeeded despite the loud and intentionally unhappy radicals, because a larger number of ordinary homosexuals (of all political persuasions) and our friends were the ones writing the checks and making the decisions.
That was then; this is now.
Today, groups like Georgia Equality and the Human Rights Campaign claim life for “LGBTQ+” and “queer” people is awful. Activist groups founded and built by gay men and lesbians to fight for our rights have mutated into something entirely different. They now claim, despite achieving every goal on the gay rights checklist, America is somehow worse than it was before that work began. Corporations have pivoted from advocating for same-sex oriented people to, instead, focus on the “transgender and queer” communities.
"Transgender" is now used to describe individuals previously known as transsexuals and transvestites, terms defined in the DSM-5 as gender dysphoria and transvestic disorder. "Queer" can mean anything anyone claims it to be regarding sex (as both noun and verb) and sexuality, including heterosexuals and males identifying as lesbians. These are today’s transqueer activists, who have co-opted the infrastructure of the former gay rights movement. Their goal is to gain social and legal recognition for their ideology by any means necessary. Through cultural and political coercion, their focus is explicitly directed toward children.
“Acting as pied pipers of radicalism, they take us all to blind extremes.”
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley J. Robinson testified before Congress in 2023, declaring a “national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people.” National emergency? This sounds odd to those of us who remember police raids, AIDS, discrimination, and the military’s witch-hunts.
Ms. Robinson’s dishonest claims stem from transqueer activists’ frustration over states enacting child safeguarding and parental rights laws that interfere with HRC’s new mission to proselytize children into transqueer ideology. “Trans genocide,” they call it.
With $75 million in annual revenue, HRC’s chicken-little-the-sky-is-falling propaganda campaign is well-funded.
Georgia Equality similarly—and falsely—claims an “epidemic of hate” exists. Instead of acknowledging and celebrating the obvious improvements in Georgia for gay and lesbian people, they unethically push victimhood as their justification to continue fundraising.
Jeff Graham, Georgia Equality’s long-time executive director, is paid $145k a year to fearmonger about Georgia citizens who disagree with transqueer far-left ideas. In an August 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about Georgians who still oppose same-sex marriage, for example, Mr. Graham insulted them as part of “the most extreme fringes of society.” Pot, meet kettle.
In testimony that same month before a Georgia Senate committee considering child safeguarding legislation, Graham falsely claimed his constituents face increased risks of suicide and violence because people disagree with Georgia Equality’s new agenda.
This form of emotional blackmail is a common transqueer intimidation tactic: “do as we say, or the children will hurt themselves.”
What Georgia Equality does not talk about is the suicide rate among post-operative transgender adults being 19 times higher than the general population. They don’t tell the children this part, though.
“They know how to tear down, but not how to rebuild.”
Dishonesty and divisiveness are the stock-in-trade of today’s transqueer activist racket because it keeps the money flowing. Georgia Equality’s annual revenues have more than doubled since 2015, surpassing $2 million.
Few of these big donors gave a single penny back when we had real battles to fight. Today, left-wing virtue signaling drives them to fund the brainwashing of vulnerable children, consequences be damned.
During the gay rights movement, we often had to defend against accusations that we were targeting children. Today, transqueer activists spend massive amounts of money doing exactly that—targeting children. The Trevor Project, for example, had annual revenues of around $5 million five years ago. Today, they stand at $84 million.
This is a for-profit industry built on manufacturing victimhood.
The transqueer fraud is laid bare in a new book, The Queering of the American Child: How a New School Religious Cult Poisons the Minds and Bodies of Normal Kids, by Logan Lansing with James Lindsey. The book is about the sinister roots of the recent mass effort to push sex, “gender,” and sexuality in schools. “District administrators, teachers, and even librarians are obsessed with pushing inappropriate topics onto kids, all in the name of fostering “inclusion.” Children today learn they were “assigned a sex at birth” and can change their sex or “gender” at will. Kids are no longer learning to read, write, or do math, but they are learning how to be “radical gender” activists. Meanwhile, school districts keep parents in the dark, hiding critical information about the health and well-being of their children from them.”
The book cites another by David Halprin from 1995, “Saint Foucault,” for the definition of Queer: “Unlike gay identity, which, tough deliberately proclaimed in an act of affirmation, is nonetheless rooted in the positive fact of homosexual object-choice, queer identity need not be grounded in any positive truth or in any stable reality. As the very word implies, “queer” does not name some natural kind or refer to some determinate object; it acquires its meaning from its oppositional relation to the norm. Queer is by definition whatever is at odds with the normal, the legitimate, the dominant. There is nothing in particular to which it refers. It is an identity without an essence.” In other words, “queer” is make-believe psychobabble. Nihilism.
“Queer” is why Georgia Equality and the Human Rights Campaign defend school libraries having sexualized material. “Queer” is why Georgia Equality and HRC defend drag queens “reading” to children. “Queer” is why they claim men can breastfeed. It is why they say some people are both sexes, neither sex, or able to change their sex at will.
“Queer” is why Georgia Equality and HRC claim “trans healthcare for kids” is “medically necessary,” “evidence based,” and “lifesaving” despite the absence of reliable evidence to back it up. “Queer” is why they believe it is okay to remove a 13-year-old girl’s healthy breasts. They ignore the heartbreaking stories of 55,000 members of a Redditt detransitioner group, made up of mostly young lesbians and gay males.
Detransitioners are provided with ZERO resources. NONE.
“Queer” is why Georgia Equality and the HRC say it’s acceptable for males to steal scholarships and sports from females. It is why lesbians are prohibited from having their own spaces and why it is considered okay for men to assault and impregnate women in prison.
“Queer” is also why Georgia Equality and the HRC endorse activism by tantrum—intimidation, coercion, and threats—as acceptable tactics. It’s why they believe government schools should be able to “transition” children without parental consent and why they believe parents should lose custody of their kids for opposing gender ideology.
“Queer identity need not be grounded in any positive truth or in any stable reality.”
Genderqueer activists propagandize, proselytize, and groom. They groom children’s minds to believe in the make-believe—fake identities like “nonbinary,” fake genders like “aerogender” and “genderqueer,” fake sexualities like “pansexual” and “demisexual,” and fake pronouns like “ze/zir/zirself.”
They support poisoning children’s bodies with dangerous experimental medicines and mutilating cosmetic surgeries, creating a lifetime revenue stream for Big Pharma and the transqueer medical industry.
They leave us with no values and take us with them into the complete void.
The Human Rights Campaign and Georgia Equality are trying to “reimagine” reality through a transqueer “revolution.” In other words, the gay rights movement was not enough; now, domination is the goal, and they are using vulnerable children as human shields to achieve it.
I remember what it feels like to grow up knowing you are different and struggling to understand why. I am grateful that the world I grew up in during the 1960s and 70s has become vastly more accepting.
For these reasons, I speak out against the war on children. People of good faith need to stand together and—loudly—raise our voices against this predatory and unethical ideology that is harming children.
Georgia Equality and the Human Rights Campaign are on the wrong side of history.
Jeff Cleghorn, an Army vet and retired lawyer, worked on the staff of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, in Washington, DC, from 1997 through 2003, and served on SLDN’s Board from 2007 through 2013. Cleghorn, in addition to Georgia Equality, also served on the Boards of Lambda Legal, AID Atlanta, and is a past-president of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia.
References:
Appel, B. (2022, April 21). The New Homophobia | Opinion. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/new-homophobia-opinion-1698969
Lesbians are an endangered species. I want my community back! Fair Play for Women. https://fairplayforwomen.com/lesbian-erasure/
City Journal. (2023, May 19). The ACLU’s Irresponsible Rhetoric on Transgender Suicides. https://www.city-journal.org/article/reckless-and-irresponsible
Costa, M. (2022, November 23). TrevorSpace: A Pedophile’s Paradise. Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/trevorspace-a-pedophile-s-paradise
Downey, C. (2022, September 1). Undercover mom discovers depravity in Trevor Project’s trans chat room supposedly for youth. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2022/09/01/mom-discovers-depravity-in-trevor-projects-trans-chat-room/
Etzel, G. M., & Etzel, G. M. (2024a, June 13). New study finds 12-fold higher risk of suicide attempt for adult transgender patients - Washington Examiner. Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/3007980/new-study-finds-12-fold-higher-risk-of-suicide-attempt-for-adult-transgender-patients/
Etzel, G. M., & Etzel, G. M. (2024b, June 13). New study finds 12-fold higher risk of suicide attempt for adult transgender patients - Washington Examiner. Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/3007980/new-study-finds-12-fold-higher-risk-of-suicide-attempt-for-adult-transgender-patients/
Gonzalez, P. L. (2021, August 20). Gender ideology is a boon to Big Pharma and threat to parental rights. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2021/08/20/gender-ideology-a-boon-to-big-pharma-and-threat-to-parental-rights/
Graff, E. (2012, July 6). How the Gay-Rights Movement Won. The American Prospect. https://prospect.org/culture/books/gay-rights-movement-won/
Kurilova, E. (2023, August 3). Drag Pedagogy: Grooming by Any Other Name. Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/drag-pedagogy-grooming-by-any-other-name
Lancing, L. (2024). The Queering of the American Child: How A New School Religious Cult Poisons the Minds and Bodies of Normal Kids.
Lindsay, J. (2024, March 15). Queer Theory is the Doctrine of a Sex-Based Cult. New Discourses. https://newdiscourses.com/2024/03/queer-theory-doctrine-sex-based-cult/
Lowbridge, B. C. (2021, October 26). The lesbians who feel pressured to have sex and relationships with trans women. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-57853385
Mac Ghlionn, J., & Mac Ghlionn, J. (2023, April 27). The myth of the ‘trans genocide.’ Spiked. https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/04/27/the-myth-of-the-trans-genocide/
Mandy. (2023, November 19). Innocence Drained: How Queer Ideology’s Bloodthirsty Agenda Sinks Its Fangs Into Your School Library. Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/innocence-drained-how-queer-ideology-s-bloodthirsty-agenda-sinks-its-fangs-into-your-school-library
Mandy. (2024, September 30). Destruction, subversion, and queer Marxist perversion infiltrate children’s literature. Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/destruction-subversion-and-queer-marxist-perversion-infiltrate-children-s-literature
Mikula, L. (2023, November 19). Florida Librarian QUITS Over Pornography Restrictions in School Libraries. Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/florida-librarian-quits-over-pornography-restrictions-in-school-libraries
Mikula, L. (2024, July 9). Queering the Next Generation: Family-Friendly Drag Queens Use Children’s Books to Target Families and Promot. Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/queering-the-next-generation-family-friendly-drag-queens-use-children-s-books-to-target-families
The Post Millennial. (2022, September 11). LA libraries host Drag Queen story hours targeted at children. The Post Millennial. https://thepostmillennial.com/la-libraries-team-up-with-pride-to-host-drag-queen-story-hours-for-kids
MSN. (2024.). https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dc-family-loses-custody-of-autistic-son-over-gender-transition-fight/ar-BB1qJeZT
National State of Emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans. (2024, August 29). HRC. https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/national-state-of-emergency-for-lgbtq-americans
Nava, T. (2023, August 24). The Ugly Truth of Male Breastfeeding — Paradox Institute. Paradox Institute. https://www.theparadoxinstitute.com/read/the-ugly-truth-of-male-breastfeeding
N.J. trans prisoner who impregnated 2 inmates transferred to men’s facility. (2022, July 19). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/nj-trans-prisoner-impregnated-2-inmates-transferred-mens-facility-rcna38947
Perry, S. Parents Are Fed Up With Public Schools Secretly Transitioning Children | The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation. https://www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/parents-are-fed-public-schools-secretly-transitioning-children
Poleo, G. R. (2023, May 30). Johns Hopkins medical staff are given guide with FIFTY new pronouns like “aerself” and “faerself.” Mail Online. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12139825/Johns-Hopkins-medical-staff-given-guide-FIFTY-new-pronouns-like-aerself-faerself.html
Polumbo, B. (2024, June 13). No, There’s No ‘Epidemic’ of Anti-Transgender Violence. Quillette. https://quillette.com/2024/01/29/no-theres-no-epidemic-of-anti-trans-violence/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFYDhVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHaWSKpZDh5Be7D5E2MpDl6yqQkzc12PoW1WmdYWP0PF4wwLZZjD8K6Q8-w_aem_paOUvL5_td9d_oE0DPrrFg
Reed, J. (2023, February 9). I Thought I Was Saving Trans Kids. Now I’m Blowing the Whistle. https://www.thefp.com/p/i-thought-i-was-saving-trans-kids
Rose, J. (2023, August 14). 11 Child Indoctrinating Books Parents Need to Know. Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/11-child-indoctrinating-books-parents-need-to-know
Rose, J. (2024, March 26). EXPOSED: Vancouver’s Drag Scene Under Fire For Child Exploitation. Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/exposed-vancouver-s-drag-scene-under-fire-for-child-exploitation
Sances, J. M. (2024, August 27). HRC boss calls for revolutionary reimagining of democracy then belittles the Constitution. Outspoken. https://getoutspoken.com/gay-inc/hrc-boss-calls-for-revolutionary-reimagining-of-democracy-then-belittles-the-constitution
Sex Matters. (2024, August 27). Intimidation, threats and violence by trans-rights activists - Sex Matters. https://sex-matters.org/resources/attacks-on-those-defending-sex-based-rights/intimidation-threats-and-violence-by-trans-rights-activists/
Shepard, B. H., & Shepard, B. H. (2017, July 28). The Queer/Gay Assimilationist split. Monthly Review. https://monthlyreview.org/2001/05/01/the-queergay-assimilationist-split/
Sullivan, A. (2022, April 8). Who Is Looking Out For Gay Kids? The Weekly Dish. https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/who-is-looking-out-for-gay-kids-a19
Sullivan, A. (2024, March 15). The Transqueers Take The Mask Off. The Weekly Dish. https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-transqueers-take-the-mask-off
Suozzo, A., Glassford, A., Ngu, A., & Roberts, B. (2013a, May 9). Georgia Equality Inc - Nonprofit Explorer. ProPublica. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/582190883
Suozzo, A., Glassford, A., Ngu, A., & Roberts, B. (2013b, May 9). Human Rights Campaign Foundation - Nonprofit Explorer. ProPublica. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521481896
Suozzo, A., Glassford, A., Ngu, A., & Roberts, B. (2013c, May 9). Human Rights Campaign Inc - Nonprofit Explorer. ProPublica. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521243457
Tietz, K. (2024, January 4). Detransitioners say they face vitriol from trans activists they previously considered a “second family.” Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/media/detransitioners-say-they-face-vitriol-trans-activists-they-previously-considered-second-family
Transgender Trend. (2024, June 21). Suicide Facts and Myths - Transgender Trend. https://www.transgendertrend.com/the-suicide-myth/
U.S. Sex Reassignment Surgery Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Gender Transition (Female-to-male, Male-to-female), By Procedure (Mastectomy, Vaginoplasty, Scrotoplasty, Hysterectomy, Phalloplasty), And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-sex-reassignment-surgery-market
Valdes, D., & MacKinnon, K. (2023, May 8). Take Detransitioners Seriously. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/detransition-transgender-nonbinary-gender-affirming-care/672745/
VanDerheyden, J. (2023). The Myth of Male Motherhood: Is Trans Breast Milk Harming Newborn Babies? Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/the-myth-of-male-motherhood-is-trans-breast-milk-harming-newborn-babies
VanDerheyden, J. (2024, September 25). Single-Sex Spaces: The Origins of Bathroom Inclusivity and Why America Must Enforce Boundaries. Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/single-sex-spaces-the-origins-of-bathroom-inclusivity-and-why-america-must-enforce-boundaries