Gays against Groomers implodes as absurd DeSantis ad causes infighting & a feud with Caitlin Jenner

The fallout continues over presidential candidate Ron DeSantis‘s bizarre anti-LGBTQ+ video. Not only has the ad made DeSantis a bipartisan laughingstock, but it has also caused some major conservative infighting.

As gay Republicans abandon DeSantis in droves, the anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing hate group Gays Against Groomers (GAG), founded by Jaimee Michell, has reportedly lost over 23 members following accusations that it’s a Ron DeSantis astroturf organization – meaning it’s being funded by DeSantis while masquerading as grassroots.

Related:

Ron DeSantis defends his bizarre anti-LGBTQ+ ad that made him a universal laughingstock

Ron DeSantis put out a humiliating ad… but seems to be proud of it.

Gays Against Groomers is “against the sexualization, indoctrination, and medicalization of children.” In the past, Michell has compared gender-affirming health care to the Nazi’s cruel medical experiments on human subjects.

Insights for the LGBTQ+ community

Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more.

Daily

Weekly

Good News

One very public GAG resignation came from board member David Leatherwood, a conservative gay activist and Donald Trump superfan.

“Today I would like to announce that I am formally resigning from my board position with Gays Against Groomers and withdrawing my involvement from the organization,” he wrote on Twitter. “I will always support the mission of GAG, and the great & impactful work they are doing to protect kids from indoctrination, medicalization and sterilization.”

“GAG is a great organization and I have nothing bad to say about the group or its leaders and wish them continued success. My decision to part ways is strictly professional, and on good terms with mutual understanding. I greatly admire the organization’s passion and effectiveness in the mission for protecting kids and making a positive impact on our culture.”

But fellow Trumper and former Republican California gubernatorial candidate Caitlin Jenner, with whom the group collaborated on an ad, wasn’t having it.

“Not the draft you sent my team,” she replied to Leatherwood. “Some highly relevant omitted info. Hmmm… you can’t play it both ways.”

Leatherwood then replied that his resignation is “directly related to the Founder’s outspoken support for DeSantis, in light of his recent ad that is extremely anti-gay.”

Today I would like to announce that I am formally resigning from my board position with Gays Against Groomers and withdrawing my involvement from the organization.

I will always support the mission of GAG, and the great & impactful work they are doing to protect kids from…

— David Leatherwood 🇺🇸 (@brokebackUSA) July 5, 2023

My departure from GAG is directly related to the Founder’s outspoken support for DeSantis, in light of his recent ad that is extremely anti-gay.

While I respect everyone’s right to their own opinion, the homophobia coming from the DeSantis campaign is not something I want to be…

— David Leatherwood 🇺🇸 (@brokebackUSA) July 5, 2023

It was Jenner, in fact, who revealed on Twitter on July 2 that Michell was receiving funding from DeSantis.

“I simply cannot be affiliated with @againstgrmrs (despite the work they do I 99% support) bc Jaimee -essentially begging my org to cobrand, amplify, and pay for 50% of the pride month ad- the leader being on payroll for Desantis and so vitriolicly anti-trump. She should step down from one immediately,” Jenner tweeted.

I simply cannot be affiliated with @againstgrmrs (despite the work they do I 99% support) bc Jaimee -essentially begging my org to cobrand, amplify, and pay for 50% of the pride month ad- the leader being on payroll for Desantis and so vitriolicly anti-trump. She should step down…

— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) July 2, 2023

According to Ari Drennen, the LGBTQ program director for Media Matters, others who have left GAG in the wake of the DeSantis revelations include the director of chapters, the director of operations, and the leader of the New York Chapter.

Important context as a Gays Against Groomers founder quits over allegations that cofounder Jaimee Michelle is on the DeSantis payroll: more than 23 members of the org have quit recently, including the Director of Operations, Director of Chapters, and NY Chapter leader. https://t.co/7f5KPREAu4 pic.twitter.com/UVYfMkTuxm

— Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) July 5, 2023

And Michell has since struck back at Jenner, first posting a long message accusing her of hopping on the anti-trans bandwagon after the movement became popular and criticizing her for accepting a Woman of the Year award from Glamour. Michell called Jenner “the biggest hypocrite in this fight.”

The official GAG account then posted a long thread meant to expose Jenner as said hypocrite, blasting her for any prior support she showed for trans youth or trans women in sports.

They're telling on themselves as they eat their own pic.twitter.com/g2a3GIhsJn

— nat (@natattack960) July 5, 2023

So why the drastic and sudden change of tune? Could it be the grooming of children and erasure of women has become the hottest topic in our country in the past year?

Funding the sterilization and indoctrination of minors while advocating against it? Claiming to protect women’s… pic.twitter.com/a0F1y4sQLX

— Gays Against Groomers (@againstgrmrs) July 5, 2023

DeSantis’s ad opens with several clips of Donald Trump – DeSantis’s top primary opponent in the presidential election – expressing support for LGBTQ+ people and frames these comments as damning. 

The video then abruptly shifts to intense music and a photo of DeSantis shooting lasers out of his eyes, followed by snapshots of headlines about the anti-LGBTQ+ laws DeSantis has passed.

The video proudly shares that DeSantis has been called “evil,” “dangerous,” “draconian,” and “public enemy no. 1” and even includes a clip accusing DeSantis of passing legislation “that literally threatens trans existence.” It also contains images of shirtless buff muscle men inter-spliced with these statements about how DeSantis is hurting LGBTQ+ people in his state.

To wrap up “Pride Month,” let’s hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it…

pic.twitter.com/FT7LdW4vls

— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 30, 2023

Don't forget to share: