Trump's Jan. 6 Pardons And Anti-LGBTQ Extremism. What You Need to Know.
Spencer Macnaughton | Uncloseted Media Weekly Newsletter
Five years ago, on Jan. 6, I was quarantining in Toronto in my mom’s living room watching the news as we sunk into the boredom of another wave of the pandemic. As the afternoon unfolded, shocking videos of people smashing the windows of the U.S. Capitol building, tackling D.C. police officers and stealing then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop started filling our TV screen.
In real time, we were watching what is now considered by many as one of the darkest days in American history unfold. In the aftermath, we learned more about the iterations of hate affiliated with many of the more than 2,000 people who illegally broke into Congress. Members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group, were joined by people donning outfits endorsing the Holocaust; a noose and gallows were erected outside the Capitol; and protestors marched with Confederate flags in hand.
But what was left out of much of the conversation were the ties many of the rioters had to anti-LGBTQ extremism. And it’s critical we don’t forget that, especially since Trump has pardoned about 1,500 defendants, who he has described as “hostages.” In addition, the White House describes the day—which included assaults on at least 174 police officers and left seven people dead—as “A Date Which Will Live in Infamy” and one where “THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS PAID THE PRICE FOR POLITICAL FAILURES THEY DID NOT CREATE.”
The best example of these extremists is the presence of a sizable number of Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group that was named a terrorist entity in Canada in 2021. The group was founded by Gavin McInnes, who has written an article titled “Transphobia is Perfectly Natural,” where he describes trans people as “mentally ill gays who need help, and that doesn’t include being maimed by physicians.” He has also referred to trans people as “gender n*ggers.”
Beyond their founder lies a litany of examples where the group has tried to threaten and harass LGBTQ people. In the first six months of 2022, the group targeted 11 LGBTQ-related events, including nine during Pride month (which one Proud Boys chapter referred to as “groomer awareness month”). They’ve also shown up armed to many events, including one in Nevada where they harassed folks at a Drag Queen Story Hour and another in Texas where they came out to protest a Pride event. While they claim to be protecting kids, they’ve allegedly harassed Americans at adults-only events and yelled homophobic and transphobic slurs at kids in California.
Despite all of this, Trump has pardoned or commuted the sentences of at least eight current and former members of the Proud Boys who attacked the Capitol, including Enrique Tarrio, who was serving a 22-year sentence after he was convicted in 2023 of charges that included seditious conspiracy.
Five years later, it’s important to continue to consider the danger and motivation behind these pardons. If Trump is making martyrs out of these folks, how far can he go? If anti-LGBTQ Trump loyalists escalate their threats into violence, will they be pardoned? If a MAGA superfan kills a gay or trans person, will they be sentenced fairly? Or will Trump give them a break because of their devotion to him?
These questions feel fueled with paranoia to even type out… but are they really far-fetched when you look at the facts?
LGBTQ philanthropist, advocate and author Mark S. Bonham receives the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honors. The Order recognizes people who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to the nation. An active member of the LGBTQ community, Bonham—a friend to Uncloseted Media—endowed the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto. He co-chaired the $12 million campaign that created Toronto’s first LGBTQ homeless youth shelter and he led a major expansion of Casey House Hospital, which cares for people living with HIV. He is also the author of three LGBTQ books. Congratulations, Mark, from the entire Uncloseted Media team. 🇨🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🥳
Sam Donndelinger joined Mark Simon at the Journalism Salute to discuss how she finds meaning in her work at Uncloseted. Listen here!
This News is So Gay welcomed back Sam to discuss her most recent piece about HIVphobia and dating with GLAAD’s Darian Aaron. Listen here!
‘A Directive From Above’: Former NYT Editor Lays Out How The Paper Pushes Anti-Trans Bigotry (Trans News Network)
In this in-depth interview, former New York Times editor Billie Jean Sweeney details how the paper shifted towards openly promoting anti-trans hatred, how some staff tried to stop it, how it’s directed from the very top and the damage this legitimization of bigotry has done.
Paused: A court ruling that let teachers tell parents about a child’s ‘gender incongruity’ (LA Times)
A federal judge ruled California teachers may disclose students’ gender identity to parents, but an appeals court has paused the decision.
Trans Sports Ban With Genital Inspections Gains Enough Signatures To Appear On Washington State Ballot (Erin in the Morning)
The initiative collected 400,000 signatures, and will be one of the first major attempts to get an anti-trans law onto the ballot in a state that has dubbed itself a “refuge” for transgender people.
Mamdani enters office with commitments to New York’s LGBTQ community (PoliticsNY)
New York City turned the page to a new year and a new leader on Jan. 1 with the inauguration of Zohran Mamdani, who has vowed to prioritize the needs of the LGBTQ community as the city’s next mayor.
Gay speed skater Conor McDermott-Mostowy wins Team USA Trials, earns spot in 1st Winter Olympics (OutSports)
Conor McDermott-Mostowy will be headed to his first Winter Olympics after winning the USA Olympic Trials. Brittany Bowe headed to her fourth.
Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting:
🆕 SATURDAY: Thirty-year-old CorBen Williams has come out to his father seven times. Now married and finally living as himself, his dad still can’t say the word gay—or meet his husband. A haunting essay about rejection, survival and learning to come home to yourself.
🆕 TUESDAY: We’ve covered the far-right Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom before, but as they’re currently mounting a dangerous attempt to convince the Supreme Court to overturn state conversion therapy bans, Jake Angelo dug into their decades-long history of fighting for the inhumane and unscientific practice.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas!
Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief — spencer@unclosetedmedia.com
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