Colorado State University’s Turning Point USA chapter hosted Gays Against Groomers at its weekly meeting last Thursday, bringing a conservative group known for opposing transgender-related policies to campus. The organization, founded by self-identified gay and lesbian members, says its mission is to protect children. 

Rich Guggenheim, the GAG’s director of legislation, spoke alongside GAG Director of Content Joe Jameson, who noted he uses an alias. They opened the lecture by drawing a distinction between gender-conforming queer identities and transgender identities within the LGBTQIA+ community, framing the latter as a chosen ideology.

“We have to stop coupling gender ideology and gender identity and gender expression with sexual orientation because it’s not the same thing,” Guggenheim said. “I’m here to talk about an ideology that harms individuals, an ideology that is harming children, an ideology that is harming families and (an ideology that) is ultimately destructive to our communities and our society. There is absolutely every reason for us to embrace exclusion and be intolerant of an ideology that is destructive to our society.”

The group’s message heavily centers on what they call “grooming,” or the act of covertly preparing a child for sexual exploitation. GAG argues exposing children to topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity is a prevalent example of grooming. 

“When you bring in LGBTQ+, a big part of that is sexual orientation, who you choose to have sexual relationships with or even romantic ones, which often lead into sexual relationships,” said Cammy Barnes, vice president of TPUSA CSU. “I think when we bring in the conversation about sex and kids start to ask questions, there are predators out there who are very determined and able to get into schools. When kids start asking questions, it’s a very vulnerable place for them and a very easy place for groomers to slip in, and bad things will happen.” 

GAG also warns that allowing minors to access gender-affirming care can potentially lead to misguided medical decisions, which the group likens to abuse. Jameson said the detransition stories he has heard demonstrates the “lie” of gender-affirming care.

“You hear all the detransition stories of things not working out, things falling apart, and you hear horror stories from detransitioners as they’re doing revision surgeries and all that stuff,” Jameson said. “My heart aches for them. I’m not mad at them. They’re sold a lie, and then they’re faced with the reality of, ‘I either have to own what’s left of my body or transition back,’ and that’s a scary reality.” 

Access to medical transition procedures even pose a threat to gay and lesbian individuals, Guggenheim argued, because it can be misused as a “cure” to same-sex attraction. 

“When we understand that a vast majority of children who identify as gender nonconforming or transgender grow up and become normal gay and lesbian adults, we’re literally ‘transing’ away the gay,” Guggenheim said. 

To help combat transgender-affirming rhetoric, Guggenheim suggested attendees prepare to debate what he called a “playbook” of pro-transgender arguments that are commonly used by progressive activists. He organized the arguments by alleged logical fallacy and suggested counternarratives attendees could use when discussing the topic. He first addressed the point that “trans rights are human rights,” arguing instead how trans rights infringe on women’s rights. 

“They demand the rights to strip women of their right to consent and say no to men in their spaces; …. that is the core of gender ideology,” Guggenheim said. “In the trans rights movement, they want to strip women and girls of their right to consent. So one of the things we need to understand is that the core of this is we’re protecting sex-based rights, and we are protecting sex-segregated spaces because, beyond that, the next step is women deserve the right to privacy. They deserve the right to safety.” 

As he addressed each progressive argument, Guggenheim repeatedly said that left-wing narratives centering on the emotional wellbeing of transgender children — including discussion of suicide rates — are disingenuous examples of emotional manipulation and gaslighting.

A 2020 study on the mental health of transgender youth concluded that at least 86% of transgender youth report suicidality and 56% report a previous suicide attempt; the study named “school belonging, emotional neglect by family and internalized self-stigma” as statistically significant contributors to the percentages.

Jameson added that the best way to rebut emotional arguments is to challenge the oppositions’ circular reasoning and persist in the debate.

“The goal is to make you feel shame,” Jameson said, referring broadly to arguments made by progressives. “The goal is to confuse you. The goal is to morally make you feel compromised, and that’s where weaponized empathy comes into play. And at the end of the day, the goal is to silence you, and they will not stop until they feel like they can. So keep pushing back.” 

As members of GAG spoke, a small group of protesters formed outside the building to chalk pro-transgender messages. Corey, who declined to provide a last name for fear of harassment, said GAG’s rhetoric is unproductive and harmful. 

“If you want to have a conversation where we talk about different views and we can have an educated discussion about that, great.” Corey said. “This is not an educated discussion. It never has been. They come on campus to spread hate, and they come on campus to convince other students to hate each other, which is not love. That’s not what campus is for.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center has classified GAG as an extremist group, stating that it “amplifies dehumanizing anti-trans rhetoric, perpetuates anti-LGBTQ+ stereotypes by falsely claiming that LGBTQ+ supporters of trans rights are dangerous to society — including equating gender-affirming health care with pedophilia and calling trans people a ‘bloodthirsty terrorist cult.’” 

Guggenheim said he disagrees with the designation and clarified the group is not focused on spreading hate to individuals, but that rather the group is combating movements that it believes to be harmful.

“The whole transgender movement is literally built on a foundation of pedophilia,” Guggenheim said. “They can call that hate, but it’s a verifiable fact.”

Jules DeVigne, president of TPUSA CSU, said he invited GAG as part of an initiative to spark debate and deepen the club’s understanding of conservative politics. These goals, DeVigne said, are central to the ethos of TPUSA CSU. 

“Our goal is to hear all perspectives, all sides, to make sure that we are very well educated on any type of topic, and we have a reason to stand firm in our beliefs for that topic,” DeVigne said. “With Gays Against Groomers, we believe that they are a good education line for the LGTBQ community, considering that they are from that exact community and they’re speaking out about some things that (the LGBTQIA+) community is doing.”