A North Carolina school board is refusing to protect female students in bathrooms and locker rooms, despite months of concerns from students and parents.
Trista Ruck, a junior at Cox Mill High School in Cabarrus County, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzjg93kJAVc&amp;list=PLC9l3bAWkCyitTzhInQ1jR99Dz1eiIJLi&amp;index=10">addressed</a> the Cabarrus County School Board in December of 2025 and asked them to create a policy defending female-only spaces at the school. At Ruck’s school, a male student identifying as a woman is on the football and basketball cheer team and uses women’s locker rooms and restrooms.
“Many of my peers and I feel uncomfortable using facilities designed for women and women alone, as he has different reproductive parts than we do,” Ruck said.
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MASSIVE SCANDAL UNFOLDING IN <a href="https://twitter.com/CabCoSchools?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CabCoSchools</a>
The school is allowing MALES to invade the girls’ restrooms. Girls are reportedly terrified to go to the bathroom and are holding themselves in to avoid males in their private space.
Students are begging the administration for help,… <a href="https://t.co/BAwkHNFvCv">pic.twitter.com/BAwkHNFvCv</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2047788322693517520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Ruck said both parents and students had discussed the problem with Cox Mill administration and the athletic director, only to be “blatantly ignored.” The school’s only response was to make special accommodations for the female students instead of for the trans-identifying student, Ruck said.
One of Ruck’s friends, who is on one of the school’s sports teams, said she noticed the male student watching her and other female students changing while in the locker room, according to Ruck.
“She stated that this made her feel extremely uncomfortable and that she did not feel safe or respected in that environment,” Ruck told the board.
The student was told to take the problems to the principal, who said it was “too political to address, and that any action might be interpreted the wrong way,” according to Ruck.
“Our school is supposed to make every student safe, but we get ostracized when we discuss this with adults who are supposed to ensure the safety and comfortability at school,” Ruck said. “Personally, I try to avoid the restrooms at all costs, but I do use these facilities at times when I really have to. I, as well as others, do not feel comfortable when an individual of the opposite gender is allowed and authorized to use our facilities.”
In addition to safety concerns over males in female spaces, avoiding using the restroom can cause health problems, including chronic pain and urinary tract infections, <a href="https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/your-urinary-health-what-you-should-know">according</a> to Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Holding in urine repeatedly for long periods of time can also make it difficult to fully empty one’s bladder and can cause pelvic floor dysfunction.
Cabarrus County voted for President Donald Trump in 2024, <a href="https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/05/2024&amp;county_id=13&amp;office=ALL&amp;contest=0">according</a> to election data, but despite repeated concerns, the board has refused to institute any countywide policies protecting women’s bathrooms and locker rooms.
Alexis Hughes, the founder of You Heard Her, an advocacy for female students in Cabarrus County, slammed the board for ignoring Ruck and other students at its most recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BO17lgPdAQ">meeting</a> on April 13, 2026.
“This is not about hate or judging any any child, and this is not about asking the board to take a position on personal beliefs or ideology,” Hughes said. “What you are responsible for is ensuring students are safe, that their privacy is protected, and that policies are clear and consistently applied.”
Hughes referenced Ruck’s comments and criticized the board for not addressing the problem.
“She came to you all for help. You heard her. You did nothing. Shame,” Hughes said. “There is nothing political about a child that feels unsafe when they are changing clothes. That is a basic expectation of privacy, and it is all of your responsibility.”
Multiple speakers at the April meeting slammed the board for not taking action to protect female students. At the end of public comment, the board carried on with usual business without addressing any of the speakers’ concerns.
“This comes down to three things: safety, privacy, and respect for every student,” Hughes told the board. “Transgender students deserve protection, but policy has to protect all students. And right now, the absence of policy is failing every single student in our district.”

Principal Tells Girls To ‘Go Somewhere Else’ If They’re Uncomfortable With Boys In Their Bathrooms

LGBTQ

North Carolina

Social Issues

Transgender

U.S.

A pregnant woman on TikTok posted a video of herself playing music next to her stomach so her unborn son would turn out gay.
The video, posted to X by independent journalist Cam Higby, shows user Katie Frank playing ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” with the caption: “POV you’re pregnant with a boy and gotta make sure he turns out a little gay.”
“No toxic masculinity allowed in this house,” the caption said.
“This is DISGUSTING,” Higby said in his post.
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A mother posted on TikTok that she’s playing “gay” music next to her baby bump hoping that it will make her son gay.
The entire comment section is FLOODED with to-be mothers and mothers sharing techniques they used or are using to make their own kids gay.
This is DISGUSTING. <a href="https://t.co/HqpybMv469">pic.twitter.com/HqpybMv469</a>
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) <a href="https://twitter.com/camhigby/status/2047704691992043876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The video has 4.3 million views on TikTok and more than 950,000 likes.
The comments of the video, which Higby also posted, were filled with moms talking about wanting their sons to be gay.
“My son is four and exclusively listens to sabrina carpenter [sic]… hopes are VERY high,” one comment, which has more than 97,000 likes, said.
Another comment with more than 150,000 likes was from a mother celebrating her son wanting to go to theater camp.
“My son just officially came out a few months ago,” yet another comment said.
“I can confirm this worked for me,” a third commenter said. “Manifesting for you.”
“My son LOVES the new lady Gaga song. He’s on 1 1/2 but I have high hopes,” another stated.
Other comments were from self-described gay users thanking moms in the comments for being supportive.
“Didn’t start my transition until just recently because I never [sic] given the space to explore who I was as a child,” one commenter said. “Seeing the moms in the comment section who let their kids be who they are without judgement gives me a bit of hope.”
Another wrote, “As a gay man this comment section is making me tear up, thank you for being so loving and accepting Moms!”
The only negative comment from the woman&#8217;s video was one user who wrote, “Hope yall get better soon.”
Conservatives, on the other hand, shredded the video in Higby’s comments.
“But they say gay people are ‘marginalized and oppressed’…so they want their kids to be oppressed???” conservative commentator Riley Gaines posted.
“Not sure who needs to hear this, but this is child abuse,” conservative actor Kevin Sorbo wrote on X.
Others said listening to ABBA music was the wrong strategy.
“I grew up listening to air supply and ABBA, this technique doesn’t work,” Andrew Gruel posted in response to the video.

Pregnant

Pregnant Woman On TikTok Blasts Music To Make Her Son Gay

Social Media

TikTok

New York City&#8217;s most elite hospital gave more than a million dollars to an &#8220;anti-racist,&#8221; pro-LGBTQ+ theater company as it laid off a thousand workers, records reviewed by The Daily Wire show.
New York-Presbyterian has donated more than 1.3 million to the People’s Theatre Project since 2021, financial <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133957095/202543189349306204/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">records</a><a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133957095/202413189349304986/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> show</a>. In October 2023, Dr. Steven J. Corwin, then president and CEO of the hospital system, pledged to give another million to the theater — an arts program that &#8220;centers immigrants and members of the Latine, Black, and Queer communities&#8221; — to build a state-of-the-art performance center.
As the hospital was bankrolling the &#8220;anti-racist&#8221; organization&#8217;s quest to &#8220;build a world where the oppressed can find Liberation,&#8221; it was struggling financially. In May 2025, it <a href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/newyork-presbyterian-to-cut-1000-employees/">announced</a> it was slashing 2% of its workforce, laying off 1,000 people. In 2026 it <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/16/nurses-describe-escalating-tension-as-nyc-strike-continues-00734336">came under fire</a> when it offered nurses a lower-than-requested annual raise, a cut the hospital blamed on the Trump administration&#8217;s economic policies.
In October 2025, Corwin <a href="https://www.nyp.org/news/newyork-presbyterian-leadership-transition-announcement">announced</a> he would step down in early 2026.
New York-Presbyterian&#8217;s reputation took a serious hit in the final years of Corwin&#8217;s 14-year tenure. It&#8217;s financial troubles came as it became one of the <a href="https://www.centernyc.org/urban-matters-2/enough-to-make-you-sick-curbing-high-private-hospital-costs#:~:text=New%20York%20City%27s%20private%20hospitals%20are%20some,than%20one%20percent%20of%20private%20hospital%20spending.">most expensive hospitals</a> in the country. In March 2026, the Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-new-york-presbyterian-hospital-anticompetitive-contracts-increase">sued the hospital</a> for &#8220;anticompetitive contract restrictions that deny New Yorkers the choice of lower cost healthcare options.&#8221;
All the while, it was supporting the People’s Theatre Project.
In October 2023, Corwin appeared with New York Governor Kathy Hochul and &#8220;Hamilton&#8221; composer Lin-Manuel Miranda to pledge $1 million to the construction of the Centro Cultural Inmigrante, a 19,000-square-foot compound featuring multiple theaters and a gallery, meant to &#8220;amplify the voices of New York City’s diverse immigrant communities.&#8221; The State of New York contributed $4 million.
“NewYork-Presbyterian is proud to support the People’s Theatre Project, and we look forward to the future of the Centro Cultural Inmigrante,” Corwin said. “This will be a space where members of the community can come together to create meaningful social connections, build a sense of belonging, and help enrich the community and New York City through the arts.”
It is unclear if the hospital ever made the $1 million contribution. Neither NewYork-Presbyterian nor the People&#8217;s Theatre Project responded to a request for comment.
The relationship between the hospital and the radical arts organization dates back to 2009, when it was founded by Mino Lora, a leftist who has called for defunding the police and served on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s transition team. That year, New York-Presbyterian <a href="https://thepeoplestheatre.org/home/about-us/">partnered</a> with the group on &#8220;a health-focused theatre-making program for children ages 5–12.&#8221; New York Presbyterian’s Corporate Director of Community Affairs, Monica Hidalgo, serves on the theater&#8217;s board.
All told, NewYork-Presbyterian has given the People&#8217;s Theatre Project $1,312,500 since 2021. During that time, the theater has produced such plays as “The Diamond,” which “follows a group of detained immigrants who conspire against a dystopian government.” Earlier this month, it hosted a reading of the “Sombraluz,” a play about a marine whose life was “shaped by the trauma of Guantanamo Bay.”
The People&#8217;s Theater Project also hosts outright political events, including a “rapid response” and “safe space” to “share feelings, build resilience, and transform emotions into art&#8221; in the wake of President Donald Trump&#8217;s 2024 election. In January 2026, the theater hosted an “undoing racism” workshop.
&#8220;As an anti-racist organization, we believe in Equity for all,&#8221; the group&#8217;s website reads. &#8220;We see the full humanity and immense power that exists in immigrants, youth, people of color, the LGBTQIA community, and people living with disabilities. We work to build a world where the oppressed can find Liberation.&#8221;
The People&#8217;s Theatre Project<a href="https://thepeoplestheatre.org/education/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> works</a> with K-5 &#8220;young artists&#8221; to celebrate &#8220;their identities and communities&#8221; through theatre pieces and has a &#8220;social justice leadership program&#8221; for adolescents in grades 6-12. The organization also<a href="https://thepeoplestheatre.org/ptp-partnerships/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> partners</a> with elementary, middle, and high schools in New York City.
The organization views theatre &#8220;as a catalyst for change,&#8221; and its mission includes advocacy for progressive social causes such as dismantling systemic racism, immigrant rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights.
&#8220;Racial justice is an urgent priority because systemic racism persists in our society, perpetuating inequality at every turn,&#8221; the group&#8217;s <a href="https://thepeoplestheatre.org/advocacy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> says. &#8220;Theatre serves as a powerful platform to confront and dismantle these injustices.&#8221;

Untitled design – 2026-04-24T124659.019

Hospital System That Laid Off 1,000 Staff Gave $1.3 Million To ‘Anti-Racist’ Theatre Group

Health Care

Hospitals

New York

Zohran Mamdani

The two gay dads who went viral for mocking their adopted baby crying for “mama” are getting trashed again, only this time it’s for quizzing their other adopted children on which of their dads is “hornier.”
The video of country singer Shane McAnally describing his adopted child as “homophobic” inspired social media users to start digging into old posts on his public social media accounts. Despite the massive amount of backlash, McAnally has not removed the video or gone private, opting instead to defend himself and express shock that so many people are upset.
In the latest video making the rounds, the person filming asks McAnally’s two other children a series of questions about him and his husband, instructing the children to select which father is “the best dancer” and “on their phone the most.” Among a series of innocent questions, one of the items that comes up is: “Who’s hornier?”
Thankfully, the children pause in confusion, with one saying, “What’s that?” as the men <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CAbkKJkHmqh/">burst out laughing</a>.
Still, the clip has viewers reacting angrily to minors being exposed to sexual content.
“If that isn’t a red flag, I don’t know what is!!! WTF?!” one reaction <a href="https://x.com/MediumDebyOuld/status/2046518073994137971">said</a>. “Since when would children that age even know what horny means? And how would they then know which parent is the most horny? I think they need their hard drives investigating pronto!”
“Who talks to children like this? Disgusting,” another commenter <a href="https://x.com/ceemorecutz/status/2046550391207100781">agreed</a>.
Other commenters shared links to recent court cases involving gay parents being prosecuted for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gay-couple-arrested-for-allegedly-sexually-abusing-creating-child-porn-with-adopted-sons">sexually abusing their adopted children</a>, including the case of two Georgia men who recorded themselves molesting brothers they had adopted and the U.K.-based gay couple who <a href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/north-west/news/cps-authorises-charges-against-two-men-following-death-13-month-old-boy-blackpool">raped and murdered</a> the 13-month-old they were in the process of adopting.
McAnally and his husband are still being criticized for mocking their newly adopted baby, calling out for “mama.”
“Hey, hey. Who do you want? Dada or Papa?” McAnally’s baby is asked in the video before he appears to reply “mama” as the men laugh.
“No, Mama. Do you want Dada or Pop?” the baby is asked again. “Who do you want? Dada or Pop?”
The baby again appears to ask for his mother before the man says, “There is no mama. I’m so sorry.” After the baby starts crying, the two men laugh at the reaction as they tell him he has “two choices,” but no mother. The video was captioned “who’s gonna tell him?” with the hashtags “comedy” and “standup,” as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/outrage-as-two-gay-men-mock-homophobic-baby-crying-out-for-his-mother">reported</a>.
The musician complained that the whole thing had been taken “out of context,” saying that he was “appalled” by some of the reactions he&#8217;s gotten.

The ‘Hornier’ Question Gay Dads Ask Their Young Kids

comedian

Country Music

General

Country singer Shane McAnally responded on Friday to a wave of backlash directed at him over a video he&#8217;d posted to Instagram. In the video, his five-month-old called out for &#8220;mama&#8221; — and he laughed as he informed the baby that he had two dads and no mama.
&#8220;We found it hilarious,&#8221; McAnally <a href="https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/2044911121916997764">said of the video</a>. &#8220;He&#8217;s five months old, he obviously doesn&#8217;t understand English.&#8221;
&#8220;Babies usually say dada first, but people wouldn&#8217;t then say the babies are only wanting their dads? It doesn&#8217;t really make sense,&#8221; he added.
The musician also complained that the whole thing had been taken &#8220;out of context,&#8221; saying that he was &#8220;appalled&#8221; by some of the comments he&#8217;d seen.
McAnally did not explain what &#8220;context&#8221; he believed critics were missing, but a number of them pointed out the fact that it was not the first time McAnally had set the baby up as a social media punchline: a video posted in December of 2025 showed the same baby, all smiles as dad (off-camera) talked about his siblings and pets — and then suddenly appeared concerned at the mention of &#8220;two dads.&#8221; The video, still pinned to McAnally&#8217;s Instagram page, is titled &#8220;6 week old homophobic baby.&#8221;
The country singer has been dabbling in stand-up comedy recently, but the &#8220;homophobic baby&#8221; got more backlash than laughs.
&#8220;He may say — oh it&#8217;s just a joke. But mothers don&#8217;t joke about their children this way. Frankly, no father I know does either. It&#8217;s like making a joke about your kid dying and it shows a tragic absence of familial connection. This baby is a fetish for them. God help this child,&#8221; Kira Davis <a href="https://x.com/Kiradavis/status/2045157915800285306">posted</a>.
&#8220;This is not the first time Tony winning musician Shane McAnally has made a joke out of his son&#8217;s instinctive desire for his mother, rather than two fathers. Children deserve better than this,&#8221; Concerned Women for America added.
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Michael Knowles called it &#8220;the most horrifying video I&#8217;ve ever seen in my life.&#8221;

Gay Dads React To Backlash From Their ‘Homophobic Baby’ Video

Politics

Former first lady Jill Biden was fully prepared to shell out $35,000 for a chance to appear in an upcoming season of HBO’s gay hockey drama, “Heated Rivalry.”
Sadly for her, Biden was outbid during the NYC LGBT Community Center’s dinner charity auction on Thursday night, with the offer selling twice to two bidders at $125,000 each, as Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/columns/jill-biden-bids-35000-heated-rivalry-role-1236724333/">reported</a>.
“Guess I won’t be heading to the cottage after all — but it was worth a shot! What a wonderful evening supporting @LGBTCenterNYC,” Biden wrote later on X in response to a news article about her bid.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Guess I won’t be heading to the cottage after all—but it was worth a shot! What a wonderful evening supporting <a href="https://twitter.com/LGBTCenterNYC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LGBTCenterNYC</a> 💕 <a href="https://t.co/umwzNLQAfn">https://t.co/umwzNLQAfn</a>
— Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrBiden/status/2044984536681845063?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
As expected, Biden got ripped in the comments.
&#8220;I miss when American politics had people who weren’t irredeemable f***ing losers,&#8221; one reply <a href="https://x.com/_shutupmatt/status/2045072370650567154">said</a>.
&#8220;So you are bidding 35,000 on nothing while Hunter flees the country not paying his lawyers? I thought yall were broke?&#8221; another commenter <a href="https://x.com/TheLunchLadyOps/status/2045110908813295922">observed</a>.
&#8220;Read the room. Not a good look for you on the week of the reports that Hunter can’t pay his bills,&#8221; a third person <a href="https://x.com/floridagrlz/status/2045124553983066302">wrote</a>.
&#8220;Heated Rivalry,&#8221; which became a breakout hit in 2025, follows two closeted hockey players who engage in a romantic relationship. It’s been criticized for featuring graphic sexual content, but despite this, has been especially popular with heterosexual women.
Interestingly, the series has been criticized by the gay community as well. A review published on <a href="https://slate.com/life/2025/12/heated-rivalry-show-book-episodes-release-streaming.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="externalLink" data-ordinal="1">Slate</a> went so far as to say the sex was depicted in a &#8220;deeply conservative way.&#8221;
&#8220;According to the logic of its plot thus far, sex between men does not make the characters gay (or even bisexual, for that matter),&#8221; the review claims. &#8220;By their own admission, they do not see themselves that way. Gayness begins only when desire leaves the bedroom and enters the social world—when it is confessed, claimed, and explained.&#8221;
Actor and comedian Jordan Firstman was <a href="https://ew.com/heated-rivalry-creator-jacob-tierney-responds-jordan-firstman-criticism-of-sex-scenes-11874564">called out</a> for his comments on the series, as he said the characters do not accurately show &#8220;how gay people f*ck&#8221; and accused the series of being made for viewers who &#8220;want to see two straight hockey players pretending to be gay.&#8221;
Firstman later apologized and walked back his comments.
“Heated Rivalry” creator Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady received a Cultural Impact Award at the charity event, the outlet noted. It was presented by Rachel Reid, author of the book series “Game Changers,” upon which the book is based.
“Tierney and Brady have elevated and centered queer characters as fully realized leads whose desires, conflicts and tenderness are treated with dignity,” Center CEO Dr. Carla Smith said. “By championing our voices, they have brought queer joy and storytelling to the mainstream media and have created work that affirms and advances our community.” 
Season two of “Heated Rivalry” is expected to begin filming later this year for a scheduled release in 2027.

Jill Biden

Jill Biden Was Willing To Pay HOW MUCH For A Chance To Appear In Gay Hockey Show?

Entertainment

Television

Outrage erupted this week after a gay Grammy Award-winning singer appeared to mock his baby who cried out for his mom in a viral video.
A <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXFxEo1key5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading">video posted Wednesday</a> by country singer Shane McAnally shows a baby being asked if he wants his “dada” or “papa” before he begins crying after being told “there is no mama.” McAnally, who has won four Grammy Awards, has previously made fun of his baby for being “homophobic.”
“Hey, hey.  Who do you want? Dada or Papa?” McAnally’s baby is asked in the video before he appears to reply “mama&#8221; as the men laugh.
“No, Mama, do you want Dada or Pop?” the baby is asked again. “Who do you want? Dada or Pop?”
The baby again appears to ask for his mother before the man says, “There is no mama. I&#8217;m so sorry.&#8221; After the baby starts crying, the two men laugh at the reaction as they tell him he has &#8220;two choices,&#8221; but no mother. The video was captioned “who’s gonna tell him?” with the hashtags “comedy” and “standup.”
The video quickly racked up tens of thousands of views after it was posted to X and hundreds of comments on Instagram with many criticizing the men for laughing at the baby’s desire for his mom.
“The most horrifying video I&#8217;ve ever seen in my life,” said Daily Wire host Michael Knowles.
“This video ignites disgust and anger on a primal level. If you don’t feel it, you’re broken. This baby just wants Mommy,” <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/2044951048352133273">said</a> conservative commentator Robby Starbuck. “The gleeful way these guys respond to the sad baby is just evil. I’ve seen this cry before, and the sweet embrace of Mom as she runs in. Babies need their Mom!”
Another post from December 2025 pinned to McAnally’s Instagram features a video with the baby making a weird face when he is told he has “two dads.” The post is captioned “6 week old homophobic baby.”
“This is not the first time Tony winning musician Shane McAnally has made a joke out of his son&#8217;s instinctive desire for his mother, rather than two fathers,” said Concerned Women for America. “Children deserve better than this.”

Baby’s Instinctive Reaction Goes Viral But Reaction From Gay Dads Sparks Outrage

Celebrities

Children

LGBT

The first openly gay chairman of Washington, D.C.’s police union has been arrested on child sex abuse charges, in a case that has quickly escalated from a local criminal matter into a broader flashpoint over leadership standards and public trust.
Lt. Matthew Mahl, a 23-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department, was taken into custody in Harford County, Maryland, and charged with solicitation of sex from a minor and solicitation of child pornography. A judge ordered him held without bond following an initial court appearance, with a preliminary hearing expected next month.
According to <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dc-police-officer-harford-sting/4091499/">local reporting</a>, Mahl allegedly engaged in weeks of sexually explicit conversations with someone he believed to be a 15-year-old boy he met on Reddit. Investigators say the individual was in fact an undercover sheriff’s deputy.
During the exchanges, Mahl allegedly sent explicit images of himself, including photos taken in uniform and inside his police office. He is also accused of requesting sexually explicit images and arranging a meeting after school for what prosecutors say he believed would be a sexual encounter.
Authorities say Mahl used his real name during the conversations and identified himself as a D.C. police lieutenant, at one point acknowledging the risk of being caught and stating he could “lose everything.”
When he arrived at the agreed-upon meeting location, he was arrested by law enforcement.
The Metropolitan Police Department said it was not aware of the investigation prior to the arrest and has since placed Mahl on administrative leave while revoking his police powers.
“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the department said in a statement, adding that its Internal Affairs Division will conduct a separate review following the criminal proceedings.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also addressed the case, stating, “We don&#8217;t want anybody like that on our force if those allegations are true.”
Mahl’s arrest has drawn particular attention due to his role within the department and his status as the first openly gay chairman of the D.C. police union, a position he assumed a decade ago. He also previously served in the department’s Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit.
While officials have emphasized that the allegations are unrelated to his official duties, the case comes as another instance of increased emphasis on identity-first considerations — whether based on race, gender, or sexual orientation — overshadowing more fundamental evaluations of character and judgment.
While the allegations have raised broader questions about how leadership positions are filled and overseen, as well as the background examination used to justify the elevation of individuals within public institutions, for now, the case remains in its early stages, with prosecutors moving forward on charges that could carry significant penalties if convicted.

Matt_Mahl_insert_c_Washington_Blade_by_Michael_Key

Historic LGBT ‘First’ Arrested On Child Porn Charges

Child pornography

Police

A human rights tribunal in British Columbia recently <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/barry-neufeld-former-chilliwack-bc-trustee-pay-hate-speech-tribunal-2slgbtq-9.7098536">fined</a> a man $750,000 for public statements he made opposing a school board’s promotion of gender ideology. The tribunal found his comments, speeches, and social media posts brought &#8220;injury to their dignity, feelings, and self-respect.&#8221; The same tribunal <a href="https://thenewamerican.com/world-news/canadian-womans-former-landlady-fined-10000-for-saying-transphobic-things-to-her/">fined</a> a woman $10,000 for privately disagreeing with a friend’s gender transition.
In Canada, enforcing gender ideology comes at a steep cost: the suppression of free speech, the erosion of medical integrity, and harm to the wellbeing — perhaps even the future fertility — of young Canadians. And it is all justified as a necessary sacrifice for the “greater good” of a tolerant society, an ideal now woven into Canada’s national identity.
The scientific evidence against so-called gender transition, however, is mounting. Most countries around the world are beginning to realize it — except Canada.
In 2024, the United Kingdom moved to <a href="https://londondaily.com/the-indefinite-ban-on-puberty-blockers-for-minors">ban</a> puberty blockers outright. Australia’s state of Queensland <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/28/queenslands-controversial-puberty-blocker-ban-overturned-by-supreme-court">prohibited</a> puberty blockers in January, while New Zealand <a href="https://www.health.govt.nz/regulation-legislation/puberty-blockers">imposed</a> strict controls in November. In February, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons <a href="https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/health-policy/positions/2026-gender-surgery-children-adolescents.pdf">released</a> a position statement on gender surgery, warning against its potential harms.
Yet every Canadian health agency claims affirmation is the default solution for gender dysphoria. The Canadian Pediatric Society recommends accepting one’s gender identity as valid — even <a href="https://nationalpost.com/health/canadas-pediatricians-advised-to-support-affirming-gender-questioning-six-year-olds">six-year-olds</a>. The same organization explicitly <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/canadian-paediatric-society-vows-to-continue-prescribing-puberty-blockers">dismissed</a> the findings of the Cass Review, a landmark <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-bloody-angry-j-k-rowling-scorches-critics-in-the-wake-of-cass-review-on-child-gender-transitions">study</a> that discovered the weak evidentiary basis for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
Such stark defiance of evidence-based care is nothing short of negligence — not surprising for a country that now includes <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/movement-barrels-forward-to-euthanize-12-year-old-children-in-canada">death</a> in its definition of health care. But negligence alone is an insufficient explanation. Canada is not catching up with the rest of the world to dismiss medical transition because their commitment to it is rooted in ideology, not science. And it is propagated by elites through a centralized system of top-down planning.
First, legislation enforces affirmation of gender identity. Canada <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8434497/conversion-therapy-ban-canada-royal-assent/">passed a ban</a> on so-called conversion therapy in 2021, defined as a practice designed to “change a person’s gender identity to cisgender.” But the “conversion therapy” of changing a person’s body to match their gender identity — which is defined in a circular way — is allowed. In fact, it’s effectively mandated. Those convicted under this law can receive up to five years in prison. There are no carve-outs for adults seeking sex-affirming therapy to help them with gender dysphoria.
Where there is no law directly prohibiting speech, Canadian courts create one. The latest examples both come from British Columbia: the man fined $750,000 for public statements and the woman fined $10,000 for a private conversation.
Such outrageous penalties have a chilling effect on speech. Absent any serious dissent, the monolithic worldview promoted in Canadian schools, hospitals, and traditional media will continue unchallenged. And the children don’t stand a chance.
Consider Julia Malbogat, a Toronto mom who <a href="https://www.todaysparent.com/blogs/opinion/stop-asking-me-if-my-eight-year-old-trans-kid-is-just-going-through-a-phase/">wrote</a> in 2021 about her daughter “coming out” as transgender. During a family trip to their cottage, her daughter said that she’s a boy, to which Julia replied with a simple “ok.” When asked how she knew, the child pointed to the school’s Rainbow Alliance, a grade 4-6 club teaching “sexual and gender diversity.” Julia dismissed the possibility her child was mistaken and noted that surgery wouldn’t be an option until 16. By then, she assumed the dysphoria would be “insistent, persistent, and consistent” enough to justify medical intervention.
But how could someone’s gender dysphoria be anything except persistent if they are affirmed from the moment it is expressed? Gender-confused children rarely hear a serious alternative from schools or clinicians — though some later wish they had. Ask the detransitioners.
The largest <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26895269.2025.2538744">study</a> of detransitioners in Canada and the United States suggests that many who reversed a gender transition wish doctors “took a more neutral approach to care.” The participants reported feelings of alienation, emphasizing the high social cost of detransition. One woman <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=detransitioners%20ghosted%20&amp;qs=n&amp;form=QBRE&amp;sp=-1&amp;ghc=1&amp;lq=0&amp;pq=detransitioners%20ghost&amp;sc=6-21&amp;sk=&amp;cvid=4BE657D5CF8D46BFA48C72A857DF33F8">said</a> she was “ghosted” by the doctor who did her mastectomy. Treating gender identity as immutable and patients as infallible leaves minors, who are already going through emotional and physical changes, at risk of serious harm.
Look no further than their chosen cultural symbols. Publicly funded spaces across the country are decked out in pride flags, including city halls, legislative assemblies, walkways, libraries. This imagery is so pervasive in places of cultural importance that a first-time visitor might mistake it for the national flag.
In the absence of their rich traditions, Canadians have united around a new vision of the good. This new orthodoxy is summed up well in Bill C-4’s preamble, which states that conversion therapy “propagates” the myth that “cisgender identity is to be preferred over other gender identities.” While Canada elevates the dubious idea of an inner, gendered essence, it denounces the view that our bodies are essential to who we are.
That is a philosophical claim, not a scientific one. Science can’t disprove it.
Until Canada re-examines its commitment to this new orthodoxy, it will keep ignoring the warnings — until the damage is too widespread to dismiss.
* * *
Liana Graham is a research assistant in domestic policy at The Heritage Foundation.

Close up of LGBT pin in the form of a flag with Canada pin is pinned on blue jeans jacket. LGBT rights in Canada concept.

He Spoke Out Against Gender Ideology. It Cost Him Nearly A Million Dollars.

How Pushing Back On Gender Ideology Cost One Man $750,000

Canada

Free Speech

Gender

Gender Transition

Heritage Foundation

Social Media Censorship

Teenagers

The U.S. Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-hands-down-major-conservative-win-in-near-unanimous-decision">ruled</a> on March 31 in <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/chiles-v-salazar/?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped">Chiles v. Salazar</a> that voluntary conversations between a counselor and her young clients are protected under the First Amendment’s free speech clause. This monumental decision condemned the state’s unlawful and, according to the court, “egregious” attempt to censor discussions about biological reality in the counseling room.
In my role with Alliance Defending Freedom, I had the privilege of standing before the high court last fall and advocating on behalf of licensed Colorado counselor Kaley Chiles, who challenged the state’s counseling censorship law.
Kaley wants to provide what so many children and families are desperate for: A listening ear and compassionate advice as kids talk through what it feels like to wrestle with their identity and body. As more and more young people across the country are becoming distressed about their gender or sexuality, they want a professional to talk to about their feelings and struggles. The young clients who seek out Kaley for advice do so because they want to grow comfortable with their bodies and avoid harmful drugs and procedures.
<div id="attachment_1073215" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1073215" class="size-large wp-image-1073215" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles14-scaled-1-864x576.jpg" alt="Source: Alliance Defending Freedom" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles14-scaled-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles14-scaled-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles14-scaled-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles14-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles14-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles14-scaled-1-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles14-scaled-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Source: Alliance Defending Freedom</div>
Colorado’s law forbids Kaley from having those voluntary conversations with her clients under age 18. Indeed, the law violates her freedom of speech by prohibiting licensed counselors like her from engaging in voluntary counseling conversations with minor clients who want to change some expression, behavior, identity, or feeling associated with their “sexual orientation or gender identity.”
On the issue of gender identity, the law only censors counseling conversations in one direction. It allows conversations that push young people toward a gender identity different from their sex but forbids conversations that help them grow comfortable with their body and realign their identity with their sex when they desire to do that. The law also threatens severe penalties, including thousands of dollars in fines, suspension from practice, and even revocation of the counselor’s license.
This one-sided censorship comes amidst a growing national mental-health crisis and prevents many Colorado children from obtaining the counseling that they desire and that could help them. Roughly 90% of children who experience gender dysphoria before puberty will regain comfort with their sex if not pushed toward harmful drugs and procedures.
In its opinion, the Supreme Court explained, “We do not doubt that the question ‘how best to help minors’ struggling with issues of gender identity or sexual orientation is presently a subject of ‘fierce public debate.’ But Colorado’s law addressing conversion therapy does not just ban physical interventions. In cases like this, it censors speech based on viewpoint.”
“Colorado may regard its policy as essential to public health and safety,” the court continued. “Certainly, censorious governments throughout history have believed the same. But the First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country. It reflects instead a judgment that every American possesses an inalienable right to think and speak freely, and a faith in the free marketplace of ideas as the best means for discovering truth. However well-intentioned, any law that suppresses speech based on viewpoint represents an ‘egregious’ assault on both of those commitments.”
<div id="attachment_1073217" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1073217" class="size-large wp-image-1073217" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles17-scaled-1-864x576.jpg" alt="Source: Alliance Defending Freedom" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles17-scaled-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles17-scaled-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles17-scaled-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles17-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles17-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles17-scaled-1-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/chiles17-scaled-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Source: Alliance Defending Freedom</div>
This is a massive win for free speech, common sense, and families desperate to help their children. The decision will help end the authoritarian days of Colorado inserting itself into the counseling room and silencing good counselors from speaking body-affirming messages their clients want to hear. It also takes us a long way down the road to ensuring that kids in Colorado, and around the country, who desire to embrace and live consistent with their sex are free to seek help by talking to licensed counselors like Kaley.
Significantly, the Supreme Court’s ruling will help protect counselors from similar laws in more than 20 states and over 100 localities across the country, giving them a path forward to help struggling youth seeking professional guidance.
From professional groups to medical malpractice verdicts, the tide is turning on how we as a society help young people struggling with gender issues. Those kids need quality counseling, not a one-way path to dangerous body-altering drugs and surgeries. All children deserve real help affirming that their bodies are not a mistake and that they are wonderfully made. The Supreme Court affirms that the First Amendment protects those messages in the counseling room.
* * *
Jim Campbell is chief legal counsel with <a href="http://www.adflegal.org/?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/ADFLegal">@ADFLegal</a>) and argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Kaley Chiles in Chiles v. Salazar.

Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Policy Gets Supreme Court Hearing

The Court Just Said The Government Can’t Control What Your Child’s Counselor Says

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Colorado

Conversion Therapy

Counseling

First Amendment

Opinion

SCOTUS

Supreme Court

Here are some actions you can take in the NBA and still not get waived from your team: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Wield a gun while drunk at a strip club</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Knock up every woman in a four-mile radius of every NBA stadium</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Get arrested for alleged felony assault after concussing and strangling your girlfriend</li>
</ul>
What is the one thing you absolutely, positively cannot do, especially during Holy Week?
Let me introduce you to NBA guard Jaden Ivey, out of Purdue, where he scored 17 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore, then was drafted fifth overall in 2022 by the Detroit Pistons.
Ivey is a good player. He posted 16 points, five assists, and four rebounds per game in his rookie year. In his second season, he scored 16 points per game. He was up to almost 18 points per game before he was injured in his third season and was then traded to the Chicago Bulls.
And that is where the trouble began.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2399-sub"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
This week, Jaden Ivey posted a video about the NBA&#8217;s Pride month. This, of course, is the month when the NBA and pretty much all NBA teams have nights dedicated to LGBTQ+-÷.
Jaden Ivey got himself in trouble because he <a href="https://x.com/esidery/status/2038675084412338572?s=20">posted a video</a> talking about the NBA&#8217;s Pride Month on Instagram. He is a newly converted, religious Christian.
<blockquote>They proclaim Pride Month and the NBA,” he stated. “They proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride, for Pride month to celebrate unrighteousness.’ They proclaim it.</blockquote>
That seems like a fairly traditional Christian belief, that you should not actually celebrate pride in what is considered a sin by the vast majority of the religious world.
The immediate response of the Chicago Bulls was to <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/2038730088238268713?s=20">can him</a>. They announced that they had waived him due to “conduct detrimental to the team.”
Apparently, it was very, very bad for the team that he put out an Instagram video proclaiming the same thing that churches all over the country say all the time.
It was suggested that Ivy seems to be spiraling. Ivy has reported depression in the past; it is unclear whether he is in the midst of some sort of mental issue or not.
But if you&#8217;re going to cite evidence of a mental issue, this is not the best evidence. For him to declare that traditional religious belief says that you shouldn&#8217;t celebrate pride in what is considered a sin is not a spiral. 
<blockquote>I know some of the things that were put out there,” Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said. “You know, I think it&#8217;s a situation for him where, you know, it&#8217;s on his own personal Instagram. I don’t want to get into what he put out there [on Instagram], but certainly for him I hope he’s OK. I’ve had conversations with Jaden and he’s always been about rehabbing his knee and trying to get on the court and wanting to play. But I think organizationally, there’s certain standards I think we want to have as an organization and live up to those each and every day.</blockquote>
Not a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWh-2AWDpiT/">strong rebuke</a> from the coach.
Nonetheless, the Bulls let him go because, of course, you cannot say anything that violates the precept of full-scale wokeness on these sorts of issues.
Jaden Ivey then went to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWiLRPfgs3k/">Instagram Live</a> to defend himself.
<blockquote>“They said my conduct is detrimental to the team, right?” he stated. “Why don&#8217;t they just say, we don&#8217;t agree with his stance on LGBT? Why didn&#8217;t they say that? How is it conduct detrimental to the team? What did I do to the team? What did I do to the players? I did nothing but practice with them, play with them, pass the ball to them. Good teammate to them, said ‘Good job. Good shot.’ I said these things to my teammates, was never detrimental to them. So why is it that the NBA and the Chicago Bulls say that I&#8217;m detrimental to the team? Because I believe the truth.? Because I know Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life?” </blockquote>
He has a point. The team could have just said, &#8220;We disagree with his comments. Everybody&#8217;s entitled to their opinion.&#8221;
In the UFC, this happens all the time. Dana White routinely says this about people that he disagrees with in the UFC, people who say things that are morally bad. He will say, “You&#8217;re allowed to say what you want to say. I disagree with it, but it&#8217;s not my job to police the speech of other people.”
<div id="attachment_1069855" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1069855" class="size-large wp-image-1069855" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263760436-864x576.jpg" alt="CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 21: Jalen Duren #0 and Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons talks to former teammate Jaden Ivey #31 of the Chicago Bulls after a game at the United Center on February 21, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayden Mack/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263760436-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263760436-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263760436-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263760436.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jayden Mack/Getty Images</div>
But the Bulls just waived Ivey, who also criticized Steph Curry. He went off on Steph Curry because Curry is frequently brought up by critics of traditional Christianity in the league as the example of what Christianity should look like, meaning that you cite the vaguest verses from the Bible while ignoring traditional moral practice. 
Ivy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqvAUEVGtU4">said</a>: 
<blockquote>That&#8217;s why you got Steph Curry. And he not even surrendered. And y&#8217;all believe he&#8217;s a Christian. Y&#8217;all believe he&#8217;s a Christian because he wrote Philippians 4:13. Y&#8217;all think he&#8217;s a Christian. He’s friendship with the world &#8230; He don&#8217;t know Jesus. And I pray he comes to the truth, that Him and his family will be saved in Jesus’ name, because all that stuff is not going to matter on Judgment Day, the rings he got.</blockquote>
I&#8217;m wondering precisely what Ivey said here that merits him being waived.
Let&#8217;s be real about this. If he were saying the opposite, that Pride night is the best, or came out as gay today, he&#8217;d be celebrated by the league. He&#8217;d be touted as one of the most important basketball players alive.
The NBA has a political bent, without a doubt, and are putting at risk an entire Christian audience and traditionalist audience that looks at this and says, Hold up, you get waived for saying that you don&#8217;t believe that Pride night ought to be celebrated, not because you did anything wrong, just because you said that you don&#8217;t agree with the league&#8217;s stance on these issues?
Back in January 2025, Ivey <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEsWmiduyou/">said</a>, 
<blockquote>My testimony is that, you know, when you&#8217;re away from Jesus, when you&#8217;re not close to him. And when you don’t have a relationship with him, Satan is there. He wants to just steal, kill and destroy. That&#8217;s all he comes here to do. He doesn&#8217;t want to give you peace. He wants to make your life hell. And that&#8217;s what I dealt with, you know, most of my life. When I came to know Jesus, my life, my living, I did  a whole 360. I have that peace. I have that joy that I&#8217;ve been searching for my entire life.</blockquote>
Let’s recall that the NBA had an entire controversy engulf it surrounding whether they should have a night honoring a strip club in Atlanta. And that required the NBA to actually step in after weeks of consternation about whether or not that should happen.
But apparently, the minute you sound off and say, “Hey, Pride night, it&#8217;s got some connotations that are anti-Christian,” the minute you say that, you’re gone.
That&#8217;s an insane tactic from a league that wants to maximize its fan base, not minimize it. During Holy Week for Christians, that’s an astonishing stance by the league. 
I&#8217;m hopeful that some other team will give Jaden Ivey another chance. 
Because man, the Chicago Bulls really screwed up here in a major, major way.

Chicago Bulls v Brooklyn Nets

NBA Player Released For Expressing Traditional Christianity

Basketball

Ben Shapiro

Sports

Woke Culture

Less than a month before the 2024 presidential election, President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration brought together transgender activists, government officials, and major progressive philanthropists in what organizers dubbed a &#8220;speed dating&#8221; event.
The event, called “Our Family Values: Building the Evidence Base for Child Well-Being,” took place just three weeks before Americans would vote to send Donald Trump back to the White House following a campaign that revolved largely around radical gender ideology. But even as the election seemed to break against them, the Biden White House was working to match leaders of “family acceptance” child welfare programs with major funders of the LGBTQ movement, records show.
Biden officials viewed “family acceptance” of so-called gender identity as an <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20221204062339/https://mchb.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/mchb/programs-impact/edc-parental-acceptance.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">important</a> step in “preventing” LGBTQI+ children from entering foster care and wanted to further the impact of radical child welfare programs. The goal of the speed dating event was to expand child welfare programs that re-educate non-affirming parents to accept their child&#8217;s “LGBTQI+” identity, <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">records</a> <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-7.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a>.
“We know that family support around LGBTQI+ identity, as early as possible, is a key protective factor against … entry into the child welfare and juvenile justice systems for LGBTQI+ youth,” Julie Kruse, a contracted senior advisor for the LGBTQI+ Initiatives, wrote in an <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">email</a> describing the event. “These programs are critical to preventing LGBTQI+ youth homelessness and entry into foster care.”
Angela Weeks, director of the <a href="https://sogiecenter.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity &amp; Expression Center,</a> was instrumental in setting up the event. On October 13, she sent an email to participants explaining how the &#8220;Partnership Speed Matching” would work.
“You will rotate between tables of philanthropic organizations and ACF leadership. They will be instructed to ask you and question they have of you during the 8-min discussion. When each rotation only has two minutes left, Marlene will give the 2-minute warning, which is the cue for you all to start discussing next steps/collaboration,” Weeks wrote in the <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/speed-date5.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">email</a>. “Try not to leave the table without a next step and a contact person. It will be the purveyor’s responsibility to follow-up.”
At least 14 donors were invited to participate in the speed dating event, along with government officials who came from the Administration for Children and Families, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, records show.
After the event, Kruse sent several follow-up <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/speed-date-6.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emails</a> <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/speed-date-7.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicating</a> the meeting was successful and that donors were interested in funding the family acceptance programs.
“Our great hope is that you made connections and identified resources at this event that will help you take actions to increase the availability of LGBTQI+ family support services, so that children can stay safely in their homes with families of origin and kin, preventing LGBTQI+ youth homelessness and entry into foster care,” wrote Kruse.
Some transgender activists believe refusing to affirm a child’s gender confusion is a form of child abuse. During a webinar hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services in the fall of 2023, one activist called “transphobia” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-harris-hhs-consulted-activist-who-said-parents-should-be-prosecuted-for-transphobia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">child abuse</a> and suggested families should be prosecuted as abusers for refusing to call their gender confused child the opposite sex.
“Biden promised to enforce LGBTQ ideology throughout government systems in his 2020 campaign platform, and no administration has done more damage to child welfare systems,” Laura Hanford, senior policy analyst at the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Human Flourishing, told The Daily Wire. “He funneled millions of dollars to toxic ideological training programs promoting the lie that raising a gender-confused child as his or her sex is abusive, and forcing parents to ‘transition’ their gender-confused children or lose them to the state.”
The organizers of the invitation-only October 16 event hoped to elevate “family acceptance programs” to the scientific standards of the <a href="https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prevention Services Clearinghouse</a>, a federal database of social services programming used by child welfare agencies across the country.
“October 16 will focus on building the evidence base (e.g., research, analysis, evaluation) for family support programs that would make them eligible for the Family First Prevention Services, a significant source of federal funds for prevention programs that meet a certain evidence threshold,” Kruse wrote.
The <a href="https://acf.gov/cb/title-iv-e-prevention-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Family First Prevention Services Act,</a> which became law in February 2018, diverted federal funds from supporting children in foster care to programs aimed at <a href="https://www.myflfamilies.com/kids/news/family-first-prevention-services-act-ffpsa#:~:text=The%20Family%20First%20Prevention%20Services%20Act%20(FFPSA),are%20imminent%20risk%20of%20entering%20foster%20care" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preventing children</a> from entering state systems. The <a href="https://acf.gov/opre/project/title-iv-e-prevention-services-clearinghouse-2018-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prevention Services Clearinghouse</a> was established in accordance with the law to provide a systematic process to <a href="https://acf.gov/opre/project/title-iv-e-prevention-services-clearinghouse-2018-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rate and review</a> the quality of evidence supporting prevention programs. The database lists available programming with a rating of  “well-supported, supported, promising, or does not currently meet criteria,” according to its <a href="https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>. States can receive <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF10590" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal reimbursement </a>for using programs approved by the Prevention Services Clearinghouse.
“The idea was that [the Clearinghouse] was going to give states a list of evidence-based programs that they could choose from and that they would be eligible to receive federal reimbursement if they used those programs,” Naomi Schaefer Riley, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Daily Wire. “If they passed, if they got the Clearinghouse stamp of approval, then states could kind of pick these programs off of a kind of shelf and say, ‘We&#8217;re going to use this one and we&#8217;ll get federal reimbursement for it.’&#8221;
The &#8220;speed dating&#8221; event was co-sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families, the Department of Health and Human Services, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Child Welfare League of America, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the National Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity &amp; Expression Center, the Trevor Project, and Think of Us, records show.
Kruse personally invited Funders for LGBTQ Issues, a philanthropic organization that envisions a “world where all queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people are liberated, loved, valued, respected, and thriving,” to attend the meeting. The group gives approximately $200 million annually to LGBTQ issues, according to its <a href="https://lgbtfunders.org/about/about-mission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>.
A representative from the organization wrote it was unable to attend the October 2024 meeting but hoped they could “remain in touch to identify future ways we can partner together to advance our shared goals,” emails show. In response, Kruse set up a personal meeting between the Funders for LGBTQ Issues, the Administration for Children and Families, and Weeks.
The Funders for LGBTQ Issues did not respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s requests for comment.
The National SOGIE Center is home to a group of activists working to transform social services nationwide through gender affirming programs, many of which are available on its <a href="https://sogiecenter.org/programs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>. Members of the group <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/10/14/activists-behind-biden-harris-foster-care-regulation-want-to-strip-custody-from-non-affirming-parents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worked hand in hand</a> with the Biden administration to inform its September 2023 <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/28/2023-21274/safe-and-appropriate-foster-care-placement-requirements-for-titles-iv-e-and-iv-b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">regulation</a> requiring foster care families to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/states-press-hhs-over-illegal-rule-that-could-force-foster-care-providers-to-facilitate-trans-procedures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affirm</a> a child’s gender confusion.
Weeks had a working relationship with Kruse that was critical in organizing the “Our Family Values” event, records reveal.
In July 2024, Kruse <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/speed-date-8.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emailed</a> Weeks and officials from the Administration for Children and Families, HHS, and NIH, to lay the groundwork for the event. The pair stayed in regular communication through November 2024, records show.
The “Our Family Values” event was focused on three programs: Chosen Affirming Finding Family, Youth Acceptance Project, and AFFIRM Caregiver programs, which are all affiliated with the National Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity &amp; Expression Center.
The Chosen Affirming Finding Family <a href="https://www.kinnect.org/what-we-do/safe-affirmed-youth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">program</a> helps “LGBTQ+ young people” identify “chosen family” who can provide them support and “works with those people to help them understand the young person’s LGBTQ+ identity and the best ways to affirm and support them with their identity and transition into adulthood,” according to a SOGIE Center <a href="https://sogiecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAFF-1-pager-PDF.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">document</a>.
The <a href="https://familybuilders.org/programs-services/youth-acceptance-project/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Youth Acceptance Project</a> is a program that re-educates parents of children who are “at risk” of entering the child welfare system due to “family stress” surrounding the child’s gender identity.
“The YAP social workers/clinicians provide a trauma-informed, psycho-educational model while partnering with parents/caregivers; supporting them to process misinformation, resistance, fear, and grief that families often struggle with when they learn that their child is LGBTQ+,” a National Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity &amp; Expression Center <a href="https://sogiecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/YAP-1-pager-PDF.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">document</a> reads. “The Youth Acceptance Project is designed to work both with families of children already in, or at risk of entering, the child welfare system due to family stress resulting from their child’s sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.”
Finally, the Affirm Caregiver <a href="https://www.affirmativeresearch.net/register/p/affirm-caregiver-june-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">program</a> is an educational intervention that enhances “affirmative parenting practices that promote the safety and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ youth,” according to a National Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity &amp; Expression Center <a href="https://sogiecenter.org/programs/affirm-caregiver/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">document</a>.
Parents across the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/murdered-by-gender-ideology-mother-whose-daughter-committed-suicide-blasts-child-protective-services" target="_blank" rel="noopener">country</a> have had their children taken away by child <a href="https://becketfund.org/case/m-c-and-j-c-v-indiana-department-of-child-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">welfare</a> <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/10/17/exclusive-gender-confused-kids-taken-non-affirming-parents-one-family-fight-son-back/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">services</a> for affirming their child’s sex.
President Trump called for federal action to protect the rights of parents to affirm the true sex of a gender confused child in his recent State of the Union address.
“Surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Who would believe that we’re even talking about it? We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately.&#8221;
The Trump administration is taking action to stop the spread of child welfare family acceptance programs.
The Clearinghouse <a href="https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/programs-planned-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> notes that the <a href="https://sogiecenter.org/programs/affirm-youth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AFFIRM Youth</a>, a sister program of <a href="https://sogiecenter.org/programs/affirm-caregiver/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AFFIRM Caregiver</a>, was “removed from the working list of programs and services planned for systematic review,” in accordance with Executive Order 14151.
The Administration for Children and Families at HHS has also alerted all 50 states that affirming “biological reality” does not constitute child abuse or neglect under federal laws. It has also encouraged states to clearly define the terms “abuse” and “neglect,” saying these definitions should clarify that affirming a child’s sex and “refusing to condone sex-rejecting interventions” does not constitute abuse.
The Trump administration has since &#8220;rescinded a Biden-era rule that required prospective foster families to affirm support for a child’s gender transition or sexual orientation in order to receive federal funding,&#8221; Health and Human Services Press Secretary Emily G. Hilliard told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;This requirement discouraged many faith-based families from participating in foster care at a time when the nation is experiencing a record year-over-year decline in foster families. By removing this barrier, ACF is expanding the pool of qualified caregivers and reinforcing its commitment to biological reality, parental rights, and equal access to the foster care system.&#8221;
“The child welfare actions of the Trump and Biden administrations are diametrically opposed,&#8221; Hanford told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Biden&#8217;s programs embedded toxic gender ideology in child welfare systems, leading to gender-confused children being ripped from parents who simply affirmed the reality of their sex. Trump, in contrast, is taking major steps to protect such families from being ripped apart.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reached out to the organizations named in public records as possible attendees of the October 16, 2024, event.
A spokeswoman for Arnold Ventures confirmed it does not fund the family acceptance programs seeking funding at the October 16, 2024, event.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation told The Daily Wire, “Due to our longstanding expertise in child welfare, over the years the Foundation has frequently been invited by the administrations of both parties to events on topics related to foster care and family well-being. As part of that ongoing engagement, a Foundation representative attended the signing of President Trump’s ‘Fostering the Future’ executive order in November 2025.”
A representative from Blue Meridian Partners told The Daily Wire the invited representative did not attend the event and that it has not considered for funding or funded the organizations or programs discussed at the &#8220;Our Family Values&#8221; event.
The Daily Wire requested a comment from the Pritzker Foster Care Initiative, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Child Welfare League of America, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the National Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity &amp; Expression Center, the Trevor Project, Think of Us, Angela Weeks, Julie Kruse, Family Builders (YAP program), Kinnect (CAFF program) and Affirmative Research for comment but did not receive a response.

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