Panel of right-wing activists claim schools are 'sexually grooming' children by teaching gender identity, event at Pewaukee hotel draws protests

Demonstrators organized by grassroots group Trans Advocacy Madison gathered outside the Ingleside Hotel Thursday night to protest a scheduled panel that, they said, was formed to spread harmful propaganda against trans and nonbinary youth.

"There should be no hate in the state of Wisconsin," said longtime LGBTQ+ activist AJ Reed, the demonstration's spokesperson. "If we're really, truly following the mantra of the state, which is 'forward,' then how are we moving forward (by) having events like this?"

The ticketed event, "Stolen Innocence: A Panel on the Insidious Ideology Infecting Your Children's Education," took place inside the Pewaukee hotel, 2810 Golf Road. Hosted by local organization Parents on Patrol, five panelists explained to the sold-out venue how schools are "sexually grooming" children by teaching them about gender identity and sexual orientation. A reporter covering the protest was not allowed access to the event.

Fact check:LGBTQ community rejects false association with pedophiles

"The reality is, they are coming for your child," read the event's description on Eventbrite. "You need to stand in the way."

The event comes at a time when Muskego-Norway, Germantown, Arrowhead and Waukesha school boards have enacted policies that prohibit staff from referring to students by their preferred name and/or pronouns without express parental permission. Nationally, over 200 anti-trans bills have been introduced this year, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Around 30 protesters stood for hours in the snow holding signs that supported anti-hate and trans acceptance.

"If we're going to actually truly understand things, talk to us, talk to people," Reed said. "If you're going to do events like this because you're stuck in your own conservative isolation, then you're going to get more public blowback."

Behind Parents on Patrol is southeastern Wisconsin parent-activist Alexandra Schweitzer. The organization's Twitter banner asks, "What is the transgender movement doing to your child?"

Schweitzer, also president of the Wisconsin chapter of right-wing group No Left Turn in Education, was sent a cease-and-desist letter last year from the Oconomowoc Area School District after she claimed students had access to age-inappropriate books on their school-issued Chromebrooks. The books in question, such as "It's Perfectly Normal" and "Queer," make references to gender and sexuality.

In response, the conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty sent OASD a letter on Schweitzer's behalf to assure that her statements are protected by the First Amendment.

OASD denied that students had access to literature unsuitable for their age groups.

Accredited medical organizations such as the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, American Psychiatric Association and Yale School of Medicine support gender-affirming care for youth, meant to treat a diagnosable condition called gender dysphoria, which causes psychological distress from feeling one's biological sex does not match their gender identity.

Research shows that transgender youth who have access to gender-affirming medical care experience improvements in mental health, according to professional association the Society for Research in Child Development.

Among the panelists was activist Chloe Cole, an 18-year-old from California who "destransitioned" at 16 years old. Cole travels the country speaking out against gender-affirming care after, she says, she was coerced by social media and medical professionals into taking puberty blockers and undergoing a double-mastectomy when she was 15.

Cole recently spoke in favor of a bill proposed in Utah that would prohibit minors from undergoing "sex-transitioning procedures."

Researchers at Princeton University last year found that trans youths very rarely "detransition." For five years, Princeton studied over 300 early-transitioning youth and, of the group, 94% remained transgender.

The Endocrine Society's guidelines, which are followed by most hospitals, including Children's Wisconsin, advise against prescribing hormone-replacement therapy before a patient is 16, as well as against performing sex reassignment surgery before a patient is 18.

Protest remains peaceful

A few days before the "Stolen Innocence" panel, Schweitzer issued a statement that said, in order to protect attendees and speakers from "potential plans to disrupt" the event, Parents on Patrol was working with the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department and Waukesha Police Department.

As protesters arrived, local law enforcement asked that anyone who was not a hotel resident to park elsewhere. Ingleside Hotel management was also quick to approach those on the premises who seemed to be part of the group. Protesters complied, agreeing to remain off of hotel property, including the parking lot.

Protest organizers never planned to be a danger to speakers or attendees, Reed said.

"I've been in communication with some of these folks, at least the core organizers of this event, and nothing has been like that whatsoever," Reed said.

Protesters did, however, repeatedly contact the Ingleside Hotel for the past month, calling for them to cancel the event, Reed said.

"At this point, they have not really communicated back to us about this event other than saying that this event is still going to go on," Reed said.

The Ingleside Hotel confirmed that it received requests to cancel the panel but said it cannot comment on any particular groups who use the venue.

More:Republican lawmakers vote to allow 'conversion therapy' aimed at changing a patient's sexual orientation

More:A second Black transgender woman has been murdered in Milwaukee. Her family believes it was a hate crime.

Quinn Clark can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Parents on Patrol event at Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee draws protest