Gays Against Groomers leader issued restraining order after online attacks on school

A person holds a small LGBTQ+ Pride flag on a stick during a Pride parade.

A Wisconsin school district has been granted a temporary restraining order against the leader of a local Gays Against Groomers chapter, following accusations of harassment.

A Brown County circuit court commissioner granted the district protection against Wisconsin Gays Against Groomers leader Jose “Rocky” Rodriguez, on Friday (29 September).

In a TikTok video posted to his account, Rodriguez reportedly made several statements about a district staff member, which were described as “harassing, intimidating and threatening.”

In the post, Rodriguez said: “Pulaski High School and Pulaski School Board, we’re coming for you. This is not going to end very well for you, trust me.”

Gays Against Groomers is a right-wing American anti-LGBTQ+ organisation which pushes the false conspiracy that trans people are “groomers” aiming to indoctrinate children into the LGBTQIA+ umbrella.

The group’s national founder, Jaimee Michell, previously served on the advisory board of Donald Trump’s “Trump Pride” coalition and has worked with a number of notoriously anti-LGBTQ+ movements.

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In a separate video, Rodriguez attempted to track down a specific staff member, whom he alleged had been “encouraging his students to visit his sexually explicit [Instagram] and TikTok pages.” Other posts included a number of photos of staff members and district addresses.

“Let’s go find this b***h,” he added in the 22 September video.

Gays Against Groomers claims ‘not supported with any evidence’

Conspiracies against the school district reportedly derive from a September post by the equally hard-line right-wing conspiracy group, LibsofTikTok, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

After an investigation into Rodriguez’s accusations, school district superintendent Allison Space told the news outlet: “Allegations being made by those not connected with the district have not been supported with any evidence or any source.

“At this time, I have no reason to believe this teacher’s personal life has affected his job performance or that it poses any risk for the students.”

The restraining order requires Rodriguez to keep away from the district and its staff in person, by phone and online.

An injunction hearing on 13 October, when the order is scheduled to expire, will dictate whether it needs to be extended.

A court brief noted that Rodriguez neither lives in the Pulaski school district nor does has children attending schools in the area.

“The respondent’s threatening statements are calculated to incite others to join in his harassing, intimidating and threatening conduct,” the brief added.