Dupage Policy Journal

Despite an aggressive effort of Chicago-area Antifa activists to cancel an event sponsored by Parents Involved in Education, the program will be held on a future date, at an undisclosed location. 

Two venues canceled the program - "Truth & Lies in American Education" - featuring a diverse group of speakers talking about defending children and reforming education.

After intense pressure, the first to cancel, the Des Plaines Theater, called it off last week when callers to the venue threatened "bullets" would fly if the event were held there. 

Newsome with members of Gays Against Groomers Meg and Jenn

"They're terrorists," said founder of Gays Against Groomers Jaimee Michell of Milwaukee, headline speaker of the event. 

Her organization is just seven months old and was founded for two purposes - to protect children from mutilation that gender-affirming healthcare promotes and to protect the LGBTQ+ community from being associated with that radical left ideology. 

Michell is speaking up because "their ideas are so bad and so abhorrent. Most parents don't know how bad their agenda is."

Gays Against Groomers is a "huge threat" to Antifa activists who call opponents of gender-affirming healthcare "anti-LGBTQ+" and "transphobic" because members of her organization and other like-minded people are neither of those slurs, Michell said. 

After being canceled by the Des Plaines Theater, the event had been reset to the Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park, but this afternoon, just five hours before it was set to begin, the venue owner canceled it.

The group Antifascist Rumor Mill today took credit for the cancellation in a Tweet: "Two in a row. Get cancelled, chuds." Earlier it asked supporters to call the venue to ask why it "feels it's ok to host anti trans hate groups at their venue. Organizers have been harassing queer and drag community for years. Antimaskers/antivaxxers/anti CRT RW 'parent choice' culture warriors." 

Organizer of "Truth & Lies in American Education" Terry Newsome, president of the Illinois chapter of Parents Involved in Education, said the venue "caved" after a Doors cover band scheduled to play Wednesday night was harassed, as were other bands scheduled at later dates threatened with cancellation. 

Newsome has faced serious repercussions for standing up against the placement of pornographic materials in his childrens' high school library, including being placed on an FBI terror watch list, being attacked on social media as homophobic and racist, among other things. 

When Michell was asked if she had ever seen so much cancellation pressure for such an event, she responded: "No. This is unique to Chicago...The Chicago area Antifa is a different breed, really. "  

Other featured speakers at the event will include Stephanie Trussell, former candidate for Illinois Lt. Goernor and pro-life advocate; Dr. Robert Renteria, award winning Latino author; Vandana Jhingan, TV Asia Midwest Bureau; P Rae, host of Black Excellence Hour, WVN; Matt Dubiel, owner of WCKG AM 1530/102.3 FM Radio and former U.S. Senate candidate; Jack Rigert, director of John Paul II Renewal Center; Thomas Hampson, president of Truth Alliance Foundation and Christine Shanahan-Mcgovern (host), Reopen Illinois, Back the Blue.