More than 100 people gathered on Murfreesboro’s Civic Plaza on Saturday for Turning Point USA’s “Teens Against Gender Mutilation Rally,” Middle Tennessee’s latest demonstration against transgender health care and rights.
While the overtly Christian nationalist event was led in part by young adults, attendees ranged in age from small children to adults and older people. Dozens of supporters of LGBTQ rights, mostly teens and young adults, also marched into the plaza, holding signs, chanting, shouting and dancing in protest.
“We are having this rally out of compassion today, because we have seen what these surgeries and hormones are doing to individuals,” said Rutherford County Turning Point chapter president Hannah Faulkner. “We love you LGBTQ,” claimed Faulkner, who also said, “This is not an anti-trans rally because transgender does not exist.”
Faulkner introduced a variety of speakers, including Landon Starbuck, president and founder of Freedom Forever. The Nashville-based organization, according to its website, aims to “stop the root causes of child exploitation.” Starbuck is the wife of Robby Starbuck, who failed in his 2022 bid for office in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District after he was removed from the Republican primary ballot.
Starbuck framed the issue as “a war on children,” and took credit for having “exposed Vanderbilt’s transgender pediatric clinic,” a topic that was amplified through right-wing media pundits in 2022 and set the stage for ongoing Republican-led efforts to chip away at transgender health care and drag performances. Starbuck also pledged that the state will soon ban “child gender mutilation” to cheers from supporters.
A member of the Proud Boys attends Saturday's "Teen’s Against Gender Mutilation Rally" in Murfreesboro
Among the crowd were dozens of members of right-wing group the Proud Boys, wearing their signature black-and-yellow outfits and acting as the muscle for the event. The Proud Boys confronted the pro-LGBTQ counter-protesters — each group heckling and mocking one another as Murfreesboro Police Department officers stood between the groups.
Intimidation tactics are par for the course for the Proud Boys, with some members flashing white-power gestures and swastika imagery composed of colors associated with the pride and trans rights movements. Organizers declined to publicly address the Proud Boys’ presence at the rally, while numerous supporters of the rally thanked them for their presence. Following the rally, one man associated with the Proud Boys spit in my face as I was photographing the group, notably out of sight of police.
The event’s keynote speaker was 18-year-old Chloe Cole, who spoke about her personal experiences having transitioned from female to male as a child before detransitioning. Cole now advocates against hormone treatments and surgery for minors.
“I am speaking to all of you today from a place of understanding and love,” Cole said, adding that the internet and social media are what introduced her to what she called “a cult,” in reference to transgender visibility that she said is based on “sex” and “victimization.” Cole told the Scene following the rally that she was pleased with the turnout and said that she is “seeking to prevent” harm from happening to the LGBTQ community, specifically noting the risk of suicide among LGBTQ youth.
“I care for those people because I was in that situation once too,” Cole said. “And I want to prevent what happened to me as a kid from happening to anyone else who may be vulnerable.”
Cole also told the Scene that the Proud Boys were “practicing their right to freedom of speech, just like we are,” and said that she couldn’t do anything about the group’s presence or the chance that they could hurt the message or goals of the rally.
While plenty of arguments took place, some dialogue between the groups occurred. At least one instance of violence occurred when an anti-trans rally attendee was struck with an umbrella by a protester. Police broke up the brief scuffle, which resulted in no injuries and no arrests or citations.
A supporter of transgender rights at a rally in Murfreesboro, January 2023
For the LGBTQ activists, the issue at hand is not just another chapter in the ongoing culture war, but a literal fight for human rights.
“They invalidated transgender people," Murfreesboro resident and activist D Fitz said. “We are very real.”
This energy and momentum, which has also been seen following the city of Murfreesboro’s efforts to end Boro Pride celebrations in 2023, has emboldened community organizers and community members.
“We caused a disruption to their event, so that’s definitely a big win for us,” Lebanon High School student and pro-LGBTQ counter-protest organizer Aiden Pratt said.
“This is a long-term battle that we have been trying to combat for decades, and if we don’t start standing up now for women’s rights, trans rights, gay rights, interracial rights, no one else will,” said fellow protest organizer and Murfreesboro resident Kristen Bean. “They’re all within the same umbrella of civil rights.”
The event, hosted by conservative group Turning Point USA, was met with counter-protesters supporting LGBTQ rights and health care
