Harassment motivated by doxxing from the Gays Against Groomers group forces Tara Lipsyncki to sell her family home.
Lipsyncki, a 36-year-old drag queen and trans advocate, had to sell her childhood home located outside of Salt Lake City, Utah after facing near-constant harassment from right-wing extremists. The house was the only thing her mom left her when she died. Lipsyncki has been an extremely influential pro-LGBTQ+ advocate in Utah for several years, founding Mosaic, an LGBTQ+ resource center in Provo, performing in many local drag shows, hosting queer comedy nights and more. However, this made her a target for Gays Against Groomers, a right-wing extremist group that spreads hate specifically towards trans people.
The harassment started in December, Lipsyncki told The Advocate, when Gays Against Groomers doxxed her and revealed her address, among other personal details. She received suspicious packages, drive-bys, and threatening messages and phone calls. Lipsyncki reached out to the local police department and the Utah attorney general’s office, but the harassment continued.
In April, Mosaic was the victim of a bomb threat, causing it all to be far too real for Lipsyncki. She tried to contact civil rights organizations, but they were unable to act due to jurisdictional constraints, which led to her finally having to put the house up for sale to protect her and her family. Lipsyncki told The Advocate that the harassment took a severe toll on her family, saying, “It’s ruined it, to be completely frank.”
Multiple acts of violence and harassment have targeted Lipsyncki since 2023 when she experienced threats at several drag events. She had to cancel a drag event in Salt Lake City due to the arrival of several armed far-right Proud Boys who threatened patrons and yelled homophobic slurs at the all-ages, family-friendly event. The police response to this event was also almost indifferent, as the responding officers seemed unbothered by the threats posed.
Tara Lipsynck is just one example of the many challenges facing queer activists in right-wing conservative states. With threats of violence and the ways in which the police often fail to respond or help these activists in these states, queer activists need support in face of these dangerous obstacles.
