Jody’s Fountain and the Willis Library on the campus of the University of North Texas.
(Photo by Michael Barera, via Wikimedia Commons)
A UNT trans student recalls being harassed and threatened by transphobes on campus during their freshman year
ROWAN HAMILTON | Special Contributor
The University of North Texas is considered by many students and observers to be one of the most left-leaning colleges in the state, one that claims to nurture an accepting environment welcoming of all viewpoints and personal beliefs.
While this may be the case for many, transgender students there during the 2021-22 school year were not afforded that same respect.
As a trans student at UNT myself, I found it, to say the least, incredibly disheartening to witness the hate coming from a group that is still organized on campus. Much of this hate came from a figurehead on campus — self-identified “Christian fascist” Kelly Neidert, who had direct associations with the Young Conservatives of Texas, a student group with chapters in many schools across the state.
While Neidert has since graduated and gone on to form an anti-trans organization known as Protect Texas Kids, the effects of the hate from her organization was still prevalent on the UNT campus throughout the just-finished 2022-23 school year.
On March 3, 2022, YCT hosted Jeff Younger to speak on “criminalizing child transitions” at UNT. The event was swiftly shut down by students, but the hate it stirred up lingered on. (And during the 88th Texas Legislature, which ended this week, lawmakers passed a bill that does, in essence, criminalize transitions for transgender minors by banning gender-affirming healthcare for them.)
I reached out to a fellow trans student at UNT, a fellow sophomore to whom I will refer as Ivan. During the 2021-22 school year, Ivan was the target of numerous online attacks from Neidert and the YCT.
I asked him to describe his experience after the protest of Younger’s appearance, as well as the changes occurring after.
Rowan Hamilton: In your own words, how would you describe your experience with the UNT Young Conservatives of Texas? Ivan: My experience was borderline traumatic. I was pointed out and vigorously misgendered by Jeff Younger. I was constantly anxious and apprehensive after my run-ins with YCT and Kelly, and I found myself often falling into internet holes trying to keep myself updated on everything they were up to out of fear for myself and my community.
Due to Kelly specifically outing me and my deadname on Twitter (prior to her suspension from the platform), I had to go private with a lot of my online life. As an artist trying to get myself out there, it was a difficult thing to do. Losing an account with about 600 followers to start from scratch was tough. YCT had a significant impact on my mental health in the spring of 2022, to the point I would skip classes to avoid being seen on campus.
How would you describe the university’s response, if any, to these experiences? UNT’s response was pitiful. They allowed YCT to host the original event that triggered a lot of the violence and bigotry that came after, and they took no action whatsoever to protect the targeted students. I took my case to the UNT Division of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access to file an Equal Opportunity complaint against Kelly Neidert. I believe I started that process early April, but I didn’t receive notice that the university would take no action on my case until after Neidert’s graduation in May.
It was painfully obvious they did not want their name in the press as being anti-conservative out of fear of losing donors and sponsors for their university. They simply waited out the storm so they could be deemed as safe, and then changed the student code of conduct during the 2022-23 school year. If those changes had been made prior to any YCT event earlier in 2022, many things may have gone differently.
Since the previous figurehead of YCT has left, do you feel the organization has lost any power? I believe the group still has plenty of power, but the motivation is not there. Moitz (the then-current YCT chairman) is still a very ideologically violent alt-righter and keeps the YCT socials somewhat active, but no YCT meeting has occurred this semester yet. I’m under the impression Moitz is more focused on his studies as he is graduating quite soon, but he still very much has the power to rile up campus and make UNT unsafe very quickly.
YCT’s connection to the Proud Boys, Patriot Front, InfoWars, Andrew Ngo, Texas Defense Force and local violent conservatives are all still very much available. Kelly is still very active as a conservative activist all over Texas and can give her blessing to anyone who could work with UNT YCT. (Note: at the time of his answer, the interviewee was unaware of a change in YCT leadership.)
Do you feel campus was a safer place for queer students in 2022-23 than it was in 2021-23? In a way, yes. Kelly being gone plays a very prominent part in that. While I personally do feel safer on campus than I did last semester, transphobia is one of the largest political topics in all of America, and violence against me and my community is only growing. Therefore, I still have to be constantly aware and apprehensive of who I am around and talk to.
HAMILTON: I believe the UNT campus felt less hostile during the 2022-23 school year, but things remain far from perfect. The fact that Ivan’s own safety and his reports of being harassed were not taken seriously speaks volumes about where we are as a state.
Though Kelly Neidert is no longer a student at UNT, people like her and her organization still have a large reactionary platform maintaining many followers who are willing to fight against the rights of transgender individuals.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Kelly Neidert’s “Protect Texas Kids” group has announced plans to protest at Fair Park during Dallas Pride events being held there on June 3-4, including the Dallas Pride Music Festival on Saturday and the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade on Sunday. The group has also announced plans to protest outside the newly-opened Hamburger Mary’s restaurant on Cedar Springs Road.
