In a recent development, a Wisconsin school district has been granted a temporary restraining order against the leader of the state’s chapter of Gays Against Groomers, an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group. The restraining order comes after accusations of harassment directed towards Pulaski Community School District staff and the Pulaski School Board. These allegations stemmed from false claims that a district teacher had directed students to sexually explicit content on his private social media accounts.
An investigation conducted by the school district revealed that the allegations were unsubstantiated. Superintendent Allison Space stated, “At present, we have investigated the extent to which the teacher’s personal life was brought into the school environment by the teacher and find no evidence to support that concern.” The district has found no reason to believe that the teacher’s personal life has affected his job performance or posed any risks to students.
However, Gays Against Groomers Wisconsin reposted these false allegations on social media platforms, including TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter), leading to further harassment, intimidation, and threats by the leader, Jose “Rocky” Rodriguez. Despite not residing in the Pulaski Community School District or having a child attending a district school, Rodriguez’s actions were perceived as calculated attempts to incite others to join in his disruptive conduct.
A Brown County Circuit Court commissioner has granted the district’s request for a temporary restraining order, requiring Rodriguez to cease his harassment of the district and its staff, whether in person, by phone, in writing, or online. This restraining order will remain in effect until October 13, when an injunction hearing is scheduled. Additionally, the Pulaski Police Department is considering pursuing criminal charges against Rodriguez, as confirmed by Pulaski Police Chief Kurt Kitzman.
This incident underscores the challenges that LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies continue to face in combating hate groups and false allegations, emphasizing the importance of a swift and just response to such behavior within our communities.
