Caitlyn Jenner, gay Republican leader vow to take on “Rainbow Mafia”

Conservative transgender media personality Caitlyn Jenner appeared in a recent video with a gay Republican political advocate where the two claimed to be fighting the so-called “Rainbow mafia.”

Jenner, a former Olympic runner and failed Republican gubernatorial candidate in California, has made increasingly frequent references to the “Radical Rainbow Mafia” a group she has called “domestic terrorists” and claims has “hijacked” the LGBTQ+ community. The statements have come in the wake of a shooter believed to be transgender killing six people at a Nashville elementary school and an intensifying nationwide debate about transgender athletes.

In a clip briefly shared to Instagram on Saturday, Jenner appeared alongside Charles Moran, a leader in the “Log Cabin Republicans” political organization. Established in 1977, the group advocates for gay rights and a place for gay conservatives in the broader Republican Party. In the video, Jenner and Moran claimed further that the “rainbow mafia” is “destroying the entire LGBT community.”

Jenner previously used the phrase in multiple tweets on March 30, one day before the International Transgender Day of Visibility, which drew scrutiny from members f the LGBTQ+ community.

“We live in a beautiful country called America, where we are free to be whomever we want,” Jenner wrote. “The Radical Rainbow Mafia has hijacked LGBT ppl and is the worst thing that has ever happened to LGBT ppl! They are DOMESTIC TERRORISTS!”

Later, in a tweet responding to another user, she claimed that the “Rainbow mafia” supported “grooming children,” a common talking point on the far-right, and the use of “violence to shut down opposition.”

Despite Jenner’s repeated use of the phrase, “rainbow mafia” is not a commonly used or understood term to refer to a specific subset of the LGBTQ+ community.

In response, drag queen and RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio hit back, tweeting, “The only TERRORIST is YOU behind the wheel of a car,” referencing an incident from 2015 in which Jenner accidentally hit and killed a woman with her car. Del Rio’s tweet received over 50,000 likes, compared to Jenner’s original which got only around 4,500.

Jenner also recently launched a political action committee, which she explained is dedicated to fighting “radical gender extremists.” Among the few specific policy stances, the group opposes “radical gender ideology in our schools” and transgender girls competing in youth sports that align with their gender identities.

Newsweek reached out to the National Center for Transgender Equality for comment.