Gavin McInnes Pushed Out of Ad Agency While Defending Transphobic Views

Despite being dismissed from his position at the ad agency he cofounded after publishing a violently transphobic essay, Gavin McInnes is sticking by his views.

Just three days after publishing what could be the most transphobic piece of prose ever written, Gavin McInnes was asked to take a leave of absence from the ad company he cofounded, reports AdWeek.

McInnes cofounded Rooster in 2010 as an agency that would "make ads for people who hate ads," notes AdWeek. But in the wake of a public social media campaign calling on Rooster's clients — including Vans, Pepsi, RedBull, Microsoft, and Fox Sports — to cut ties with the agency or face a boycott over its cofounder's unapologetic hatred, McInnes was asked to take an indefinite leave of absence from his role as chief creative officer as the agency determines how best to address the situation.

"Gavin's views are his own and do not represent those of the company or its members," a Rooster representative told AdWeek Friday. "We are extremely disappointed with his actions and have asked that he take a leave of absence while we determine the most appropriate course of action."

ThoughtCatalog, the outlet that published McInnes' article titled "Transphobia Is Perfectly Natural," has placed McInnes's article behind a full-screen warning message explaining that "the article you are trying to read has been reported by the community as hateful or abusive content," though readers can click "continue" to see the article in its entirety.

For his part, McInnes, who also cofounded Vice magazine but is no longer affiliated with the publication, has refused to genuinely apologize for authoring the piece that is so vitriolic some speculated it might be satire.

In fact, McInnes's own Twitter account over the past week confirms that he stands by the views he expressed in the article. Responding to a particularly vocal critic over Twitter, McInnes allegedly emailed Twitter user Shadi Petosky, asking if Petosky was responsible for contacting Rooster clients and urging them to cut ties with the agency. According to a screen shot of an email thread Petosky posted, McInnes then asked, "Are you a post op tranny? Do you still have a dick? If not, you're a very eccentric gay man who likes to pretend he's 'trans' because it makes him feel like some kind of civil rights crusader."

After defending his article, which he originally tweeted with the claim that "by combatting 'transphobia' you're encouraging mentally ill people to mutilate themselves," McInnes took aim at his critics with a sarcastic apology on Saturday.



I'd like to formally apologize to all the trannies threatening to kill my family and "eat me alive." You are NOT mentally ill. — Gavin McInnes (@Gavin_McInnes) August 16, 2014 While most comments and social media campaigns directed at McInnes in response to his article have been negative, McInnes proudly touted a recent blog post by trans woman Justine Tunney in his defense. Here's that promotional tweet from McInnes, published Monday morning: