Aaron Gleason is currently out on bail.
In 2023, Aaron Craig Gleason wrote a review for the conservative publication the Federalist about The Sound of Freedom, an indie hit and a favorite among right-wing circles.
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The movie tells the (dubious) story of a former government agent who is trying to save children from sex traffickers in Colombia. It came at a time when the right wing was in the throes of a (still-ongoing) panic about the LGBTQ community, which they believe secretly grooms children.
“The children are by far the best and worst part of this film,” wrote Gleason. “It’s about the children—lost, invisible children who suffer in the depths of hell every single day. While the rich and powerful try to indoctrinate us with critical race theory and other ideological moralisms, true victims suffer in literal cages and chains.”
The headline of the piece deemed the movie a “call to action.”
Gleason’s words (and actions) are raising eyebrows now, after he was arrested on Jan. 28 for molesting a victim under the age of 12, according to Okaloosa, Florida jail records.
He was released on $75,000 bail three days later.
Gleason has a background in conservative online punditry, writing numerous movie reviews for the Federalist as well as at least two pieces for the Daily Wire, a right-wing media company co-founded by Ben Shapiro.
His author page at the Daily Wire is no longer on the site, but still up on the Internet Archive, which shows stories from 2018
But Gleason wasn’t just a writer, he was also teacher.
“I see myself as primarily an educator,” he wrote on a now-deleted LinkedIn bio. According to a local news site, he taught Bible at Rocky Bayou Christian School, which has two campuses in Florida. He was also its soccer coach.
In an email obtained by Mid Bay News, the school informed parents about the arrest without naming Gleason.
“I regret to inform you that one of our Middle School teachers was arrested today by local law enforcement officers,” the email read. “The teacher has been on paid administrative leave and off campus for two weeks.”
Gleason also posted anti-LGBTQ tweets on his X account, which is still up. In one, he responded to a video of a Pride parade, saying “No grooming going on here, they’re just coming for our children.”
That screenshot is now recirculating on Facebook, with a post sharing the news of his arrest commenting, “Oh, look, not a drag queen, not a trans person.. Shocker huh?”
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