Chicago City Wire

Trans Up Front IL, the group behind protests at Lurie Children’s Hospital over its discontinuation of child sex change procedures, has publicly identified itself as a 501(c)(3) despite lacking state and federal government designation of non-profit status, according to public records. 

Despite the lack of legitimate 501(c)(3) status or a paper trail showing efforts to obtain non-profit status, Trans Up Front IL is currently collecting donations.

Transgender founders and soon-to-be-wed couple, Asher McMaher (who has gone by the name “Ray” in the past) and Charlee (formerly Cheryl) Friedman, also do not appear to have personally filed for non-profit status on behalf of the group.  

McMaher, Executive Director of Trans Up Front IL, told Chicago City Wire that the group’s 501(c)(3) status is pending under a different name.

“We are a 501(c)(3) pending status, but our filing is not under the name Trans Up Front IL due to the ongoing issues targeting transgender organizations within the federal government,” said McMaher.

But when pressed for the registered name and the registering agency, McMaher provided no further information.

“We have already been approved as a not-for-profit at the state level and are pending at the federal level,” McMaher said in response. “We will not be sharing any other information at this time.”

Despite the assurance that the group had been registered at the state level, the Illinois Attorney General has no records of a non-profit entity registered under McMaher or Friedman’s names.

When contacted about the issue by Chicago City Wire, April McLaren, Deputy Press Secretary with the Illinois Attorney General, said, "I’ll look into this," but failed to follow up with the publication.

The only entity registered by the state under either name is Dormouse Tea LLC, which is listed under Friedman, with a location given at 2640 Euclid Ave. in Berwyn.

The Internal Revenue Service also has no record of a non-profit entity registered by the pair.

According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, non-profit organizations must provide "dba" (Doing Business As) documentation from either the IRS or the state when using a name different from the one on their IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter for Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) eligibility, and must also include their Employer Identification Number in their 25-word statement.

However, the group is currently using the non-profit fundraising platform, GiveButter.com.

“In February, TUF demonstrated the power of grassroots organizing by mobilizing a protest at Lurie Children’s Hospital to demand access to trans youth healthcare,” a Trans Up Front IL landing page on GiveButter.com reads. “In just six days, they organized an event that saw over 600 people gather in solidarity.”

Notably, McMaher’s child, a biological 13-year-old boy who uses the name Noella Bella on social media, was a patient at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago and spoke at the protest.

Lurie Children’s Hospital restricted transgender surgeries after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 28 titled "Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation."

The executive order aims to end medical procedures involving chemical and surgical interventions for minors, often presented as transitioning treatments, by withholding federal funds from hospitals providing sex-change procedures to children.

The order describes these procedures as harmful and irreversible, with a focus on the long-term consequences for children, including sterilization and lifelong medical issues. It mandates the cessation of federal support for such procedures, including defunding research or education grants to institutions that promote them, and directs various government agencies to withdraw supporting guidelines and enforce relevant laws.

The American College of Pediatricians warns that there is no long-term evidence to support the safety or efficacy of transgender interventions, such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for youth. The group notes that such interventions, which they’ve deemed experimental, may cause serious mental and physical harm, including depression, emotional instability, osteoporosis, cognitive impairment and sterility and may exacerbate gender dysphoria. Additionally, the group notes high doses of cross-sex hormones carry risks of psychiatric issues, including mood disorders and psychosis. 

The American College of Pediatricians has joined global medical bodies in condemning these treatments as dangerous and has called for an immediate moratorium on their use in children due to the unknown long-term effects.

In 2022, Noella Bella was identified as the “world’s youngest transgender model” in a piece written by Diem Nguyen Le of The South China Morning Post.

Noella Bella began modeling at just seven years old and has walked in multiple other fashion events, including Chicago Fashion Week and was featured as a runway model at New York Fashion Week in 2022.

When Lurie Children’s Hospital noted it would no longer be providing sex-change therapy to children, McMaher and Friedman set up Trans Up Front IL and gathered with 200 protesters outside the hospital.

The transgender program at Lurie has received more than $21 million from the Pritzker Foundation, which has received much of its money funneled through a Bahamian trust left to Gov. J.b. Pritzker by his grandfather.

Noella Bella was notably present alongside Pritzker in 2019, when the governor signed an executive order to promote gay and transexual rights in schools.

“At 2 years old, she started telling us she wasn’t a boy. At 4.5, she socially transitioned and at 7 she legally transitioned,” a woman named Dee, who is presumably Asher McMaher’s ex-wife or girlfriend, told The New York Post.

Dee and McMaher defended transitioning Noella Bella at such a young age.

“My spouse and I are also transgender,” Dee said. “Noella transitioned way before we did. She is the most self-assured person I know. I tell her all the time I want to be like her when I grow up.”

Noella Bella's biological father, Timothy McCord, who has had no contact with his son for several years, has expressed concerns about Noella Bella’s public exposure as a model and possible future medical interventions.

McMaher, who also serves as Development Events Manager at the Latin School of Chicago, according to LinkedIn, lists Trans Up Front under employment on the same platform. 

“Our mission is centered around providing critical support, education, and access to essential resources, ensuring that trans individuals are heard and empowered in the fight for equal rights,” McMaher’s LinkedIn account reads. “I lead the initiatives that promote awareness, advocacy, and social change, working alongside our passionate team and other organizations to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all.”

Friedman’s involvement with Trans Up Front IL is also noted on LinkedIn.

“I lead the initiatives that promote awareness, advocacy, and social change, working alongside our passionate team and partnering with other organizations to create a more inclusive and supportive world for all,” Friedman’s LinkedIn account reads.