Press Releases

New Tolerance Campaign Announces 2025 “Worst of the Woke” Awards The American Bar Association, Girl Scouts, and the Texas State University student who brutally mocked the murder of Charlie Kirk are listed in the top 10 offenders of the year. Washington, D.C. — Today the New Tolerance Campaign (NTC), a grassroots watchdog organization unveiled its fifth annual “Worst of the Woke” Awards – a look back at the year’s most outrageous headline-grabbing instances of woke-run-wild in the United States. In 2025, so many radicalized institutions and individuals went to extremes pressing a woke agenda on a weary public and we captured the ten worst of the year. See the full list of “Worst of the Woke” Award winners – as well as this year’s “Champion of Tolerance” below. 2025 Worst of the Woke  Award Winner: Bath & Body Works Reason: A former Utah store manager says she was fired for declining to use a transgender employee’s preferred pronouns, citing her religious convictions – now she’s suing the company. Bath & Body Works markets itself as committed to creating “safe spaces of belonging,” yet appears unwilling to accommodate even modest religious conscience in how employees are compelled to speak. Forcing compelled speech under threat of termination, while selling ‘inclusion’ in every window display is the kind of corporate double-speak we exist to expose. Award Winner: Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Reason: Disney’s 2025 shareholder fight was explicitly about whether the company should stay in HRC’s “Corporate Equality Index,” which HRC uses to pressure companies on LGBTQ-related policies, including controversial gender identity standards. At the same time, HRC reportedly laid off around 20% of its staff amid political and financial headwinds, prompting internal criticism that the organization demands “equity” from others while failing to protect them. HRC is the architect of a lot of corporate “woke scoring,” (hat tip to Delmonte) but 2025 exposed a gap between its lofty rhetoric and how it treats its own people and dissenting viewpoints inside the movement. Award Winner: Texas State University Student Who Mocked Charlie Kirk’s Death On Campus Reason: One of the most shocking moments we saw on campus this year came from a Texas college, where a student (now withdrawn) decided the best way to express political disagreement was to imitate the brutal death of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk during a memorial event. Instead of choosing debate, dialogue, or even peaceful protest, this student performed a sick theatrical mock execution meant to humiliate and intimidate his peers on campus. To make matters worse, after the disgusting mockery, the student launched a GoFundMe to play the victim – where he defended himself to raise almost $35,000 in order to ‘pursuit an education elsewhere’ or to take ‘the necessary steps to return to Texas State.’ On many campuses around the nation, students are taught that certain groups deserve protection while others are fair game for harassment, vandalism, or threats. Award Winner: Columbia University (again!) Reason: A 2025 Stop Antisemitism “report card” gave Columbia an F, citing widespread antisemitism and Jewish students feeling pressured to hide their identity. Columbia preached about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) until President Trump was inaugurated and signed sweeping executive orders banning DEI programs at institutions that receive federal funding. Yet Columbia’s own Task Force on Antisemitism issued several reports over this last year analyzing “protest rules, hostile incidents targeting Jewish students, and the overall campus climate.” Still, the prominent Ivy League university has managed to make Jewish students feel unwelcome, while presiding over one of the worst free-speech records in the country. Award Winner: Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)   Reason: The Society for Human Resource Management has spent years positioning itself as the moral and professional authority on workplace “Inclusion & Diversity,” insisting these frameworks are essential to healthy organizations and providing turnkey toolkits to embed them across hiring, management, and culture. Yet reporting paints a sharply different picture inside SHRM itself: former employees describe a punitive, fear-drive workplace with rigid attendance enforcement, alleged retaliation, and leadership rhetoric that openly scolded staff as “entitled” and “sloppy.” In other words, the very organization that trains America’s HR departments on empathy, workplace rules, and best practices is accused of violating the very standards it implements for others – turning SHRM into a case study in woke institutional hypocrisy rather than a model employer. Award Winner: The American Bar Association (ABA) Reason: The American Bar Association gatekept power to enforce ideological conformity in the legal profession. Last year the ABA continued conditioning law-school accreditation and professional standing on mandatory DEI requirements, including identity-based training, reporting, and policy benchmarks, effectively turning a voluntary trade group into a national ideological regulator. Law schools and attorneys who question these frameworks face real consequences from accreditation risk to reputational damage, disturbing open debate in a field that should prize viewpoint neutrality and equal treatment under the law. By embedding political ideology into credentialing rather than focusing on competence, ethics, and access to justice, the ABA undermines public trust and converts “inclusion” into a loyalty test. When the nation’s most influential legal body substitutes ideology for impartial standards, tolerance gives way to coercion and equal justice suffers. Award Winner: The National Education Association (NEA) Reason: Continuing their previous resolutions in 2025, the NEA promoted gender self-ID for minors, pushing schools to keep gender transitions secret from parents, and tying lesson plans to political activism. Meanwhile, math and reading scores remain at crisis levels across our nation. Over the years, parents attempting to speak out at union-aligned school board meetings have reported being labeled “extremists” or “terrorists.” The NEA claims to put students first but continues to prioritize ideological activism over education. American children do not need more politics inside the classroom, they need reading, writing, and arithmetic. Continuing to call concerned parents ‘dangerous’ in 2025 isn’t tolerance, it’s arrogant and it must stop. Award Winner: Imran Ahmed and the Center for Countering Digital Hate Reason: The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), led by its Chief

Washington, D.C. — The New Tolerance Campaign (NTC) is proud to announce that its “Atlanta ANTIFA” listing on the NTC Hate Map has been cited in official letters signed by Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Chip Roy, Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government. This citation underscores the growing role of the NTC Hate Map as a credible resource informing congressional discussions on political violence and extremist activity in the United States. The NTC Hate Map, an interactive database documenting incidents of political violence and hard-left organizational activity across the United States, was created to fill a critical gap in public information and research. Unlike traditional civil-rights tracker resources, which often focus primarily on far-right hate groups, NTC’s map provides a balanced dataset capturing violent acts and intolerant behavior regardless of ideological origin. NTC’s “Atlanta ANTIFA” listing is one of many entries that highlight documented instances where members or affiliates of this movement have been associated with politically motivated violence, property destruction, or confrontational public demonstrations. The fact that this data has been referenced by sitting Members of Congress reflects both its relevance to national security discourse and the need for reliable, unbiased reporting on all sources of political violence. “Our mission has always been to ensure that all forms of hate and intolerance are tracked with the same rigor and transparency,” said Chad Banghart, President of New Tolerance Campaign. “When elected officials turn to NTC’s Hate Map as a source of factual reference, it reinforces the importance of documenting facts over ideology.” The “Atlanta ANTIFA” listing being brought into congressional discussion emphasizes several key points: Accountability in Documentation: NTC’s Hate Map provides verifiable, sourced information about violent incidents often overlooked or minimized in other institutional records. Policy Impacts: Congress referencing this data signals growing bipartisan attention on politically motivated violence and the need for comprehensive resources that extend beyond traditional categorizations of “hate.” Public Education: Increasingly, policymakers and journalists alike are turning to independent resources like the Hate Map to inform debates about domestic extremism. The NTC Hate Map also addresses widespread concerns about selective reporting in existing civil-rights tracking tools, which historically have prioritized some forms of political violence over others. By creating a tool that documents incidents linked to both far-left and far-right actors, NTC is advancing a true tolerance framework that rejects all violence and intimidation. ### For Interview or Inquiry: New Tolerance Campaign Communications 520-369-3829 communications@newtolerance.org About New Tolerance Campaign The New Tolerance Campaign is a nonprofit watchdog organization that mobilizes Americans to hold corporations, media outlets, celebrities, universities, and other influential institutions accountable when they display double standards in their actions and rhetoric.

Distinguished board members bring diverse professional expertise to advance accountability, push back against manufactured intolerance, and restore integrity throughout American society. Washington, D.C. — The New Tolerance Campaign (NTC), a nonprofit watchdog committed to exposing hypocrisy and demanding accountability from powerful institutions, announced the recent expansion of its Board of Directors. “This distinguished group of leaders brings together expertise in media, philanthropy, technology, public service and national security to strengthen NTC’s mission of advancing real tolerance in American society,” said NTC President Chad Banghart. “Each of them has spent their careers exposing hypocrisy, driving reform, and giving everyday Americans a stronger voice against double standards. Together, they will help NTC ensure accountability at the highest levels of business, civil rights, government, and culture.” Isaac Woodward, Director of the Philos Leadership Institute and returning Board Chairman, emphasized the organization’s role as a cultural watchdog. “It’s a privilege to continue serving with NTC, an organization that has consistently proven its value as a watchdog for institutional integrity, intellectual honesty, and actual tolerance,” Woodward said. New board members, like Chris Piehota, underscored the urgency of NTC’s mission and the diversity of experience they bring to the effort. “As the world becomes a more complex and often confusing place, we will benefit from a resurgence in principled leadership and balanced ethics that can benefit all parts of our society,” said Chris Piehota, retired FBI Executive Assistant Director, author, and national security consultant. “The New Tolerance Campaign can serve as a key balancing point where leadership and ethics converge to preserve American culture and operate for the benefit of all Americans.” Board members also highlighted how NTC’s mission intersects with their own professional paths. New Board Director, White House Correspondent, TV news and podcast host Amanda Head said, “Joining the Board of the New Tolerance Campaign is not just an honor – it feels like a full-circle moment in my mission to push back against the cultural decay being driven by agenda-driven institutions. NTC is on the cutting edge of the fight – they don’t just complain about woke culture; they confront it.” Sami Leonardo, who serves as the communications chief of a public health-focused nonprofit recently joined NTC’s board and reflected on the importance of applying standards consistently. “Too often, public trust erodes when organizations fail to apply their own standards. NTC’s work plays a vital role in addressing that disconnect. By engaging with individuals from various backgrounds, we can bring greater attention to institutional double standards and foster dialogue that transcends partisanship.” From the perspective of innovation and strategy, returning board member David Eisen, Founder and CEO of LuxRally Travel, underscored NTC’s adaptability in a changing landscape. “Over the past several years, I’ve watched this organization grow into a powerful voice for consistency, courage, and cultural accountability,” Eisen said. “With Chad Banghart at the helm, I’m confident we’re entering a new era of sharper campaigns, bigger impact, and broader national relevance.” Chad Banghart welcomed the new and returning directors, noting that their leadership will help sharpen NTC’s impact. “Our board represents a wealth of experience across sectors that have shaped American culture and policy. Together, we will continue to hold accountable the institutions that betray their own stated values and empower everyday Americans to demand fairness and consistency.” ### For Interview or Inquiry: New Tolerance Campaign Communications 520-369-3829 communications@newtolerance.org About New Tolerance Campaign Founded in 2019, the New Tolerance Campaign is a nonprofit watchdog organization that mobilizes Americans to confront intolerance and double standards by establishment institutions, universities, corporations and cultural elites. NTC empowers ordinary citizens to hold accountable those who claim to champion tolerance yet betray it through selective enforcement and ideological bias. For more information, visit www.newtolernace.org.

Following Travis Kelce and others’ support of Rashee Rice, NTC called on the Chiefs to stand with crash victims instead of excusing reckless behavior and unpaid restitution Washington, D.C. — The New Tolerance Campaign (NTC) formally released the letter that President Chad Banghart sent at the end of last week to the executive leadership of the Kansas City Chiefs. The correspondence respectfully called on the organization to uphold its stated values of character and integrity by standing with the victims of Rashee Rice’s reckless actions. Specifically, the letter urged the Chiefs to issue a public statement of support for the victims, to discourage fans, and to prohibit players from displaying “Free 4” materials, including apparel, in support of suspended wide receiver Rashee Rice (#4). Rice is currently serving a six-game NFL suspension after pleading guilty to causing a high-speed six-car crash while racing a Lamborghini at 119 miles per hour. He fled the scene without checking on the innocent victims. The presiding judge noted that this lack of concern ‘bothered him’ and cast doubt on whether Rice was truly remorseful. Despite a court order, Rice has also failed to pay a $1.1 million settlement owed to one of the victims, according to the latest report. “Accountability matters,” said NTC President Chad Banghart. “The Kansas City Chiefs are more than a football team — they are a cultural institution with millions of fans, including young people who look to their organization as role models. The message the Chiefs send in moments like this has major implications on society, including our nation’s youth. Excusing reckless behavior because of on-field talent and fame is unacceptable.” Banghart’s formal letter cited recent public support for Rice by teammates Travis Kelce and Tyquan Thornton, who wore “Free 4” t-shirts before their game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, as well as remarks delivered by Head Coach Andy Reid defending the displays. “Empathy for a teammate is understandable, but when paired with public displays that excuse serious misconduct, it risks sending a dangerous message — that talent and fame are a free pass from responsibility,” Banghart continued. In the days following the letter’s delivery, and before the Chief’s Week 3 matchup against the New York Giants, neither Travis Kelce nor Tyquan Thornton repeated the “Free 4” display during their warmups. This clear shift marked a significant victory for accountability and showed that Banghart’s letter and the public’s demand for higher standards has been heard. The New Tolerance Campaign underscored that this effort is consistent with its history of supporting fairness, noting that it previously defended Chiefs starting kicker Harrison Butker when he was attacked for delivering a commencement speech rooted in his Catholic faith. “Our commitment is not to target the Chiefs, but to hold all institutions — including the NFL — to the same standard of fairness and integrity,” Banghart said. “Whether it means protecting free expression or demanding responsibility, our message is the same: no one will get away with betraying their own stated values while simultaneously evading rightful accountability.” Moreover, NTC emphasized that this letter was only the beginning. Had the Kansas City Chiefs leadership declined to respond in an adequate manner upon the receipt of this letter, then NTC was ready to begin mobilizing its 100,000+ dedicated advocates to demand additional course correction. “The Chiefs’ legacy is built not only on victories but also on core values,” Banghart concluded. “This is a moment to show that the team’s dedication to integrity is as a strong as its drive to win.” ### For Interview or Inquiry: New Tolerance Campaign Communications 520-369-3829 communications@newtolerance.org   About New Tolerance Campaign The New Tolerance Campaign is a nonprofit watchdog organization that mobilizes Americans to hold corporations, media outlets, celebrities, universities, and other influential institutions accountable when they display double standards in their actions and rhetoric.

The Progressive “Hate Map” Now Groups Turning Point USA, Focus on the Family, and PragerU with Neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan  Washington, D.C. — Today, the New Tolerance Campaign (NTC), a nonprofit watchdog, announced a new campaign calling on Eventbrite, a leading event management platform, to immediately stop relying on the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as an arbiter of who can and cannot use its services. This demand follows the SPLC’s latest update to its controversial “hate map,” which now lists Focus on the Family, Turning Point USA (TPUSA), and PragerU alongside violent extremists and hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan. NTC launched a national petition urging Eventbrite to disavow the SPLC and affirm that peaceful conservative and Christian groups will not be censored based on politically motivated blacklists. “The SPLC has completely abandoned any pretense of objectivity,” said Chad Banghart, president of the New Tolerance Campaign. “They’ve labeled respected Christian and conservative organizations as ‘hate groups’ simply because they disagree with the progressive agenda. Eventbrite should be ashamed to take cues from such a discredited source—and the American public should be outraged that tech platforms continue to use this kind of ideological gatekeeping to silence dissent.” Eventbrite announced in 2017 that it uses the SPLC’s hate map as a key resource in determining who to deplatform. The company has refused to directly answer whether it will still follow the SPLC’s guidance now that mainstream conservative groups are in its crosshairs. NTC contacted Eventbrite via X (formerly Twitter), but only received non-answers and scripted replies. “The SPLC is not a neutral arbiter—it’s a partisan smear machine,” added Banghart. “And Eventbrite’s continued reliance on them suggests they’re more interested in ideological censorship than in treating all users fairly.” The petition urges Eventbrite to: Publicly disavow the SPLC as a source;  Clarify that groups like Focus on the Family, TPUSA, and PragerU are welcome on the platform;  Affirm its commitment to viewpoint neutrality. About New Tolerance Campaign The New Tolerance Campaign is a nonprofit watchdog organization that mobilizes Americans to hold corporations, media outlets, celebrities, universities, and other influential institutions accountable when they display double standards in their actions and rhetoric.

Washington, D.C. — Today, the New Tolerance Campaign (NTC), a nonprofit watchdog dedicated to holding corporations, universities, and other cultural institutions accountable for double standards in the name of “tolerance,” announced the appointment of Chad A. Banghart as its new President.  Banghart brings roughly a decade of leadership experience in political strategy, media, and nonprofit advocacy. He has managed multimillion-dollar grassroots-funded organizations, advised several statewide campaigns, and worked alongside prominent political leaders. His career includes roles within nationwide organizations such as the Republican National Committee and the United States Chamber of Commerce.  “I’m stepping into this role with a clear mission: to NTC to the next level and shine a spotlight on the issues that matter to everyday Americans,” said Banghart. “We’re not here to make noise – we’re here to make change. From universities to corporate boardrooms and beyond, our objectives are clear: expose hypocrisy, mobilize grassroots energy, and hold elite institutions to the standards they claim to uphold.”  Under Banghart’s leadership, NTC will be launching a series of new campaigns and initiatives aimed at directly confronting cultural double standards, expanding its media footprint, and deepening its grassroots engagement across the country.  “NTC is embarking on a significant new phase,” Banghart stated. “With a dedication to truth and accountability, we are creating a movement that empowers everyday Americans to advocate, express their views, and oppose hypocrisy at all levels of society without fear of retaliation or retribution.” Banghart succeeds Gregory T. Angelo, who departed the nonprofit in April to serve in President Donald J. Trump’s Administration. “I’m honored to build on the foundation laid by my predecessor,” Banghart said. “Gregory sharpened NTC’s mission and elevated its public profile. We are grateful for his leadership and wish him continued success in service to our great nation.”    About New Tolerance Campaign The New Tolerance Campaign is a nonprofit watchdog organization that mobilizes Americans to hold corporations, media outlets, celebrities, universities, and other influential institutions accountable when they display double standards in their actions and rhetoric.

Super Bowl LVIII, The Olympics, Harvard, and More Among the Top 10 Worst Woke Offenders of the Year Washington, DC — Today the New Tolerance Campaign (NTC), a grassroots watchdog organization, unveiled its fourth annual “Worst of the Woke” Awards — a look back at the year’s most outrageous headline-grabbing instances of woke-run-wild in the United States. In 2024, 10 institutions went to extremes pressing a woke agenda on a weary public: DEI in Star Wars, drag queens at The Olympics, “nonbinary” toys and more all made the cut. See the full list of “Worst of the Woke” Award winners — as well as this year’s “Champion of Tolerance” — below:   Award Winner: “The Acolyte”* Reason: Disney hoped for a hit but ended up with a messy miss following the disastrous rollout of “The Acolyte.” The Star Wars spinoff crashed and burned, cancelled after only one season for the most predictable reason: it refused to stay true to Star Wars lore and instead sought to shoehorn as much DEI into every episode as possible: an all-lesbian coven of Force Witches lamenting the galaxy not accepting “women like us,” asking an alien for its pronouns, a pronounced emphasis on race and more all featured in the show. Series creator Leslie Headland even went on-record, stating that the inclusion of “queer” communities in the program was deliberate because it “would be natural” in an all-female community.   Award Winner: Super Bowl LVIII Reason: With more than 123 million viewers every year, few things unite America like the Super Bowl — but not this year. The NFL spoiled the fun with divisive woke posturing, presenting two separate national anthems before the big game: a “black national anthem” and one for everyone else.   Award Winner: The Olympics Reason: The Paris Olympics managed to anger Christians, conservatives, and anyone with good taste in dancing. The opening ceremony of the global athletic event began with a tableau of drag queens that more than a few people felt mocked “The Last Supper”; the cross-dressing star at the center of the performance who called herself “Olympic Jesus” only exacerbated the outrage.   Award Winner: Harley-Davidson Reason: Harley Davidson had a rock-solid, badass brand…and then DEI came along. A video unveiled on X showed the company’s CEO Jochen Zeitz speaking at a conference in 2020 in which he called himself “the sustainable Taliban” and asserted Harley Davidson was “trying to take on traditional capitalism and trying to redefine it.” After the uproar, Zeitz issued a public statement denouncing DEI and declaring the bike builder would pull back from the woke brink, ending its participation with the odious “Corporate Equality Index” pushed by recognized hate group the Human Rights Campaign.   Award Winner: Columbia Reason: During a three-week fiasco, the administration of Columbia University was paralyzed in the face of rabidly antisemitic and increasingly violent conduct: students took over the campus’s famed Hamilton Hall, barricaded the entrances, and hung a “Free Palestine” banner from a window. The inmates were running the asylum at New York City’s Ivy League school, with students issuing a list of wild demands that included a “complete divestment” from all Israel-related businesses and amnesty from disciplinary actions for protesting students. Columbia’s pushback? An email declaring that bringing in police “at this time” would be counterproductive. Things got so hot that Columbia ended up canceling its university-wide commencement ceremony.   Award Winner: Harvard Reason: Following the unceremonious resignation of university president Claudine Gay under allegations of rank plagiarism, America’s premier Ivy League institution presented a case study in emotional fragility in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election. Harvard professors cancelled classes for two days to allow their students “space to process the election.” The school’s Institute of Politics distributed conciliatory pastries and sweets all day on November 6. And quizzes in the “Intermediate Microeconomics” class were declared optional henceforth as a reprieve from post-election trauma.   Award Winner: WPATH Reason: Hippocratic Oath be damned! The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) came under fire for its role in one of the most alarming medical scandals of our time. Behind closed doors, doctors affiliated with WPATH, who swore an oath to “do no harm,” privately discussed how sex-change procedures for minors are experimental, untested, and often devastatingly painful. The admissions directly contradicted their public-facing advocacy for the treatments, leaving families betrayed and children’s bodies permanently altered.   Award Winner: Mattel Reason: The company behind Barbie pushed the boundaries of political correctness with the release of “the world’s first gender-neutral doll.” The toys, marketed as “gender-inclusive,” are designed to be “a boy, a girl, neither, or both.” Mattel hailed the launch as a step toward greater inclusivity, but the move sparked pushback among parents and child-development experts.   Award Winner: Penzeys Spices* Reason: Once crowned “America’s Wokest Company,” Penzeys Spices stirred the pot yet again this year. The seasoning shop is known for promotional events such as “Republicans Are Racists Weekend” and for recommending their customers “send the Jewish people in your life…a photo of a couple sleeping bags up in your attic with the message that you will always have a place for them.” In 2024 the company sparked widespread outrage and calls for boycotts after their owner published an essay on the business’s website slamming the GOP. Of all places for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to deliver remarks about ending “divisiveness,” she chose this one?   Award Winner: Jaguar Reason: Luxury carmaker Jaguar rolled out a bizarre ad in December that left audiences scratching their heads: a commercial filled with androgynous models and completely devoid of cars. To make matters worse, the auto manufacturer literally took the jaguar out of Jaguar, erasing the iconic big cat from its logo. Critics called the company “Bud Light 2.0.” X owner Elon Musk mockingly asked the company “Do you sell cars?” And conservative parliament member Nigel Farage predicted the UK brand “will now go bust.”   2024 CHAMPION OF TOLERANCE  In

Washington, DC — Today the New Tolerance Campaign (NTC) unveiled “Candidate Hate,” a report cataloging violent threats and vicious rhetoric targeted at the two major-party candidates for President of the United States in 2024: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. In order to provide a full and balanced perspective, the report also lists hate and threats made against President Joe Biden, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee until July 21, 2024. “NTC intentionally chose not to wade into election politics when we launched HateMap.com in July, but it’s impossible to ignore the prevalence of extreme rhetoric, death threats, and political violence directed at candidates in the 2024 U.S. presidential election,” NTC President Gregory T. Angelo stated. “The NTC ‘Candidate Hate’ report provides elected officials, civil servants, the media, and the public with a raw, unvarnished index of hate and violence directed at President Trump, VP Kamala Harris, and President Biden throughout a heated election cycle in which the GOP nominee was twice targeted for assassination.” The 36-page report is available online here.