“I Love My Proud Boys”: How A Former Militia Leader and J6er Might Become a State Rep

There’s a former militia leader running for California State Assembly.

Denise Aguilar is currently running as a Republican for a California State Assembly seat representing District 13, which includes large sections of Stockton, Tracy, and Mountain House. She has a long history of far-Right activity in the Central Valley. Aguilar is one of the co-founders of both the Freedom Angels, a pro-Trump womens’ group that organized with the Proud Boys and Mamalitia, a failed women’s paramilitary group which she claimed are just like the Proud Boys but “for women.” Since 2019, Aguilar has participated in a growing network of violent far-Right organizations and activists who carried out a series of assaults and violent protests that span from Sacramento to Washington DC.

As an organizer, Aguilar has worked directly with numerous chapters of the Proud Boys, praising them at large rallies, using them as “security” at protests, defending them on social media, and posing for photos with their members while sporting the group’s name and logo. On social media, Aguilar referred to former Proud Boy and militant neo-Nazi, Jeffrey Perrine, as “my friend” multiple times and embraced QAnon, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theories.

Aguilar is supported by official organs of the Republican party across Northern California, and is “endorsed by both the California Republican Party and Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City.” Despite desperately trying to downplay, deny, and side step her direct connections to militant fascists and January 6th participants, Aguilar has shown a willingness to work alongside and support white supremacists, Proud Boys, and neo-Nazis with extreme violent ideologies, as long as they work towards a common goal of attacking anything they see as “the Left.”

‘Freedom’ Angels for Sick Kids

In 2019, Aguilar, along with two other far-Right activists, Tara Thorton and Heidi Muñoz Gleisner, helped to co-found the Freedom Angels, which grew out of anti-vaccine protests in Sacramento, where demonstrators linked “arms to block entrance to the [capitol] building and repeatedly shut…down the state Senate and Assembly.” The group fought to block a “state bill tightening vaccine requirements for attendance in schools.”

According to the Sacramento Bee:

[Aguilar] was among the trio of Freedom Angels co-founders who repeatedly disrupted the California Legislature and attempted to block the entrance to the building…

The Freedom Angels and various far-Right anti-vaxx groups opposed bills that “crack[ed] down on doctors who inappropriately issue[d] medical exemptions” based on “personal belief exemption.” But after protests failed, Aguilar and other anti-vaxx activists attempted to repeal these bills through the ballot box, but were unsuccessful in aquiring the required number of signatures.

Despite this set back, anti-vaxx organizing exploded again in the spring of 2020, as the far-Right embraced COVID-19 denial and organized (often armed) protests against lockdowns, masking, and vaccine mandates across the country. Among the most violent results of this wave of anti-vaxx extremism was a foiled plot by militia members to kidnapp and execute the governor of Michigan.

In Sacramento, the Freedom Angels were at the forefront of organizing large far-Right rallies against the lockdowns. In May of 2020, Aguilar and 32 others were arrested, when “a handful of protesters broke through a line of CHP officers guarding the Capitol” during Liberty Fest, which saw the Freedom Angels mobilizing hundreds of Qanon conspiracy theorists, Trump supporters, and militia members against COVID-19 lockdowns.

As the New York Times wrote, the anti-vaxx protests provided a fertile ground for the cross pollination of various far-Right currents:

The people behind the rally are founders of a group, the Freedom Angels Foundation, which is best known in California for its opposition to state efforts to mandate vaccinations. And the protest was the latest example of the overlapping interests that have connected a range of groups — including Tea Party activists and armed militia groups — to oppose the measures that governors have taken to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

As the Sacramento Bee reported:

During the coronavirus pandemic, [Aguilar] and her group aligned themselves with other far-right groups that decried California’s economic restrictions.

It’s through this organizing against vaccines and pushing COVID-19 conspiracy theories that Aguilar began to build alliances with fascist groups, militias, and white nationalists – forces which together, would help carry out a wave of violence that culminated in the storming of the US capitol on January 6th.

“I Love Them”: In the Streets with the Proud Boys

By the summer of 2020, the Freedom Angels had split, with Aguilar and Tara Thorton continuing, (under the banner of Freedom Angels 2.0), to organize against COVID-19 vaccines and take part in protests outside of the homes of various public health officials, while also supporting a wide range of far-Right causes.

In August of 2020, Aguilar participated in a white nationalist organized “Straight Pride” rally against the LGBTQ+ community in Modesto, CA, alongside dozens of Proud Boys, Boogaloo Boys, neo-Nazis, and militia members. The event ended in violence, with a far-Right protester attempting to run over a counter-demonstrator. 

The Freedom Angels were also directly connected to Orrin Heatlie, the main organizer behind the unsuccessful recall effort against California’s Democratic governor that kicked off in the summer of 2020. While Heatlie eventually distanced himself from the group, he promoted their events and also appeared on one of the group’s webcasts.

As Business Insider reported:

Thorton and Aguilar…helped organize recall rallies at the state capital in Sacramento, which also drew anti-vaxxers and members of the Proud Boys militia movement.

Aguilar also participated in demonstrations outside of various Northern California hospitals in protest of COVID-19 vaccinations alongside members of the Proud Boys and the Echo Company, a far-Right militia tied to the California State Militia.

This relationship accelerated in the lead up to January 6th, 2021, as Aguilar and the Freedom Angels helped spearhead several “Stop the Steal” rallies alongside the Proud Boys, various militia members, and white nationalists at the Sacramento capitol throughout the month of November in 2020. These demonstrations ended in violence, as heavily armed Proud Boys attacked counter-protesters and rampaged throughout downtown Sacramento.

As CapRadio reported:

The brawls and beatings have occurred on the outskirts of weekly protests held by Trump supporters near the Capitol, [who are] promoting the conspiracy theory that Democrats stole the presidential election. While the protests themselves have been largely peaceful, far-right groups like the Proud Boys have routinely left the main demonstrations to confront counter-protesters in the streets downtown. 

Aguilar was clear about her personal support for the Proud Boys and using them as security at various far-Right demonstrations.

“I will have their back to the fullest and will not be shy about my support for my PB’s,” she said on social media.

The Sacramento Bee noted:

…the Freedom Angels were working in tandem with the Proud Boys, “who have provided security in the past” for their events.

“So thank you to the Proud Boys,” Aguilar told a crowd of cheering demonstrators waving Donald Trump flags outside the California Capitol in November. “I’ve worked with them. I know them. I love them. I trust them. And I trust them so much that they’re here protecting you. And thank you to the California militia guys out here as well.”

Following these violent assaults, Aguilar posted photos of herself standing alongside members of the Proud Boys including white nationalists Christopher “Odin” Young, Brandon Witte, and Cole Scott, some wearing clothing still stained from the solution they used to wash out their eyes after breaking through police lines to attack counter-protesters with bear mace. In the photo, Aguilar can be seen wearing tactical gear and sporting an “I ❤︎ My Proud Boys” sticker that she purchased from Proud Boy member Eddie Block.

In a few short months, Aguilar and Block, along with thousands of others, would in the words of Aguilar, break “open the doors” of the US capitol.

“We Stormed the Capitol”

After a month of leading violent rallies in Sacramento in an attempt to overturn the results of the election, on January 6th, 2021, according to an investigation by USA Today, Aguilar and her partner Primo Mendez took part in the storming of the US capitol building in Washington DC. Several Proud Boys from the Central Valley who Aguilar works with closely, also flew to DC to participate in the chaos. 

According to USA Today:

The researchers identified Aguilar and her partner in many other photos and videos posted from that same day. And in one of those videos, shot by a freelance journalist, the man in the black hoodie and the woman with the gray fur collar push into the Capitol itself.  

The videos don’t make clear how deep inside the building the couple went, or how long it was before they exited. But at least one other person who crossed the same threshold 20 seconds ahead in the same video has been charged with illegal entry by the Justice Department.

Aguilar and her partner, Primo Mendez, can be seen in photographs and videos from throughout the day culled from publicly available social media posts. Mendez did not respond to questions about his role on Jan. 6.

In one video, the couple pauses to take a selfie with a man the independent researchers identified as Joshua Macias, who was found guilty in 2022 of bringing guns to a Philadelphia vote-counting center.

In a now deleted Instagram video, Aguilar spoke about directly participating in the pro-Trump riot at the DC capitol.

“We stormed the Capitol, and patriots broke open the doors…We went into the Capitol,” she said in the video.

In an interview with USA Today, Aguilar claimed that while she did speak at the official rally, she did not go inside the capitol. When presented with evidence to the contrary, she “stopped responding” to journalists. Currently, Aguilar and her partner are “among more than 100 people…identified [by] photos and video from the Capitol that day…who have not yet been arrested” by the Justice Department.

As the Sacramento Bee noted:

…despite attempts [by Aguilar] to distance herself from the attempted coup, a since-deleted Instagram video shows Aguilar celebrating the deadly mob and suggesting she was among the rioters who roamed the Capitol grounds. She also called for similar take-overs in statehouses across the country.

Ironically, Aguilar currently promotes a “tough on crime” agenda, pushing for a repeal of Prop 47, which reduces non-violent property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. This irony goes further—she took a plea deal resulting in a misdemeanor welfare fraud conviction in 2019 after she took over $10 thousand from San Joaquin County Human Services between 2016 and 2018.

“The Only All Female Militia in California”

In the wake of the storming of the US capitol, many J6 participants and organizers faced serious charges. For instance, local Proud Boy Eddie Block who traveled to DC alongside Aguilar, had his home raided by the FBI. The fallout from January 6th caused many on the far-Right to re-think their activism, moving away from large mobilizations to local campaigns around “cultural war” issues and school board elections. 

As NBC News reported on this shift:

Aguilar’s changing focus is indicative of a broader transformation by many of the extremist groups that participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. After a brief cooling-off period, groups like Aguilar’s all-women militia group, Mamalitia, and many others have focused on local politics — most notably school boards and county health boards — where they have found success in pushing back against everything from Covid mitigation proposals to public school curricula. 

In late 2020, Aguilar began promoting a new group called Mom Militia. At the same rally where she announced her “love” for the Proud Boys, she declared onstage:

“And women, if you wanna get in the Mom’s Militia, please come over and sign up.”

Following the attempted coup on January 6th, Aguilar rebranded the group as “Mamalitia.” As the Sacramento Bee reported:

[Aguilar] began Mamalitia gradually. The group’s website was registered anonymously through GoDaddy in the days after the insurrection in D.C., according to internet domain name records. It features photos of women canning food, disassembling a rifle and children shooting bows and firearms. Another photo shows a group of 11 women armed with rifles and posing before a setting sun. “The tyrants have created women who are ready to go like it’s 1776,” the website’s landing page reads.

Mamalitia took part in hosting block parties and promoting DIY skills, prepping, and firearms training. This approach helped obscure the group’s wider agenda while attempting to connect with those outside of their right-wing echo chamber. 

While Aguilar would downplay the organization’s far-Right politics and militarized nature in media interviews, in online posts she was clear that this was indeed a militia outfit. In one post she wrote, “We are the only all female militia in California.” Aguilar would later claim that the group had a “chain of command with bylaws” and had “consultants” that were “navy seals and marines.”

Aguilar was also very clear about the role of the organization: to funnel women into a militant far-Right formation alongside other fascist groups. In a post to her Informed Mama account, she wrote:

For the men looking into militias: [website of far-Right militia, the Echo Company]. If you’re interested in being a Proud Boy [website for the Proud Boys]. For the women: Mom-militia.org.

While Mamalitia was an attempt at a “softer” rebrand, its goal was direct: get women into the far-Right movement, alongside militia members, Proud Boys, and neo-Nazis.

Spreading Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate

Since she began organizing in far-Right circles, Aguilar has embraced everything from the Qanon conspiracy, anti-Semitic tropes, to attacks on vaccines. But Aguilar also has a history of alligning herself with hardcore anti-LGBTQ+ bigots. In 2020, Aguilar attended and promoted the “Straight Pride” rally in Modesto, which was organized by the white nationalists and anti-Semities Don Grundmann and Mylinda Mason.

Despite organizers of the Modesto rally literally embracing the “superiority” of “Whitness” and attacking LGBTQ+ people as “Satanic,” Aguilar couldn’t stay away from the event as it became yet another far-Right mobilization bringing together white supremacists, Proud Boys, and militia members.

While Aguilar and her close affiliates attempted to brand the event with a QAnon flavor, the Proud Boys broadcast their murderous intentions with a large banner that read, “Patriots Against Pedophilia: One Cure,” featuring an assault rifle and the Proud Boys logo. By “pedophilia” here, they didn’t mean men like Proud Boys Sean McHugh and Joseph Golinske who were prosecuted for sexual abuse of minors. When far-Right groups talk about “pedophiles,” they typically mean queer people who they label as part of a vast conspiracy to “groom” children into queerness through sexual abuse. Their message is that the LGBTQ+ community is worthy of systemic violence and murder.

In 2023, Aguilar again hitched herself to the wagon of anti-LGBTQ+ hate and alongside groups like the Proud Boys and held a bigoted anti-LGBTQ+ rally attacking gender affirming care in front of the home of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, this rally was part of a wave of protests funded by the billionaire-backed Heritage Foundation, now infamous for its role in Project 2025.

The Sacramento Bee reported that “A handful of demonstrators [at the event were] wearing black and yellow outfits, and shirts that read, “Kill your local pedophile” — both staples of the far-right Proud Boys movement.”

Aguilar continues to push far-Right conspiracy theories that politicians and “groomers” are attempting to indoctrinate children into being LGBTQ+.

“…politicians in Sacramento want to make our classrooms their own personal social engineering laboratory,” her campaign website stated.

Jeffrey Perrine, “My Friend” the Neo-Nazi

On two occasions, Aguilar has referred to neo-Nazi and former Proud Boy Jeffrey Perrine as “my friend” on social media, promoting Perrine’s posts and videos attacking masking in public schools. 

Jeffrey Perrine is a former member of the Proud Boys in the Sacramento area who soon embraced full on neo-Nazism and has rallied alongside other white supremacists while holding swastika flags and attacking Jews at City Council meetings in Sacramento. Perrine is also known for selling pro-Hitler and neo-Nazi materials online.

In early 2021, Perrine was expelled from the Sacramento Republican party where he was previously a member of the Central Committee, in response to videos of Perrine at a far-Right rally calling for children to be separated from their parents at the border and migrants to be murdered by “smashing their heads into the concrete.” Perrine has also taken part in various violent attacks against the LGBTQ+ community and left-wing events.

This summer, Perrine was seen in the streets of Nashville, rallying alongside fellow neo-Nazis from the Goyim Defense League, who flew swastika flags. Perrine has also been photographed holding swastika flags over the 99 freeway in cities like Manteca alongside other white supremacists.

A History of Violence

Groups like the Proud Boys and violent neo-Nazis like Jeffrey Perrine – organizations and individuals that work directly with Aguilar – are responsible for spreading not just hateful ideas and dangerous conspiracy theories – but also carrying out real acts of violence in our communities.

Unlike activists on the Left who face police violence, deplatforming from large social media companies, and attacks from the far-Right, these fascist groups are embraced by the Republican party, largely protected by law enforcement, and given a platform by billionaires like Elon Musk.

The Proud Boys are a violent threat to many of the people Aguilar hopes to represent in the halls of power. At the white nationalist organized “Straight Pride” rally in Modesto and “Stop the Steal” rallies in Sacramento, Proud Boys attacked counter-demonstrators on multiple occasions. Local Proud Boys, often working alongside neo-Nazis and white supremacists, have also attempted to disrupt and attack local Pride events and celebrations. A sticker for the Central Valley Proud Boys was even left behind at an LGBTQ+ friendly church in Fresno, (the same city where a local police officer was exposed for being a member of the group), which was attacked after hosting a drag event.

If Denise Aguilar wins a seat in District 13, neo-Nazis and fascist groups will have a fellow traveler and close friend in government.