Online donors have raised more than US$71,000 to help cover the legal costs of David Vulin, a gay father who was arrested and later charged with a felony after a confrontation with a right-wing media personality who suggested on camera that he and his husband were more likely to molest their newborn son.
The fundraiser was launched by Anthony Vulin, David’s husband, who said the family had been left shaken by the encounter.
“We were targeted in a way that was deeply upsetting and destabilising for our family,” he wrote on the GoFundMe page. “My husband and I have fought incredibly hard to build the life we have today and to welcome our baby into it, which makes this moment especially painful and overwhelming.”
The incident happened in West Hollywood, where the couple were walking with their baby when conservative commentator Ryley Niemi and a camera crew approached them. According to the Vulins, the crew initially claimed they were with CNN.
What followed, they say, was not a genuine interview but a deliberate provocation.
Niemi began by asking whether they had heard “statistics” claiming gay men are far more likely to commit child molestation. The couple appeared shocked and responded that they had not, adding that the claim sounded “crazy”.
He then continued with more intrusive questions, asking whether they thought it was “weird” that they had a child even though neither of them was a woman. He also asked whether they had used a surrogate and, when the couple did not answer, added: “You paid a woman $50,000 to be pregnant?”
At that point, the encounter escalated.
As the couple tried to walk away, David Vulin shouted at Niemi before shoving him. He later lunged again and punched Niemi in the head.
David Vulin was arrested over the incident and, according to Anthony, was held for about 12 hours before being released. He was later charged with a felony count of vandalism involving alleged damage to a camera valued at US$400 or more.
Anthony Vulin has disputed that allegation, telling WeHo Times that his husband did not damage the equipment.
In the fundraiser, Anthony said the legal costs of defending the charge were significant and that the family’s immediate priority was staying stable and together.
“As a result, my husband, David, is now facing a legal process, and the cost of securing proper representation is significant. David is a devoted parent to our newborn baby and an incredibly important part of our lives,” he wrote.
“Right now, our focus is simply on keeping our family stable, supported, and together as we move through this. We’re asking for help to cover legal fees and related expenses so that he can have fair representation during this time.”
The campaign has since drawn strong public support, raising more than US$71,000.
Niemi later posted a follow-up video in which he claimed he had tried to de-escalate the situation and suggested the couple “seemed to not care for their own baby’s safety”.
But online reaction has largely gone the other way, with many commenters accusing Niemi of staging a confrontation, harassing private citizens for content, and then attempting to cast himself as the victim once things turned physical.
For many people following the story, the issue is larger than a single street altercation. It speaks to a broader trend in which queer families are treated as culture-war targets, baited with inflammatory talking points, and then expected to remain calm while being dehumanised on camera.
