Philadelphia family of trans activist's alleged victims speaks out about 'grooming' of young boys

The aunt of two young boys who were allegedly raped by prominent Philadelphia transgender activist Kendall Stephens spoke out about the disturbing allegations and said, "I feel like she was grooming my nephews."

Stephens, 37, was arrested on Monday on rape-related charges of two minor boys ages 9 and 13.

The aunt of the victims told FOX 29 that her nephews had been enduring the sexual abuse but were too afraid to speak out against Stephens whom they had a close relationship with and called her "Aunt Kendall."

"She's a family friend who has been around since they were born," said the victims' aunt. "You had this aunt stature in their life and they're thinking I don't wanna tell an adult because I don't want something bad to happen to Aunt Kendall."

The two boys opened up about the alleged sexual assault after their 7-year-old brother reported the abuse to their grandmother.

"We were able to sit them down individually is when they broke down and cried and said everything that happened," said the aunt.

The aunt explained that when the family had confronted Stephens about the situation she had blamed the 9-year-old boy for coming onto her first.

"She didn't deny it to us, she tried to flip the story and say my nephew tried to kiss her first…he's 9 years old. No he didn't," said the aunt.

The aunt stated that this has inflicted a catastrophic emotional toll on her family and they will continue to fight for justice.

"I feel like she was grooming my nephews…my nephews have definitely endured a lot," she said. "I don't want her stature to be able to use this reputation and think that it's gonna be able to get her out of this situation because what she did to my nephews is unbelievable."

On September 25, 2023, the Philadelphia police were notified of the alleged abuse.

Stephens was charged with rape, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, unlawful contact with minors, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors as an adult, indecent assault against a person less than 13 years of age, dissemination of explicit sexual material to a minor and corruption of minors, according to court documents.

Bail for Stephens has been set at $250,000 and she will appear in court on December 29.

Stephens' radical trans activism began in 2020 after being attacked in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Philadelphia. This attack took place in Stephens' home which Stephens shared with two godchildren, both teen girls. Stephens posts photos with children identified as her nephews on Instagram. 

Stephens claimed the attack was due to Stephens's trans identity. After that attack, Stephens began to advocate for LGBTQ+ identities to be protected under Pennsylvania's hate crime laws.

Stephens was part of many events where Stephens was celebrated for being a survivor of a transphobic attack and has been praised by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Democrat District Attorney Larry Krasner.

As the investigation into the case continues, additional information regarding the allegations against Stephens is being uncovered.