YouTube/ Public Freakout Gina Michelle Bisignano.
Gina Michelle Bisignano is a southern California salon owner who made headlines in November 2020 for calling someone a homophobic slur several times during a protest and later was recorded outside the U.S. Capitol building during the January 6 riot. Videos and images of her at the Capitol were shared on social media and she identified herself by name in at least one of the clips.
In a second video, Bisignano was recorded encouraging people to enter the Capitol through a broken window. Additional images of her standing in front of the shattered window also circulated on Twitter.
Bisignano’s name was in the headlines in November 2020 after she was recorded using homophobic language to insult someone at a protest. According to TMZ, Bisignano was among the crowd of about 50 people who gathered in a Los Angeles neighborhood on November 29, 2020, to protest against safety measures put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
In a video that has been shared on Twitter and YouTube, Bisignano is heard calling someone a “f*****” several times as someone off-camera encourages her to “say it again.” Bisignano appears to move closer to the person who is recording, calls them “disgusting” and asks whether the person is a guy or a girl.
She goes on to call the person a Nazi and a Satanist and that they are brainwashed. Later in the clip, Bisignano is heard exclaiming that she thinks the person in front of her is a “liberal piece of s***” and accuses the person of having had an “abortion this morning.” Bisignano also appears to express an idea from the QAnon conspiracy when she says, “I bet you kill your babies and eat it.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Bisignano Gathered With Others Outside of the Public Health Director’s House to Protest Increased Restrictions in Los Angeles County
Bisignano helped to promote the protest that took place on November 29 in Echo Park, California. Bisignano and others gathered outside the home of Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. The poster Bisignano shared on Facebook on a now-private account proclaimed that Ferrer was “in charge of the unlawful curfews and restrictions on small businesses.” Bisignano included the comment, “Let’s stand up Patriots.”
Anti-lockdown protesters are outside the home of Dr. Barbara Ferrer to protest the new restrictions in the county, such as no more outdoor dining at restaurants.
They’re chanting, “Open L.A.!”
KTLA-TV reported that about 50 people showed up outside Ferrer’s house and few wore masks. The outlet added that the protesters chanted “no science, no data, no shutdown” and called on Ferrer to “Open L.A.” In a video shared on Twitter by Los Angeles Times reporter Laura Nelson, Bisignano is seen holding a bullhorn as she and other protesters yell back and forth with one of Ferrer’s neighbors. NBC Los Angeles reported the protest went on for about an hour.
Now maybe 40 protestors here. They’re in a yelling match with a person who lives on the same block as Barbara Ferrer, the head of the county health department.
One sign has a QAnon slogan. Another says “TRUMP WON.”
One woman shouts: “Your neighbor works for China.”
The protest took place one day before increased restrictions went into effect in Los Angeles County with the goal of slowing the spread of COVID-19. The “Safer at Home” order took effect on November 30 and was scheduled to last until December 20. One of the strictest elements was that residents were barred from physically socializing with anyone from outside of their household. The only exceptions were for outdoor religious services and outdoor protests.
A statewide curfew was also put in place. Governor Gavin Newsom was considering a new stay-at-home order at the time, Reuters reported, due to rising hospitalizations. California was the first state in the nation to implement a stay-at-home lockdown in March 2020.
2. Bisignano Said the Protesters Were Fighting for Freedom & They Did Not Want Another Lockdown
YouTube/@Public FreakoutGina Bisignano was recorded using a homophobic slur during a protest in Echo Park, California.
Based on the video, it was not clear what prompted the tense confrontation between Bisignano and the person who challenged her. The YouTube version begins with Bisignano leaning closer to the camera and yelling, “You’re a f*****.” She then calls the person “disgusting” and a “new world order Satanist.”
The man standing behind Bisignano, wearing sunglasses and holding a sign, then steps in to explain why they are protesting. He insists, “We just want our rights back.” He points to the sign and explains that he once had three jobs but that they are now “all gone” and he is unemployed.
The male protester didn’t appear to comment on Bisignano’s homophobic language. He is heard on the video again trying to explain that he simply wanted businesses to be able to remain open.
After a brief pause, Bisignano jumps on that topic as she turns back to the camera: “Yeah, that’s all we want. Is there something wrong with not wanting to have a lockdown? Is there something wrong with wanting freedom?”
According to TMZ, Bisignano later wrote on her Facebook page, which has since been deleted or made private, “I was attacked online.” Her page included dozens of negative comments. People accused her of being insensitive to those suffering from COVID-19, made fun of her physical appearance and insulted her intelligence. Bisignano did not appear to be engaging with the online commentary.
3. Bisignano Owns a Beauty Business in Beverly Hills
California Secretary of State Gina Michelle Bisignano owns a skincare and eyelashes company in Beverly Hills.
Bisignano is a small business owner. According to online records with the California Secretary of State, Bisignano registered her company, Gina Bisignano Skincare, Inc., in 2017. In a November 2020 filing, she listed herself as the CEO, secretary, chief financial officer and director.
On Facebook and Yelp, she refers to the business as “Gina’s Eyelashes and Skincare.” The website for the company was listed as ginaseyelashesandskincare.com but it appears to have been disabled. A January 19, 2021, Yelp update indicates the business is “temporarily closed.”
Bisignano’s now-deleted company Facebook page primarily included photos related to the services she provides. But the account also included images of Bisignano at political demonstrations. In one photo, which was uploaded on November 3, Bisignano was wearing a red “Q” T-shirt along with a MAGA hat. The man standing next to her had on a shirt that read, “F*** for Trump.”
4. Bisignano Describes Herself as a Makeup Artist Who Got Her Start Working in a Funeral Home
Yelp Gina Michelle Bisignano was recorded using a homophobic slur while demonstrating against COVID-19 restrictions in Los Angeles County and was captured in photos and videos at the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
Bisignano listed Miami, Florida, as her hometown on Facebook. She explained on her business Yelp profile that she started working in the beauty industry as a teenager. Bisignano wrote that she “started doing makeup at 16 on the weekends at the local funeral home” and served as a hair and makeup assistant at the Rhode Island School of Design during the summers.
Yelp Gina Bisignano owns a beauty business in Beverly Hills.
Bisignano wrote that she worked for modeling agencies such as Wilhelmina and Ford Models as a makeup artist. Her bio goes on to explain that she “acquired notice in the entertainment industry as she then started to perform makeup artistry in Miami for celebrity clientele, and then expanded on to doing the same for major motion pictures and commercials.”
Bisignano said she moved to Los Angeles in 1999 to pursue her career but decided to start her own business after becoming a mother. “After i had my son i decided i wanted to bring my expertise to the Beverly Hills and start my own business…I love my job and my clients. Creating beautiful results for my client is my joy! I am always bring [sic] the latest techniques in eye lash extensions, expert skincare and eyelash extension certification.”
5. Online Records Suggest Bisignano Was Arrested for Domestic Battery in Her Hometown in 2004
Palm Beach County ClerkA search of online records for Gina M. Bisignano brings up a 2004 arrest in Florida.
A search of online records for Bisignano brings up a 2004 charge of domestic violence in Palm Beach County, Florida. Court records show a Gina M. Bisignano, with a birthday that matches other records, who was arrested on November 7, 2004, by Delray Beach Police.
The records indicate she paid a $1,500 cash bond and was released. However, there was no sentencing record, indicating the charge may have been dropped. Records show the case was closed on November 22, 2004.
Palm Beach County ClerkA search of online records for Gina M. Bisignano brings up a 2004 arrest in Florida.
In 2006, an ex-boyfriend filed a “petition for injunction for protection against dating violence” against Bisignano and accused her of becoming violent. The Palm Beach County court record shows the petition was denied in August 2006 and the case dismissed before a hearing was even held. The record includes the following explanation: “Petition for injunction for protection against dating violence. Only alleged contact is knocking on windows which is not violence. 2004 arrest is not a basis for an injunction in 2006.”
READ NEXT: Man With Florida Face Tattoo Called 911 for Ride: Cops