A man who goes by the name “Quinn Steele” and is described online by locals as “trans” or a cross-dresser is facing 15 felony charges related to the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material in East Texas.
Eli Joshua Steele, a biological male, was arrested on July 18 and charged with six counts of producing, directing, or promoting a sexual performance by a child and nine counts of possession with intent to promote child pornography, according to Van Zandt County Jail records. He is being held on a $600,000 bond.
Steele reportedly worked at The Roadhouse Ball Joint, a bar and grill in Wills Point, where patrons say he frequently dressed in women’s clothing.
“Always wearing a thong hanging out of his jeans,” one local woman posted on Facebook.
While jail records identify Steele as male, locals described him online as “trans” or a cross-dresser. He also used the name “Quinn Steele” in public-facing settings. There is no public record of Steele explicitly self-identifying as “transgender.”
The conservative organization True Texas Project posted about the arrest on X, asking: “What should the consequence be?!”
“Genderqueer TX Man Charged with Producing Huge Trove of Child S*x Abuse Content.”
Eli Steele has been charged with SIX counts of producing, directing or promoting a child se*ual performance and NINE counts of possession with intent to distribute.
What should the consequence… pic.twitter.com/yXy3HfTphJ
— True Texas Project (@TrueTXProject) July 24, 2025
The case follows several recent arrests involving individuals who identified as or described as part of the “trans” or gender-nonconforming community. Some critics say these incidents raise concerns about whether radical identity claims are being used to avoid scrutiny, while others argue such cases are not representative of the broader population.
Law enforcement has not yet disclosed how Steele allegedly obtained the illicit material or whether others may be involved in the matter. The investigation remains ongoing.