Overview

• Police say a June investigation into a report involving a 13-year-old who said he posed as 18 on a dating app led to the September arrest of Michael Browder.
• Recovered messages from the teen’s laptop identified Browder, whom an officer recognized as a local drag performer known as Aubrey Ghalichi.
• In a Sept. 16 interview, Browder allegedly admitted to sex but told police he believed the person was 18 or 19 and said the apartment was too dark to gauge age.
• Browder faces two counts of sexual conduct with a minor, with a judge setting a $10,000 secured bond and imposing GPS monitoring and bans on contact with children, weapons, drugs, and alcohol.
• Phoenix Pride removed his stage persona from its October festival and issued a statement emphasizing safety and correcting false online claims about a nonexistent 2023 event.