Malicious anti-drag sentiment is just the tip of the iceberg
The recent surge in highly public, and at times violent, anti-drag sentiment in the U.S is part of a much larger anti-LGBTQ+ narrative being pushed by far right groups in the U.S., and spurred by the recent tabling of oppressive and reckless legislation by some elected officials looking to play to this base.
In recent months, the Pyrra team has witnessed an increase in anti-drag sentiment, pushed predominantly (both online and off) by members of far right groups such as the Patriot Front, Proud Boys and White Lives Matter.
Anti-drag posts online almost always include larger anti-LGBTQ+ statements, the most common of which, warn of the “dangers” posed by the LGBTQ+ community (especially trans people) towards children: it’s now common for alt-social commentary to link drag events to accusations of child grooming, pedophilia and genital mutilation.
Such sentiment amongst alt-social users also spurs support for anti-drag show protests and even violence - including the arson attack on the Chesterland Community Church that took place in Ohio late last month. Alt-social users were all too keen to share their support for protestors on the ground.
What’s more, we have identified the further manipulation of these anti-LGBTQ+ narratives to better serve the anti-semitic bent of these far right groups: many posts draw from a long line of malicious representations that Judaism is amoral and harms children, and suggest that drag shows are one more element of a global Jewish plot.
The types of malicious disinformation campaigns outlined above are extremely dangerous. Online hate speech alone can cause serious damage, but increasingly we see this translate to real world harm - attacks on innocent people.
Pyrra’s goal is to make the internet (and the world) safer by identifying dangerous narratives across the unmoderated corners of the internet where hate and extremism fester. Visit pyrratech.com to learn how we may be able to help you.
