The far right continued the "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory, describing transgender events that welcome families as a criminal act of "child enticement" by the gay community. This false accusation quickly attracted the attention of the far right, who clashed with members of the local gay community, scolded children and families participating in the event , and uploaded the "edited" material to Twitter for use by Fox TV host Tucker Carlson and Republican lawmakers. Although the Republican Party has never publicly expressed support for "Pizzagate" or "Anonymous Q", their use and acquiescence to these street conflicts has made their attitude clear. The strength of conservative states' opposition to transgender activities and the incitement of conspiracy theories may become the fuse of a larger conflict.

 

John Doyle, an influential figure in the white nationalist American Populist Union, mocked families who allowed their children to attend Pride Month events: "I wonder if the mother bear's instinct to protect her cubs will come out three years from now when the mainstream platform of the Democratic Party is to rape their children." The event was a family-friendly drag show at Mr. Misster, a gay club in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood. Two children standing in line a few feet away from Doyle had to plug their ears with their fingers as he continued to yell at the line through a megaphone. A group surrounded the club, chanting "Groomer!" One person waved a Christian flag and shouted, "The iron fist of Christ will soon fall on you." Another screamed, holding a rosary between his fingers.

From the idea that children are being abused, to the idea that this nonexistent abuse is a Democrat conspiracy, to calls for internet provocateurs to document their own “evidence,” conspiracy theorists falsely claim to have rescued children. The attack on Mr. Misster, minus the fact that there was no gun violence, recalls similar fears: the 2016 attack on the Comet Ping Pong pizza restaurant in Washington, D.C. On October 30, 2016, a Twitter account posted white supremacist material published by a New York lawyer, claiming that the New York City Police Department had discovered a pedophile ring with ties to members of the Democratic Party while investigating emails from Anthony David Weiner, who was convicted of sexual assault. Conspiracists alleged that the emails contained code words about pedophilia and human trafficking, and that Comet Ping Pong was a gathering place for Satanic abuse rituals. A man who believed in the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory came to the restaurant with a rifle to “rescue” children from a nonexistent sex trafficking ring. According to conspiracy theorists, the fictional ring was planned by Democratic elites.

Meanwhile, groups protesting Pride have pushed their own videos, some shot in the same venues. Some of them went inside with cameras and filmed videos that falsely claimed drag performers were threatening children and made threatening comments. "We need to expose these drag performers," one person interrogating a drag performer wrote in the video. A woman who filmed some of the videos inside a bar tweeted, "This summer will be the summer that we kill child molesters."

It took just over two days for the street confrontation to go from video to news fodder to Republican discussion. In announcing his bill to ban drag performances in the presence of minors, Texas Republican state Rep. Bryan Slaton cited “attacks” by members of Dallas’ gay community against Texas Kids. A Florida representative pledged to follow suit; U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert voiced their support. But Texas Kids has moved on to a new target: a church that supports LGBTQ rights. The group has announced plans to protest at LGBTQ venues this month and detailed its plans.

What we’ve seen this Pride month is alarming, but it didn’t happen in a vacuum. These protests and threats are a continuation of anti-trans activity. Republican attacks on gay and trans children in state legislatures across the country have fueled this sentiment. But it’s all coordinated by the far right, who have given these movements names and made concrete connections between them. As these threats continue, and more videos of confrontations are produced, they could provide credence to lies like “LGBTQ child grooming” and “queer spaces are places of business for child abuse.” No Republican would say the Pizzagate shooter’s statements made sense. But now, judging by the videos of far right wingers deliberately confronting adults and children at Pride month events, they are more than happy to support these conspiracy theories behind the scenes.