Contagious: 2nd “Lesbian” Blogger Revealed to be a Phony
Yes, I know you're probably wondering: What could possibly rouse Greg from his prolonged posting slumber? Well, old-timers around here should know that there are two things I can't resist: Episcopal priests being outed as Wiccans, and gay bloggers being outed as frauds.
As we've noted time after time after time, Colin Coward and David Mac-Iyalla really hold the title of Biggest Gay Blogger Frauds, but they may finally have come competition.
First, a few days ago this story broke:
Then today, we have this:
Now I just love that last line, which may as well read, "I am a man impersonating a lesbian blogger, and I have spent many, many hours fabricating this persona and these posts, in an attempt to manipulate people's perceptions and emotions, in order to effect an outcome I would like to see. BUT IT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE DECEITFUL OR CON ANYONE."
One of my co-bloggers likes to note that mental illnesses tend to come in clusters. I'll just note that barely a day goes by without her observation being validated.
As we've noted time after time after time, Colin Coward and David Mac-Iyalla really hold the title of Biggest Gay Blogger Frauds, but they may finally have come competition.
First, a few days ago this story broke:
A new entry Sunday in a blog purportedly by a lesbian Syrian-American living in Damascus asserted that the entire saga was a hoax, supposedly written by a man.
The post, which came days after an entry saying the blogger had been arrested, was signed by "Tom MacMaster" in Istanbul, Turkey.
In it, the author says the narrative was fictional but insists it "created an important voice for issues I feel strongly about."
It says the author never expected so much attention.
On Tuesday, a blog post at the same site, "A Gay Girl in Damascus," supposedly written by the woman's cousin, said she had been detained in Damascus after weeks on the run.
The story unraveled quickly after a woman in Britain said the photos on the Facebook account of the blogger known as Amina Arraf were actually of her. The Associated Press reported her disappearance, confirmed by an activist in Damascus, but reporters in Virginia then could find no trace of Arraf or her family.
Then today, we have this:
The hoax involving the true identity of a Syrian lesbian blogger has taken another turn, as another man has acknowledged he is behind a lesbian blog that republished vivid accounts of revolt in Damascus.
A 40-year-old American man living in Scotland apologized earlier Monday for posing as a Syrian lesbian blogger named Amina Arraf, whose reported detention fueled attention that eventually led to the man's confession that his blog posts had been an elaborate ruse.
Later Monday, The Washington Post reported that an editor of lesbian news website Lezgetreal.com — who encouraged Arraf and republished her blog entries — was a man named Bill Graber who used the name Paula Brooks as an online persona.
Graber confirmed his identity to The Associated Press, saying "LezGetReal was not meant to be deceitful or con anyone."
Now I just love that last line, which may as well read, "I am a man impersonating a lesbian blogger, and I have spent many, many hours fabricating this persona and these posts, in an attempt to manipulate people's perceptions and emotions, in order to effect an outcome I would like to see. BUT IT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE DECEITFUL OR CON ANYONE."
One of my co-bloggers likes to note that mental illnesses tend to come in clusters. I'll just note that barely a day goes by without her observation being validated.
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