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Top five Queer culture scandals in 2023 (so far)

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Even though we're only six months into 2023, we've already had plenty of juicy scandals. Allow me to tell you about four of my favorite ones so far.

Photo courtesy of Eula Rochard  

George Santos caught doing drag
Republican Rep. George Santos had pictures leaked of him doing drag while living in Brazil. This is significant because Santos, who is openly Gay, has supported drag bans and other anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

"The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag queen or 'performed' as a drag queen is categorically false," he said on Twitter. "The media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results. I will not be distracted nor fazed by this."

The pictures taken of him, however, told a different story. The side-by-side comparison of Santos in and out of drag look nearly identical in terms of facial structure.

"No, I was not a drag queen in Brazil, guys," Santos said to a group of reporters at LaGuardia Airport. "I was young, and I had fun at a festival. Sue me for having a life."

According to the Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, one of the definitions of drag is "entertainment in which performers caricature or challenge gender stereotypes (as by dressing in clothing that is stereotypical of another gender, by using exaggeratedly gendered mannerisms, or by combining elements of stereotypically male and female dress) and often wear elaborate or outrageous costumes."

Based on this definition, Santos has performed drag. He should just own it because he clearly had a fun time doing it.

Image courtesy of M&M  

The M&M'S controversy
M&M'S had already been deemed controversial by conservative media last year when the green M&M was given tennis shoes, but "scandals" continue to plague the candy. To be clear, most people do not care about what the candy spokespeople appear to wear, but ex-Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson is obsessed with them.

"Woke M&M'S have returned," Carlson said in a January broadcast on Fox. "The green M&M got her boots back, but apparently is now a Lesbian maybe, and there's also a plus-sized obese purple M&M. So, we're going to cover that of course because that's what we do."

Why Carlson is obsessed with candy is unknown, but many internet users and meme creators have made jokes that he may have a fetish for the M&M'S mascots. This, of course, is just internet speculation.

In response to the outrage, M&M'S put out a statement on its social media accounts saying they are putting a pause on having spokescandies and replacing them with Maya Rudolph. I'm not sure what the thinking there was, but the decision did not last long, and shortly after Rudolph took over, the spokescandies came back.

I think it may have been M&M'S way of trolling Carlson, but that speculation has not been confirmed by the company.

Hopefully now that Carlson has been fired from Fox News, the green M&M can live her best Lesbian life.

FDA issues warning not to confuse poppers with energy shots
"A single mistake can prove fatal," the FDA said in a post to its social media accounts. "We continue to receive reports of people dying or being severely injured after consuming poppers that resemble and are often mistaken for popular energy shots. Drinking or inhaling poppers seriously jeopardizes your health."

Queer people and partygoers who use poppers like the effect they have on the sex drive.

According to GoodRx.com, "The combination of chemicals in nitrites causes a person's blood vessels to dilate and muscles to relax, which can make sex less painful and more enjoyable."

Do not confuse the two products, because they are very different.

Gay Twitter had a field day with the FDA warning, with many people pointing out that if your energy drink smells like nail polish, it's not an energy drink. Others went a more absurd route. "STAY SAFE KIDS. A single mistake can prove fatal," tweeted @byebyebussy over a picture of a jalapeno popper. Health experts within the Queer community also called out the FDA for fearmongering, saying there were limited to no reports of the purported mistake actually occurring that they could find.

Image by Lauren Witzke  

Pride Month "Demon"
Far-right political activist Lauren Witzke decided to celebrate Pride Month by tweeting
that the word "demon" can be found if you combine the words "Pride month."

"Demons can seethe," Witzke posted to her Twitter account. "Christians are done taking crap from the LGBTQ Mafia. We're canceling Pride Month, pouring out your Bud Light, shutting down your Targets, and we're taking back the rainbow. We will also stand up for our right to criticize your depravity in court. No more cowarding, no more pandering."

Queer Twitter responded in a fantastic way. People pointed out that "Bi" is in the word "Bible" and "Ru" is in the word "Crucifixion."

Additionally, many Queer people own "demon" as a title for one reason or another. (Yes, Queer Christians, we know you exist.)

Frankly, Queer people have heard worse than Witzke's silly way of being hateful.

Images courtesy of Dylan Mulvaney / Instagram  

Budweiser TikTok Fiasco
Conservatives flipped out when Trans TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney partnered with Bud Light brewer Anheuser-Busch for a marketing campaign to promote the company's Easy Carry contest on social media. Right-wing Americans announced their boycott of Budweiser products, and conservative media pundits were up in arms! Kid Rock shot up several cases of beer with an AR-15 because that is, in his mind, a sane and patriotic thing to do. Many outraged transphobes took to Twitter and TikTok to say they'd be switching brands from Bud Light to Natural Light or Busch — both also owned by Anheuser-Busch. Other beers owned by Anheuser-Busch include Kona Big Wave, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois, Estrella Jalisco, Hoegaarden, Shock Top, Presidente, and Land Shark, which caused another uproar on social media as it became harder to boycott the company. Eventually, entrepreneur Seth Weathers entered the scene with Conservative Dad's Ultra Right 100% Woke Free American Beer, a beer that promised to "support American values" with its $20 six-pack of cheap, watery beer. Mulvaney continues to rock TikTok despite the anti-Trans hate.

All in all, these scandals are small potatoes compared to the overarching themes of homophobia and transphobia we're seeing from legislators across the nation. It's fun to laugh, because if we didn't laugh, we'd cry! Happy Pride, everybody! Stay scandalous!