The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released two important reports this week, detailing how Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential elections. While this is disturbing for a number of obvious reasons, the reports specifically describe instances of tactics that targeted LGBTQ youth. And they’re really, really messed up.
Apparently, one of the tactics Russia’s Internet Research Agency (IRA) used was to set up hotlines. One of these hotlines was presented as a “support” line for LGBTQ youth. No information was given on how many people called in, or what information they received when they did. It’s unclear what information these “hotlines” recorded, but it’s possible they were designed to collect personal information. To what end? That’s still unclear, too.
One of the reports claims, “It is evident that the campaigns sought to demobilize African Americans, LGBT, and liberal voters.” But why?
The New Knowledge report hypothesizes that increasing “polarization between liberals and conservatives around LGBT rights, a well-known wedge issue between these groups” may have been the intention behind the campaign.
Voter suppression might have been key as well. The report mentions a user who went by “@MRNyc2015,” who identified as gay and spewed lies about voting, such as telling people they needed to vote online. A Facebook page created by the IRA, called “LGBT United,” was one of its most successful attempts. Just how big a page are we talking? It received nearly 90,000 comments and had posts shared nearly one million times. That’s some serious reach for a page designed by trolls.
According to the report, the IRA spent $5,500 on Facebook ads targeting LGBTQ people. The goal, again, was likely to shift trust in the political system overall, not necessarily to get queer people to vote for Trump in the election.
The IRA also wanted to stir controversy over Milo Yiannopoulos. “The fucking lefty scumbags seeded destruction around at UC Berkeley overnight in response to the planned speech by a right-wing firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos who’s an actual gay! Who’s intolerant now?” one IRA post quoted in the report stated. (For context, this was around the time his speeches on college campuses were gaining a lot of media attention).
LGBTQ youth suffer from higher risks of depression, self-harm, and suicide attempts. They’re less likely to graduate from high school, more likely to use drugs, and more likely to become homeless than their straight, cisgender peers. Obviously, any sort of election interference is unacceptable. Targeting extremely vulnerable, marginalized youth is a new level of despicable.