Uncovering the “A Gay Girl in Damascus” hoax
Screenshot from A Gay Girl in Danascus blog
The hoax surrounding “A Gay Girl in Damascus” blog was very different from literary hoaxes like “A Million Little Pieces.” The blog’s author, Tom MacMaster, a 40-year-old American man living in Scotland, developed relationships with gay activists throughout the Middle East for years. He also appropriated a voice that was not his own.
Liz Henry, the web producer for the website BlogHer, talks about how she figured out the blog was a hoax and why it matters.
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