Transgender

Did basketball player Sophie Cunningham refuse to apologize for her words about transgender athletes in women's sports and thus get suspended for five games? No, that's not true: This story originated as self-described satire. As of this writing, Cunningham was not suspended. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X by @mcafeenew on July 30, 2026. It opened:…

Did WNBA star Sophie Cunningham say LeBron James "doesn't have the correct genitalia" to discuss transgender women in sports? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a Facebook page known for posting satirical content that carries the disclaimer, "Nothing on this page is real." The image in the original post also bears the same warning label. Lead Stories found…

Did the State of Minnesota announce it will bring "transgender dolls" to public school classrooms as early as fall 2026? No, that's not true: The state's Department of Education denied that. The dolls are a project of University of Minnesota, and, according to the statement of the academics behind it, are meant to be a "therapeutic tool for use by…

Is a video showing a transgender Florida student fake, AI-generated, or staged? No, that's not true: The footage is body camera video from the University of Central Florida Police Department. The incident occurred in February 2025 and involved then-student Jarrett Vick, who was upset about how police used pronouns when referring to them during an encounter that resulted in their…

Does a viral image of actor Elliot Page actually show him on the August 2026 Men's Health magazine cover? No, that's not true: The magazine told Lead Stories it didn't publish such a cover. The picture shared on social media originated from a self-described satire account, but later variations removed the watermark linking the image with that account. The claim…

Was a real Florida corrections officer named "Lena Hale" arrested for impregnating inmates? No, that's not true: No credible news organizations reported the story. Viral posts making the claim shared images showing a person supposedly having two different hair colors at the moment of booking. The alleged mugshot displayed signs that were consistent with the use of generative AI. The…

Did OK! Magazine publish a report that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz booked an $8,000 OnlyFans private session with a transgender model during the Group of Seven summit? No, that's not true: A viral video with their branding was not actually published on the OK! Magazine website or on any of its official social media accounts. There are no legitimate news…

Did George Floyd make the pictured social media post about trans people on Aug. 3, 2011, years before he died? No, that's not true: The screenshot showing a post from @Bigfloyd73 is fake. The Twitter account with that handle was not created until 2022, after George Floyd's death on May 25, 2020. The fake screenshot resurfaced in a post (archived…

Did PinkNews, an outlet covering LGBTQ+ issues, actually report that Armenian cabinet members will have to install LGBTQ+ and transgender members to meet EU membership demands? No, that's not true: That article was published by a copycat website. It had a confusingly similar name and was registered days before the publication. The claim originated from an article (archived here) published…

Does a Trump administration counterterrorism strategy document mention "pro-transgender" groups and "We Will Kill You" on the same page? No, that's not true: The fabricated image cuts and pastes together different sections of the White House document "United States Counterterrorism Strategy 2026." This takes the information out of context and changes its emphasis. The claim appeared in a post and…