Pedophilia

Are conservatives or Republicans now taking issue with "manufactured" rainbows that appear when there is water spray from a fountain? No, that's not true: This viral 2007 video of unscientific musings about rainbows was mashed up and posted to mock conservative Republicans in 2023. In the original video, the person's political party affiliation is not readily apparent. Remixed in 2023,…

Does a pastel rainbow "MAP" flag signify normalizing pedophilia? No, that's not true: There's no evidence that it is an official "MAP or YAP pride flag." An organization that works with "MAP," which stands for minor attracted persons, has denied that the flag is a symbol for the people associated with the term. The claim appeared in a video (archived…

Did former President Barack Obama remove half a million pedophiles from government online databases? No, that's not true: The claim refers to changes in criminal record-keeping. The Trump administration issued the memo in February 2017 that more narrowly defined a "fugitive from justice" as a person with an arrest warrant who had also fled state lines. This resulted in 500,000…

Did Pattie Mallette, who became pregnant with Justin Bieber at 17, say it was a result of rape? No, that's not true: While being a survivor of sexual abuse, she does not categorize the moment she conceived her son as rape in her memoir. The claim appeared in a post on Facebook on April 11, 2023. It said: She was…

Did Pope Francis say that pedophiles have a special place in heaven? No, that's not true: There is no record of Pope Francis saying that, as an article in NewsPunch claims. Other quotes in this article are real quotes from the pope that were taken out of context and their meaning reversed. The article was published by NewsPunch on February…

Does a video featuring actor Tom Hanks prove he is linked to a Hollywood child trafficking conspiracy? No, that's not true: The video is a clip of Hanks acting in a skit that aired on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in 2011. The social media account that made the claim describes itself as satirical. The claim appeared on Instagram on January 4,…

Did the World Economic Forum declare, as part of a purported campaign to promote public acceptance of pedophilia, that "pedophiles will save humanity"? No, that's not true: No credible evidence exists that the WEF has made any such statement. The website on which this claim appeared has a reputation for publishing fabricated and inaccurate content. The claim appeared in a…

Does a video of a congressional hearing show a Democratic congresswoman from California saying she believes pedophilia is an identity and not a crime? No, that's not true: Katie Porter's remarks were about the use of false narratives on social media that label LGBTQ individuals as pedophiles because of their gender identity or sexual orientation. The claim appeared in a…

Did Mel Gibson say he wants to "expose the truth about the corrupted elites" on his official Telegram account? No, that's not true: "It's fake," Gibson's representative told Lead Stories about a purported quote from the actor. Gibson does not have a Telegram account, the representative said. The claim appeared on Facebook on December 13, 2022. It opened: Mel Gibson…

Did California approve a Senate bill "this week" in December 2022 that "legalizes pedophilia"? No, that's not true: Senate Bill 145 passed in California in 2020, not 2022, and it's intended to protect LGBTQ minors from discriminatory laws, not to be "pro-pedophilia." It only applies to people who are convicted, so it doesn't legalize actions that were illegal before, as…