Russian trolls weaponize false accusations of transphobia to demonize and silence Democrats.

Some Russian trolls accuse Gavin Newsom of being too pro-LGBTQ. Other Russian trolls accuse him of not being pro-LGBTQ enough, to turn Democrats against him.

Jul 19, 2025

Russian trolls are attracted to posts about Russian trolls like flies to honey.

They search for posts about Russian trolls, to deny deny deny.

The first people to reply to my posts about Russian trolls are usually Russian trolls, to deny deny deny that Russian trolls exist. Denial is rule #1.

Russian trolls also love to falsely accuse people of being “russophobic” if you talk about Russian trolls.

They love to play the victim when you talk about Putin’s new kind of cyberwar, to turn Americans against each other on social media.

His army of disinformation agents use lies as a weapon, to destroy democracy from the inside.

Recently, Russian trolls started an intense propaganda campaign of false accusations to demonize and character assassinate pro-LGBTQ Gavin Newsom for allegedly not being pro-LGBTQ enough.

Gavin is a genocidal monster, according to Russian trolls. Just like Obama, Biden, Hillary, and Kamala.

They’re trying to turn progressive Democrats against Gavin, by falsely accusing him of being anti-LGBTQ and transphobic, to help actual transphobes like Trump win.

You may not know this, but Gavin has a long track record of being pro-LGBTQ. In 2004, as mayor of San Francisco he married gay couples, when gay marriage was still illegal.

Here are some Russian propaganda lies about Gavin:

And here’s what pro-LGBTQ Gavin really said:

You may not know this, but millions of MAGA dumbfucks are convinced that Biden is a pedo and drinks baby blood.

Because thousands of Russian trolls kept falsely accusing Biden over and over, to demonize Biden and rig the 2024 election for Trump.

And eventually MAGA dumbfucks started to run with the Russian lies about Biden.

But they’re not just manipulating MAGA dumbfucks with lies.

Russian trolls also manipulate people on the left by feeding them lies and extremist talking points that are sure to make Democrats unelectable and help Trump win.

Weaponizing false accusations is a propaganda tactic Russian trolls use against all outspoken Democrats and Trump critics. You don’t have to be a politician or a celebrity.

They use the same tactic against all Democrats, big or small, to divide us and turn us against each other.

They’re also trying to do it to me, because I post a lot of anti-fascism, anti-Putin, and anti-Trump stuff. And I wrote that I support Gavin Newsom for President.

Well, honestly I’m fine with just about anyone at this point. I think Gavin would be perfect, but there are many other good choices. You’ll never see me talking shit about any Democrat.

Anyway, now I’m also a target of Russian trolls on Bluesky. One of them bragged about getting me put on a block list, by falsely accusing me of transphobia. Russian trolls work in groups and mass report Democratic posts in bad faith to silence us.

I’m an ally. That’s why my cartoon character has a rainbow-colored mohawk in support. I’ve written a bunch of articles in support of LGBTQ and trans rights, like this one and this one and this one.

So yeah, that’s what’s happening all over American social media, not just on Bluesky.

Russian trolls are impersonating Americans, to turn Americans against each other, and instigate conflict and hate.

While Russian trolls attack outspoken Democrats like me, I get a kick out of exposing them.

I calmly and politely reply to their attacks against me, without aggression or hostility, and let them rampage with their usual absurdly over-the-top hyper-aggression.

Over and over: An endless firehose of false accusations and random pointless hostility in endless pointless circular arguments that serve no purpose other than to demonize Democrats with false accusations.

It’s a telltale sign of Russian trolls. Normal people don’t behave that way.

That’s why Russian trolls are so easy to spot. They have tells, and you can learn to recognize them instantly. They all follow the same troll farm script.

Take another look at that list I posted earlier, about the 12 things you should know about Russian trolls. That’s a good start. But there are many more telltale signs.

Bluesky user Nightmarica noticed the pattern too and added a few points to the list:

And when Russian trolls get exposed, their last resort, the ultimate denial, is a propaganda tactic known as Accusation in a Mirror: “I’m not a Russian troll, you’re a Russian troll!”

After dealing with Russian trolls for over 10 years, I learned to spot their patterns, and recognize the script they follow.

They impersonate Americans (see rule #10) and they instigate fake outrage about divisive issues to get Democrats cancelled, and they post toxic lies about American politics.

My favorite part is when they fuck up their second-language English, and they accidentally reveal themselves as hostile foreign imposters: