After two years of fighting in a New Hampshire court, a Republican state representative in New Hampshire has been ordered to pay two drag queens and publicly apologize for calling them pedophiles.
Rep. David Love (R) made the comments in 2022 while introducing a bill to require library employees and volunteers to obtain background checks. The reason for this was fighting against drag queen story hour events.
Love said a performer at a 2021 drag event in Derry was dancing with children in a sexual manner and that another drag queen at a 2019 drag queen story hour in Nashua was a “convicted sex offender.”
Love has been ordered to pay Robert Champion and Michael McHahon $100,000 each aswell as admit his claims about the two performers were false.
“When you say things that are that damaging or harmful about someone, they’re not going to just sit there and let it happen,” Champion told the Washington Post after the suit.
Speaking to local media, McMahon, whose drag name is Clara Divine, said: “I don’t want people to look at something online about me that’s untrue and believe it, then not cast me for further story times or the children’s activities stuff, because I really like to educate the younger generation on what drag is.
Love shared his apology to the performers via social media.
“After being provided with inaccurate information, information that I failed to verify, I publicly accused Robert Champion aka Monique Toosoon of being a registered sex offender and Michael McMahon aka Clara Divine of ‘rubbing butts’ with children,” the state rep posted in his retraction. “I have since learned that those assertions were completely false.”
“I wish to publicly retract those statements and apologize to Robert and Michael. I have agreed to monetary judgment against me for $100,000 for Robert and Michael each.”
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