Victimhood is profitable. On the internet, it can get you thousands of dollars in crowdfunding donations. In the media, it can win you national prominence and a cooing audience of credulous sycophants. On campus, it can get you attention and plaudits from fellow grievance-mongers.
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HATE CRIME HOAXES: A TIMELINE
2007
Student at George Washington University targets herself with swastika graffiti
Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University falsely reports racist hate mail to the FBI
2008
Liberal blogs spread false rumour that a Sarah Palin supporter called Barack Obama the N-word.
2009
Student at Hofstra University falsely accuses five male students of gang-rape
Rachel Dolezal reports numerous hate crimes at her property, but fails to follow up with evidence
Left-wing activists in Denver vandalize Democrat Party HQ, blame right-wing opponents of Obama
Liberal blogs spread false rumour that a town hall protester yelled a death threat at a Democratic congressman
2010
Lesbian couple in Tennessee stage fake arson attack on themselves
White woman in Portland attacks herself with acid, blames it on black woman
2011
African-American law student at the University of Virginia makes up police misconduct incident
Man in Iowa makes up incident of gay hate crime
Lesbian couple in Colorado spray-paint “kill the gay” on their own garage door
UNC chapel hill student accidentally burns himself, claims his injuries were the result of a homophobic attack
2012
Gay man in Montana injures himself attempting a backflip, claims injuries were the result of a homophobic attack
African-American woman in Louisiana claims the KKK “set her on fire” for wearing an Obama t-shirt. Police later found her own fingerprints on the lighter
African-American woman at Grand Valley State University writes racist death threat on a whiteboard outside her own dorm room
Lesbian in Nebraska charged with making false claims to the police after faking homophobic assault on herself
Gay bar owner in Chicago admits to torching his own establishment, writing gay slurs on the walls
Lesbian sophomore at Central Connecticut State University writes homophobic death threats to herself
Republican activist in Wisconsin falsely claims he was assaulted in his home by a man shouting homophobic slurs
Students at Montclair State University charged with faking racist graffiti
Student at Michigan State University claims he was punched and had his mouth stapled shut by Neo-Nazis
2013
Lesbian waitress claims a customer scrawled a homophobic note on his receipt, refusing to tip her because she was gay
Left-wing activists at Oberlin College scrawl racist graffiti around campus
Feminist activist at the University of Wyoming sends rape threats to herself on Facebook
Racist and transphobic graffiti at Vassar College revealed to be the work of the same transgender student who was appointed to run the student-led investigation into the incidents
Jersey City high school student government candidate sends racist texts to himself
Student at the University of Chicago fakes hack on his own Facebook page, fills it with racist abuse, uses incident to push diversity agenda on campus
African-American Baptist minister admits to painting racial slurs on the side of his house and setting his porch on fire
Mother of high schooler in Massachussetts falsely accuses high school football team of spraying racist graffiti on her family’s house
Gay man in Tennessee charged claims he was attacked and had a homophobic slur written on his forehead, later charged with making a false report
Transgender Student at Hercules High School in San Francisco fakes bathroom assault
2014
Muslim man in California murders his wife, tries to blame it on “Islamophobic hate crime”
Radio station in New York fabricates story of a mom stopping her child from attending a classmate’s birthday party because their parents were gay
Bosnian immigrant in St. Louis falsely claims three black teenagers wanted to kill her due to ethnicity
Gay Apple Store customer in Portland falsely claims employee wrote homophobic slur on receipt
African-American waitress in Tennessee claims customer wrote racial slurs to her on the back of a receipt, handwriting experts later say this is false
Muslim in Michigan burns Qu’rans outside Islamic Cultural Center
Rolling Stone reporter Sabrina Rubin Ederly publishes “A Rape On Campus,” a female University of Virginia student’s account of an alleged gang rape at the hands of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. The story proves to be a hoax, leading to a national controversy
2015
Gay pizzeria owner in Utah admits he made up allegations that he was the victim of a homophobic attack in his restaurant
Lesbian professor at Central Michigan University admits she punched her own face and claimed bruises to be the result of a hate crime
Black activist at Kean University faces jail sentence and fine for tweeting anonymous racial abuse to fellow students
Gay student at the University of North Dakota claims fraternity physically attacked him for homophobic reasons, later admits he started the fight himself
Black student at Saginaw State Valley University leaves fake racist threats on Yik Yak
Mexican-American man in Palo Alto attacked by rival gang, blames it on white racists
African-American activist, an alumni of Kean University tweets anonymous racist threats to students, charged with creating false public alarm
“White Only” and “Black Only” signs at the University of Buffalo turn out to be a campus activist’s “art project””
African-American man in Colorado Springs leaves racist messages outside African-American church
Baltimore woman receives $43,000 in donations after claiming she received homophobic hate mail, later revealed as hoax
Gay man in Utah carves “Die Fag” into his own arm, claims to be victim of hate crime
Muslim student at UT Arlington fabricates story of being threatened with a gun by white men in a pickup truck decorated with “large Texan flags”
Student activists at the University of Missouri spread false rumor of KKK sightings on campus
Yale Sigma Alpha Epsilon frat falsely accused of multiple racist incidents
Gay man falsely accuses a University of North Dakota frat of throwing him out of a party because he is gay
Vanderbilt students claim bag of excrement left outside student cultural center was racially motivated, later revealed to be dog waste
Students at University of Delaware claim “nooses” were hung from trees on campus, later revealed to be remnants of paper lanterns
Mosque in Houston set on fire — by a Muslim
Jewish student at George Washington University admits to posting a swastika on Jewish fraternity’s bulletin board
White woman in Texas invents story of being attacked by three African Americans in front of her 3-year old daughter
Gay activist in Ohio claims he has been abducted, late revealed to be a hoax
2016
Black activist in Seattle defaces African-American cultural center with racist graffiti
African-American students at the University of Albany falsely claim to be victims of racial abuse by fellow passenger on a bus
Pastor in Austin, Texas claims a local Whole Foods store wrote “FAG” on a cake he ordered for a gay congregation member, but surveillance footage shows he tampered with the cake himself
Muslim woman in New York City admits to faking knife hate crime attack
