Bisexual Parkland survivor Emma Gonzalez targeted by Twitter photoshop hoax

Mar 26 2018
Written by Jess Glass

Parkland survivor Emma Gonzalez, the bisexual head of Stoneman Douglas High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance, has been targeted by a photoshop hoax that shows her ripping up the US Constitution.

An edited image of gun control advocate Emma Gonzalez ripping up a copy of the US Constitution has gone viral, causing outrage on both sides of the political spectrum.

The original appears to have been taken from a recent edition of Teen Vogue, where Gonzalez and other survivors of the Parkland school shooting were heavily featured.

At last week’s the March For Our Lives rally in Washington DC, she made an emotional speech which left her and many of the hundreds of thousands of protesters in tears.

“In just a few weeks’ time, we, the youth of the United States, have built a new movement to denounce gun violence and call for safety in all of our communities. And this is only the beginning.” #EmmaGonzalez writes our March cover story — a rallying cry for all of America’s children. Link in bio. : @tylersphotos Makeup: @gracegraceahn Styling: @cocostyle1 Hair: @rubi_jones

A post shared by Teen Vogue (@teenvogue) on Mar 23, 2018 at 5:59am PDT

It is unclear who made the edit or where it was originally posted, however, the image and a related gif spread virally across Twitter on Sunday.

One of posts of the doctored image (Photo: @LeighStewey / Twitter)

Gun advocates often see any gun reform as an attack on their constitutional rights, as the ‘right to bear arms’ is a right enshrined in the second amendment.

These advocates frequently claim that any gun control measures are a direct attack on the United States and their freedoms.

In the real image, Gonzalez actually rips up a gun shooting range target, rather than the constitution.

(Photo: Teen Vogue)

The photo has now been widely debunked, though many have defended sharing the photo as political satire or commentary.

Many people have hit out at what they see as an attack on Gonzalez and the March for Our Lives movement.

Some have pointed out that many of the people who are sharing the fake photos are often the same people criticising the students and accusing them of being paid actors, rather than genuine and traumatised teenagers.

(Photo: @OhNoSheTwitnt / Twitter)

“‘The Parkland kids are paid actors and cant be trusted’ say the people who photoshopped an image of Emma Gonzalez tearing up the constituion,” one wrote.

Others said that for pro-gun advocates to stoop to writing brazen lies about the Parkland survivors, the movement must be doing something right.

(Photo: @blazingxmexican / Twitter)

“The fact that 30+ year olds are hating on an 18-year-old girl calling for change lets me know that we’re winning. You must be very scared for your precious guns if you have to photoshop.”

Together with fellow students like David Hogg and Cameron Kasky, the 18-year-old has prompted a tidal wave of public sentiment in favour of better gun regulation following the shooting in Florida.

She has been at the forefront of the #NeverAgain movement since her impassioned speech at a rally last month in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when she emotively repeated the phrase “We call BS” about NRA-funded politicians, gun advocates and those who don’t believe the Parkland teenagers know enough to speak up.

Gonzales said that being open with her bisexuality meant she was able to speak out in this powerful way as one of the leaders of the Never Again MSD movement.