Right-wing websites hacked with fake coming out statement from editor: ‘I am a trans individual’
A fake statement on The Post Millenial describes Andy Ngo coming out. (YouTube/Andy Ngo/Canva)
The websites of two right-wing publications website, Human Events and The Post Millennial, were temporarily hacked and replaced with a fake coming-out message from The Post Millennial’s editor-at-large, Andy Ngo.
Both sites were taken down and briefly replaced with a message on top of a gradient resembling the trans pride flag on Thursday (2 May).
The official X accounts for both Human Events and The Post Millennial – which was bought by Human Events in 2022 – were also made private at the time of the hack. It’s not clear if that was also the work of hackers.
Media Matters reporter, Ari Drennen, initially discovered the message on The Post Millennial, saying that the website “appears to have been hacked” and replaced with the pro-trans note.
The fake statement, which is framed as having come from Andy Ngo, reads: “I am writing to you today to share something deeply personal and important to me. For many years, I’ve felt a sense of disconnect between the gender I was assigned at birth and the one I truly am.
“After much soul-searching, I have come to the realisation that I am a trans individual, and I would like to officially introduce myself as Angelina Ngo, a woman.”
The fake statement appears to be making fun at Ngo’s and The Post Millennial’s anti-trans rhetoric and conspiratorial coverage of the LGBTQ+ community over the last few years.
“I also want to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise to the LGBTQ+ community for any pain or harm my previous actions or words may have caused,” the fake statement continued. “I acknowledge that my past behaviour has not always been supportive or understanding, and for that I am truly sorry.”
After continuing to claim that Angelina Ngo has “come to understand the important of empathy, acceptance and love,” the fake statement finishes by saying: “I look forward to sharing my life with you as Angelina Ngo, a woman and an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.”
Ngo’s actions as a right-wing influencer and journalist include allegedly doxxing information of two reporters who he described as “antifa ideologues.”
Following a wave of abuse from Ngo’s supporters, one of the journalists, Shane Burley, said that Ngo “doesn’t seem to have many real journalistic credentials” and argued that his experience comes from “creating controversy.”
“One way to think of Andy Ngo is he is part of a far-right mediasphere that creates victimisation narratives of conservatism and profit from it,” Burley said to Jacobin.
“It’s all about the embattled American man who is under siege at every turn, whether it’s trans children, immigrant criminals, anchor babies, or dangerous college campuses.”
Ngo has not yet addressed the situation and The Post Millennial remains closed at the time of reporting, with a 404 error message that reads: “Site under maintenance. Sorry for any inconvenience.”
Screenshots of the original message note that the words maintenance and inconvenience were initially misspelt.
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