From Politics to Hate: Exposing LGBTQ+ People to Extremist Content

Fairbanks resident Kelly Lindsey Nash's transformation from failed state house candidate to anti-LGBTQ activist and online provocateur is a grotesque example of how just one person can cause hate to flourish. Since her embarrassing, devastating shellacking in 2022, in which she captured a paltry 838 votes (sad!), the failed politician has found a new platform online, using far-right rhetoric to promote hateful attacks on marginalized communities.

For a bit of background, Nash, the founder of the anti-American Interior Patriots Facebook group, bought into former President Donald Trump's baseless, unfounded, and debunked election fraud lies and boarded a plane on January 4, 2021, to travel to the "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington, DC. The rally was attended by QAnon conspiracy theorists and militia groups such as the Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and Oath Keepers.

Two days later, on January 6th, the rally devolved into a violent and deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to steal the presidential election from Joe Biden, who Nash says is not her president.

Like many who ascribe to the ideology of the far-right, Nash now spends her days babbling incoherently on social media about George Soros and non-existent child grooming and imaginary P0rN0gRapHic books in public schools. She was instrumental in this year's attack on FNSBSD School Board member Bobby Burgess over a stolen private photo showing his backside at home. Defenders of the deranged attack justified their actions, claiming that while the photo had been taken years prior, Burgess did not enjoy a right to privacy on social media.

But to the point, Nash's support of the sleazy attack was a cheap shot aimed at a personal moment—part of a broader smear campaign to discredit school board members involved in diversity and equity initiatives. By aiding and abetting others who twisted an innocent post into a political weapon, Nash clearly demonstrated her penchant for inciting hate and intolerance.

This month, in an October 12th Facebook post, Nash zeroed in on another target: a Fairbanks substitute teacher.

Nash shared a video recorded by the teacher, who had voiced support for Planned Parenthood and said he became a certified sexual education instructor through the organization. Nash conveniently ignores that his comments made in the video were years old, made on his own personal time and have nothing to do with his role as an educator. Yet, in her overarching, obsessive hunt to target and smear LGBTQ+ individuals, she dragged irrelevant aspects of his life into the fray, fueling harassment with her deranged nonsense.

Comments made in response to Nash's post reveal just how toxic and dangerous her anti-LGBTQ+ crusade has become. Nash's gal-pal Patricia Silva responded, writing that the teacher was a "pedophile."

Silva, you might recall, previously made headlines after being banned from Planet Fitness for taking and posting a photo of a transgender woman in the locker room, a violation of privacy that she proudly shared with Libs of TikTok. That incident fueled a wave of online harassment against the trans woman, including more than 40 bomb threats made against Planet Fitness locations across the country. Unsurprisingly, Nash appears to have been directly involved in that particular targeted harassment campaign, sounding off in a March 23, 2024, Facebook post, "Libs of TikTok here we come."

With those 40 bomb threats fresh on your mind, note that Nash freely admits to sending videos of the substitute teacher to the Libs of TikTok X account, whose disinformation campaigns mobilize right-wing extremist groups in violent attacks against LGBTQ+ people, spaces, and events.

Later, after noticing that her extremist besties had indeed shared one of the teacher's videos on X, Nash gleefully followed up in a second post: "He made it to X! Love Catturd and Libs of TikTok! Something's gotta give."

The meaning behind Nash's comment is clear—she was reveling in what she had set in motion, amplifying her hateful rhetoric through online extremist channels, knowing full well that such platforms often inspire backlash against the people they target.

The video she sent to Libs of TikTok was viewed more than 1.1 million times and drew the attention of anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theorists, with many calling for the teacher's firing. Others hurled baseless accusations, defaming him as a "child groomer" and "pedophile." The MAGA mob mentality escalated when a right-wing extremist shared a screenshot of the teacher's personal Facebook page, urging Libs of TikTok's psychotic followers to "put him on blast," effectively weaponizing the mob against him.

In a video recorded today, the teacher shared how Nash’s actions led Libs of TikTok's followers to post his name, location, and place of employment online, doxxing him. He described the harassment he’s faced, including death threats, and stated that he has already reported the situation to the FBI’s cybercrime division, submitting screenshots as proof of those involved.

"This is the latest escalation from the same individual who has been committing such acts for three years now," he said in the video.

But wait, the story gets better because Nash and Klan have had a very busy week.

Two days later, on October 17th, Nash once again turned her attention toward the LGBTQ+ community, this time sharing a tweet from David Leslie, a queer Inupiaq activist, writer, and organizer. Leslie had posted a flyer promoting an upcoming Queer Market event scheduled for November 1st in Fairbanks.

Leslie isn't involved in the event, so it's unclear why Nash didn't simply share the flyer itself, but it fits a familiar pattern. Nash seems to seek out ways to spotlight LGBTQ+ individuals like Leslie, even when they have no connection to the event in question.

The event's organizer, the Fairbanks Queer Collective, is a grassroots, QTBIPOC-led organization doing work to support and uplift the LGBTQ2S+ community. They play no role in public education but focus on a wide array of initiatives, including community education, legal advocacy, and leadership training. Their community center even provides a free clothing closet, where anyone in need, regardless of how they identify, can get much-needed clothes.

According to their website, they are now fiscally sponsored by Native Movement, a 501(c)(3) organization, making their work all the more impactful and far-reaching. Despite the attacks, the Collective is proof that good works can thrive even in the face of hate-mongering hags like Nash.

Comments made in response to Nash's Facebook post were as grotesque as one might expect, ranging from casual mockery to outright bigotry. Chuck Yingst's comment, "Wow fag show," is one of the most vile. Others reduced the upcoming event to crude sexual innuendos, writing, "All they sell is cucumbers and zucchini," followed by "And various sausages," to which Nash indicated her joyous approval with an 'OMG IT'S SO FUNNY' laughing emoji.

I asked David Leslie what he thought about Nash sharing his tweet on her Facebook page, considering her admission that she sent videos and photographs of LGBTQ+ individuals to the stochastic terrorist account Libs of TikTok.

"I'm afraid to share anything related to my community because I don't want my friends to get targeted next," Leslie said. "Is something I share going to cause someone to get hurt?"

Thirty-five pages of abhorrent social media posts document Nash's multi-year vigilante crusade against members of Fairbanks' LGBTQ+ community.

In one such Facebook post from July of last year, Nash proudly admitted taking down supportive magnetic LGBTQ+ signs from stores and plotted to tear down the Pride flag at a local Safeway. She brazenly equated the Queer Collective's inclusive, community-building work with pedophilia, using the term "groomer" to smear those who don't conform to her extremist views.

I point out these things to make clear that Nash's unhinged behavior and obsessive targeting of LGBTQ+ people is not a one-off occurrence directly related to public education but rather part of a broader, disturbing pattern she has embraced.

When Nash writes, "We have to let them know there is no room for this [gay] shit in Fairbanks," she's laying the groundwork for hate, emboldening others to act with the same hostility she openly celebrates.