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Tale of Pride flag burner destroying house is fictional
If Your Time is short
A story of an Iowa Trump supporter who accidentally burned his own house down while trying to burn a Pride flag fooled some social media users, but it originated on a satirical account.
To some people sharing the story, it seemed like an example of poetic justice: A Trump supporter angry about LGBTQ+ Pride Month tried to burn a Pride flag before his demonstration backfired.
"BREAKING: A MAGA fan in Iowa accidentally burned down his house today trying to burn a gay pride flag," read the screenshot of an X post shared June 11 by a Threads user.
"Stupid, homophobic and homeless is no way to go through life," the post’s caption said.
Other social media users piled on, mocking the misfortune of the person who was so blinded with rage by the Pride flag, he set his own house alight.
"Happy Pride Month," another Threads user wrote, with a smiling emoji.
Featured Fact-check
Although there is plenty of real-life backlash against Pride Month, this tale of karmic payback was pure fiction.
The X account that first shared the story is The Halfway Post. That the post had no links to a news article or any specific details was the first sign something was amiss.
The account is run by a comedian who goes by the name Dash MacIntyre. His X account profile describes the account as "halfway true comedy and satire by @DashMacIntyre. I don't report the facts, I improve them."
The profile links to a blog on the website Medium, where he describes himself as a "comedian, political satirist and poet" and a top source of "absurdist satire" on X.
MacIntyre followed up his tale of the MAGA flag burner June 13 with an update. "BREAKING: The MAGA fan in Iowa who accidentally burned down his house yesterday trying to burn a gay pride flag today set his truck on fire trying to burn a DVD of Brokeback Mountain," he wrote.
Although some social users fell for the fictional story of a Pride flag burner accidentally burning his house down, the story originated as satire. The claim is False.
Our Sources
Threads post, June 11, 2024
Threads post, June 11, 2024
The Halfway Post, X post, June 11, 2024
The Halfway Post, X profile, accessed June 13, 2024
The Halfway Post, X post, June 13, 2024
Dash MacIntyre, Medium page, accessed June 13, 2024
MSNBC, Pride Month backlash on the rise in multiple states, June 10, 2024
USA Today, Expect fewer rainbow logos for LGBTQ Pride Month after Target, Bud Light backlash, June 4, 2024
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Tale of Pride flag burner destroying house is fictional
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