Rep. George Santos appeared to admit to having performed as a drag queen in an old Wikipedia entry, report says
Andrew Harnik/ AP Photo
- George Santos appeared to admit to having performed as a drag queen in an old Wikipedia entry.
- Politico accessed a Wikipedia page in which a user going by a known Santos alias wrote about his drag queen past.
- Santos has called claims that he performed in drag many years ago an "outrageous" lie.
Embattled GOP Rep. George Santos appeared to admit to having performed as a drag queen in an old Wikipedia entry, Politico reported.
Santos claimed on Thursday that reports that he performed in drag several years ago were an "outrageous" lie in a rare public denial of claims made about his past.
His denial came after two of his acquaintances told Reuters that the lawmaker used to compete in drag beauty pageants in Brazil.
Politico accessed a Wikipedia page that shows a user named Anthony Devolder, an alias known to be used by Santos, writing that he "startted his 'stage' life at age 17 as an gay night club DRAG QUEEN and with that won sevral GAY 'BEAUTY PAGENTS.'"
Videos and social media posts from several years ago show Santos frequently going by the name Anthony Devolder.
The Wikipedia biography, which was last edited on April 29, 2011, also contains biographical details that match the New York congressman.
This includes his date of birth of July 22, 1988, and the fact that he was born to a Brazilian family with a European background.
Santos was not immediately reachable for comment.
The lawmaker has been caught lying about vast swathes of his life and history, ranging from his educational background and work history to his religion to claiming that his mother died on 9/11 when she wasn't even in the country.
The questions about his drag queen past come after the congressman has aligned himself with some of the most right-wing Republican lawmakers.
Santos, who is gay, has backed legislation criticized for harming LGBTQ people, such as Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill, which critics have labeled the "Don't Say Gay" bill as it bans discussion of LGBTQ issues in classrooms.
Santos' alleged drag queen past has emerged amid a right-wing anti-gay disinformation campaign attempting to link drag shows to "grooming." One Texas Republican, Bryan Slaton, called them a "disturbing trend in which perverted adults are obsessed with sexualizing young children."