PragerU, also known as Prager University Foundation, is a conservative advocacy and media group that has made headlines in 2023 for its controversial educational curriculum. Videos and lessons that downplay the effects of racism and slavery, the mistreatment of Indigenous populations and how LGBTQ+ issues should not be taught in school under the guise of “protecting the innocence of our kids.”
PragerU has had a particular focus on transgender youth and that trans people should not be considered part of the LGB community. Dennis Prager, founder of PragerU, has referred to trans women in sports as “narcissistic cheats” and misgenders trans people when addressing trans issues.
Today on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, PragerU is featured in the “What’s Happening” section of the site, promoting their “Detrans: The Story of Detransitioners” documentary campaign. Unlike other “What’s Happening” topics, users cannot mark the trend as harmful or not interested. PragerU is using X to promote their latest documentary about transgender youth who have undergone detransition.
While the estimated rate of detransition or transition regret is low according to many studies, PragerU’s documentary considers transitioning harmful, citing “a growing number of young Americans are being manipulated by social media and pushed by medical professionals to take hormones and undergo surgery. Now, many are finding the courage to detransition and warn others about their experience.”
The documentary is being promoted to X users, including those who are LGBTQ+. Many trans and ally users are purposely co-opting the #detrans to share their happy success stories with transition, but also frustration with X being used to promote PragerU.
X user Loren Schmidt responded to the promotion, “since #detrans is trending, some suggestions of things to do instead of believing propaganda: read about actual statistics about medical transition educate yourself about ways bigotry affects your trans community members learn about the anti-trans lobby.”
User whams posted, “why am i allowed to say i’m disinterested in so many topics but when i get hateful rhetoric like #detrans promoted onto my trending tab i’m suddenly not allowed to mark it for disinterest (despite having prageru blocked and the hashtag muted)”
For user Jake Brown, the promotion may be what drives him from X. “Feels like #DETRANS as a sponsored hashtag is probably the end of me being on here. Speech is whatever. Accepting money to promote this is wrong. Full stop.”
X owner, Elon Musk has espoused his own views on transgender issues, including calling transition a “major problem.” He posted in June of this year, ” I will be actively lobbying to criminalize making severe, irreversible changes to children below the age of consent. Shame on those who advocate this! It is utterly contemptible.” Musk, has a trans daughter.
If you received the #Detrans promotion on X and want to share your thoughts, email us at newsisout@localmedia.org.