Uncovering the “A Gay Girl in Damascus” hoax

The hoax surrounding “A Gay Girl in Damascus” blog was very different from literary hoaxes like “A Million Little Pieces.” The blog’s author, Tom MacMaster, a 40-year-old American man living in Scotland, developed relationships with gay activists throughout the Middle East for years. He also appropriated a voice that was not his own.

Liz Henry, the web producer for the website BlogHer, talks about how she figured out the blog was a hoax and why it matters.

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