Prominent right-wing commentator Matt Walsh has been making headlines recently, with several notable incidences in the past few days. Perhaps the most striking of these is the fact that Walsh’s Twitter account was hacked, with the hacker reportedly using the account to promote a song about gay sex (WIRED, VICE, Gizmodo, The Advocate).
This is not the first time that Walsh has courted controversy; the conservative commentator has previously made headlines for his anti-LGBTQ+ views. Indeed, University of Iowa students recently protested Walsh’s appearance on campus, with transgender-rights activists blocking traffic in protest of his appearance (KCRG, Iowa City Press-Citizen). Walsh has also made controversial comments about doctors who provide healthcare to transgender people, threatening to execute them (VICE).
Despite his controversial views, Walsh’s appearance at the University of Iowa was well-attended, though at times the scene was reportedly tense (KWWL).
One journalist who sought to report on the hack of Walsh’s Twitter account has run into trouble with the social media platform. A reporter from Wired magazine has reportedly been banned from Twitter after writing about the fact that Walsh’s account had been hacked (Forbes, Yahoo). Meanwhile, another journalist has also been banned from Twitter after reporting on the hack of Walsh’s account (The Daily Beast).
Overall, Walsh’s recent run-ins with the media and protestors highlight the continuing controversy surrounding his views, particularly in relation to the LGBTQ+ community.
