On March 19, 2024, Georgian-language Facebook users (1,2,3,4,5) shared a video of a person wearing a shirt and underwear reading a book. The video was originally shared on July 2, 2023, by another Georgian-language Facebook user in the pro-Kremlin “Alt-Info” group with the caption: “A lesson in an American school.”
The claim that the video was filmed in a US school is disinformation. In fact, the shots were taken in June 2023 in London, in one of the museums, where the presentation of the magazine was organized as part of the Queer and Now 2023 festival.
The author of the video claims that the footage was shot at a school in the US. However, the video shows Queer and Now 2023, a festival held at the Tate Museum in London. Queer and Now was held on June 10, 2023. The festival focused on the role of LGBTQ+ arts and culture in Britain and included performances, workshops, film screenings, family events, and talks about the history of the queer community in Britain. We read on the website that tot all events are for all ages. Where relevant this will be shown by clear signage, event descriptions, and members of the team.
The activist we see in the video reads an excerpt from the British magazine “Oestrogeneration“. A magazine created for transgender and transfeminine people in Britain. Information about the event is published on the official page of the Tate Museum. In the column with additional details, we read that the age of the audience present at the magazine presentation must be 16+.
The activist, who is reading an excerpt from the magazine, published the footage of the presentation on their Instagram page. In the photos, we can also see the auditorium, where the children are not visible.
About the Sources
Zurab Kheladze is a Facebook account supporting the pro-Kremlin “Alt-Info,” whose posts have been flagged as fake news by Myth Detector and other fact-checking organizations in the past.
“Myth Detector” has debunked the false information spread by the user Aleksandre Mgeladze a number of times in the past.
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