–21 votes
in General Factchecking by Genius (41.9k points)
Former President Obama is secretly gay.
by Newbie (480 points)
–1
Zenyogi, by defining the term "Gay" in your claim, it gives the readers a better idea of what the article is clearly claiming. I think it is an interesting approach of yours that we truly don't know the Presidents secrets. I guess in terms of this, we are unable to prove if this claim this article made a correct or incorrect claim.
by Novice (600 points)
I couldn't find anything on the author who wrote the article. I looked her name up on linked in and out of the twenty people I looked through she wasn't any of them. The click bait is called former president obama is gay implying that he has just come out and that he is talking about current events. Then when you finally click the article it goes into talking about how Obama talked about his opinions on it when he was in college never actually saying he was gay. A quote from the article from Obama says “In regard to homosexuality, I must say that I believe this is an attempt to remove oneself from the present, a refusal perhaps to perpetuate the endless farce of earthly life." this statement itself goes against the title of the article.
by Apprentice (1.2k points)
Hello! I think your reasoning for not being able to provide a conclusion on whether this is false or not is incorrect. At this current point in time, there is no evidence or reliable sources that prove that President Obama is gay. This lack of evidence means that this claim is false at this current point in time.
by Novice (610 points)
Hello! I really appreciated that you touched on some things that are fats such as there is evidence that Obama has shown public support in the LGBTQ community but there is no eviednece that he has ever shown himself being a part of that community. I also searched to try to find any supporting evidence in alignment with Obama being in the LGBTQ community and I could not either so I would have to agree with your opinion that this is false news.
by Novice (820 points)
I agree about mentioning how discussing the former Presidents sexuality is used more as clickbait rather than to tell a story. With someone at the forefront of politics such as Obama, he is bound to be discussed. The media, pink news in this case, is using the conspiracy and loose to little evidence in an effort to gain traction.

16 Answers

+1 vote
by Novice (620 points)
The claim that former president Barack Obama is homosexual is not backed up by reliable or credible information and appears to be a skewed representation of his political beliefs. The source, "The Pink News," which stated this claim, does not appear to be credible or well known. It is also known to be a news source specifically targeted towards LGBTQ+ related news, which leads me to wonder if this could create any bias in the claim. When exploring further evidence of the described love letters where Obama is said to state his homosexuality, there is little representation on any other news source. After reading a piece from CNN, it is shown that many argue that Obama's emphasis on LGBTQ+ rights during his time in office has caused many to wonder his own sexuality. However, fighting for LGBTQ+ rights does not mean that the person themselves is a member of the community. This claim has insufficient evidence and is likely false.

https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/02/politics/obama-evolution-gay-marriage/index.html
False
+1 vote
by Novice (970 points)
The notion that Barack Obama, the former President of the United States, is gay lacks credible evidence and thus should be regarded as unfounded. This claim stems from an article by "Pink News," a publication not recognized for its factual reporting. The "Pink News" piece cites a supposed letter from a former girlfriend during Obama's college days, yet it fails to provide any photographic validation of the letter, merely noting that it was revealed to "The New York Post" and recounted by someone who claimed to be an acquaintance of Obama. The authenticity of this tale is highly questionable, and it appears to infringe upon personal privacy.
+1 vote
by Novice (600 points)

I couldn't find anything on the author who wrote the article. I looked her name up on linked in and out of the twenty people I looked through she wasn't any of them. The click bait is called former president obama is gay implying that he has just come out and that he is talking about current events. Then when you finally click the article it goes into talking about how Obama talked about his opinions on it when he was in college never actually saying he was gay. A quote from the article from Obama says “In regard to homosexuality, I must say that I believe this is an attempt to remove oneself from the present, a refusal perhaps to perpetuate the endless farce of earthly life." this statement itself goes against the title of the article.

https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?firstName=Sian&lastName=Bradley&origin=SEO_PSERP&page=2&sid=%3B0T

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/08/13/barack-obama-gay-fantasies-letter/

+1 vote
by Novice (910 points)
This claim is misleading. Whilst former President Obama has not outwardly declared his sexuality, He is clearly outwardly married to a woman. If he was "secretly" homosexual, then it would not be much of a secret either if there are articles about it. Furthermore, this website misconstrues the former Presidents words by isolating sentences like "You see, I make love to men daily, but in the imagination". I looked into these claims and it seems like the fans were flamed by Larry Sinclair, an author and convicted con-artist. Sinclair publicly claimed in 2008 that he and then-President Obama had a sexual encounter on drugs. These claims hold no weight as no one has come forth to confirm nor deny. I believe that Pink News is using President Obama's words to convey more of a sexual fantasy than the intended philosophical, complete thought.

https://www.advocate.com/media/barack-obama-gay-conspiracy-theory
Exaggerated/ Misleading
+1 vote
by Novice (820 points)

The claim that Barack Obama is secretly gay is not backed up with reliable sources and is rather speculation. Something as personal as this matter in order to be proven requires more evidence than a friend of said person transcribing it for a newspaper, like is said in the article. The pink news, where the article is, has a reputation of often spreading misinformation. In an article from the Advocate, they bring up a point on how Obama has been a target of the right-wing as the first African American Democratic President. There has not only been rumors around his sexuality, but also surrounding if he was a natural born citizen. In sum, there is no substantial evidence rather it is pure rumors and conspiracies in an effort of targeting the former POTUS.

https://www.advocate.com/media/barack-obama-gay-conspiracy-theory

+1 vote
by Novice (980 points)
I was unable to find any information about the piece's author. I searched for her on Facebook and found nothing. The article's headline, "Former President Obama Is Gay," gives the impression that he recently came out and is talking about current events. After reading the article, you will discover that Obama never disclosed his sexual orientation but instead talked about his opinions on the subject while attending college. "In regard to homosexuality, I must say that I believe this is an attempt to remove oneself from the present, a refusal perhaps to perpetuate the endless farce," Obama writes in the piece. I belive this artilce is trying to clickbait its readers by having misleading title to get people to click on it.
Exaggerated/ Misleading

Community Rules


Be respectful.

There is bound to be disagreement on a site about misinformation. Assume best intentions on everyone's part.

If you are new to factchecking, take some time to learn about it. "How to Factcheck" has some resources for getting started. Even if you disagree with these materials, they'll help you understand the language of this community better.

News Detective is for uncovering misinformation and rumors. This is not a general interest question-answer site for things someone could Google.

Posting

The title is the "main claim" that you're trying to factcheck.

Example:
Factcheck This: Birds don't exist

If possible, LINK TO to the place you saw the claim.

Answering

LINK TO YOUR EVIDENCE or otherwise explain the source ("I called this person, I found it in this book, etc.")

But don't just drop a link. Give an explanation, copy and paste the relevant information, etc.

News Detective is not responsible for anything anyone posts on the platform.
...