Anti-Trans PragerU Ad Takes Over Twitter for a Day, Sparks Pushback

The conservative Prager University Foundation took over X (formerly Twitter) for a daylong ad blitz on Nov. 2 to promote their film "Detrans: The Dangers of Gender-Affirming Care," NBC News reported.

"The 21-minute film focuses on two people who have detransitioned, meaning they previously identified as transgender and later decided they were not," NBC News detailed.

"Though both of them began transitioning when they were adults, their stories are part of the film's larger criticism of transition-related care for minors, which has recently become the target of Republican state legislators, who have passed laws to restrict puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery in 22 states over the last three years."

NBC News explained that the ad's "'takeover' placement meant the ad for 'Detrans' was the first one displayed for most users of the social media platform throughout the day," and noted that the daylong ad blitz "represents X's shift toward promoting more conservative – and, critics would argue, more extreme – views after billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk purchased the platform and removed many of the policies that barred ads promoting anti-LGBTQ views or misinformation, reinstated accounts that previous Twitter management had suspended for anti-LGBTQ harassment, and shared an anti-trans video from his own account."

NBC News relayed comments from "Craig Strazzeri, PragerU's chief marketing officer," who "named Musk as part of the reason the nonprofit group advertised on X."

Said Strazzeri:

"We decided to pursue an X takeover because it's a great opportunity for us to reach a massive audience on the dangers of gender affirming care given that X is one of the least censored social media platforms thanks to Elon Musk."

"This will give millions of people the opportunity to hear important stories from detransitioners themselves, many of whom have been censored and even ostracized because their lived experiences do not affirm the mainstream media's narrative."

Strazzeri want on to claim that "young Americans are being manipulated by social media and medical professionals to undergo life-altering surgeries that often come with major regret."

"PragerU's 'Detrans' documentary argues that young people are fast-tracked into medical transition, though it does not include the viewpoints of any physicians," NBC News said.

"Strazzeri's comments echo language used by conservative groups and lawmakers who have advocated for restricting care for minors," the report said. "However, more than a dozen major medical associations – including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association – support access to care and have opposed laws that restrict it."

Moreover, NBC News said that "Some advocates and trans people have criticized [anti-gender affirmation care] films – including 'Detrans' – which they say are misleading because they focus on the small number of people who detransition when the overwhelming majority of trans people report being happier after transition."

Indeed, the numbers argue against the insinuations made by anti-transgender activists seeking to ban gender-affirming care. "A 2021 review of 27 studies that evaluated rates of regret among people 13 and older who received gender-affirming surgery found that an average of 1% experienced regret," NBC News pointed out.

The ad drew mixed reactions from X users, with some applauding the film's message but others firmly rejecting it. Some criticized Musk, while others took note of unsettling parallels between the claims of anti-gender care activists and the so-called "ex-gay" movement.

Leading equality advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign decried the ad and the film it promotes.

HRC president Kelley Robinson "condemned Musk and X for 'prioritizing their bottom line over the lived experience and humanity of transgender people,'" NBC News relayed.

PragerU recently generated controversy with a bid to stamp its viewpoints upon public education in the state of Montana. The group obtained a license in the state "to provide instructional materials to Montana schools," regional news source the Montana Free Press reported last month, such as a animated video in which two children travel to the 15th century to talk to Christopher Columbus and hear a defense of the slave trade.

"On its website, PragerU, which is not an accredited educational institution, says it 'promotes American values' through the use of its videos and 'offers a free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology in culture, media and education,'" the Montana Free Press detailed. "As of this fall, the organization is also an approved vendor of educational materials in Florida, Oklahoma and Texas."