Ms Rachel faces another boycott over Pride posts after telling LGBTQ families ‘I celebrate you’
Conservatives accused the popular online kids’ entertainer of supporting ‘child mutilation’ by celebrating LGBTQ Pride
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Your support makes all the difference.Conservative activists have called for a boycott against the popular online children's entertainer Ms Rachel for posting a video in support of Pride Month.
"Happy Pride to all of our wonderful families and friends," said Rachel Accurso, who is known to her roughly 10m YouTube subscribers as Ms Rachel, in a brief TikTok video on Saturday.
"This month and every month I celebrate you. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're exactly who you are.
"To those who are going to comment they can't watch the show anymore because of this support: no worries, and much love your way, God bless. I am not chasing fame or views; I'm standing strong in love."
That was apparently enough to incense anti-LGBTQ campaigners such as Matt Walsh and Chaya Raichik, the professional poster behind Libs of TikTok, who called for like-minded parents to scrub Ms Rachel from their screens.
"This is a message to conservative parents. She doesn’t want your business. You should respond accordingly," said Walsh, who has released his own children's book mocking transgender kids and compared trans healthcare providers to "Nazi scientists."
"Doing my part to spread awareness so parents know what Ms Rachel stands for! She says she doesn’t want your business if you don’t subscribe to the child mutilation cult," said Raichik, whose posts spotlighting queer-friendly teachers, hospitals, and businesses have frequently been linked to bomb threats and harassment.
Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec claimed that Accurso "wants to turn your kids gay," while anti-abortion activist Lila Rose urged her followers to "protect" their children from Accurso's views.
Other social media users said they would boycott Accurso, while some called her a "child predator" and a "groomer."
Accurso, 41, previously faced attacks and calls for a boycott from some parents last March over her work with non-binary musician Jules Hoffman, who uses gender-neutral pronouns.
Afterwards, Accurso told followers she was taking a temporary break from TikTok to protect her mental health.
"Hurtful videos and comments, no matter how much attention they get, will not bring you what you want. Only love can do that," she said, referencing Martin Luther King Jr's famous maxim that "hate cannot drive out hate."
In an apparent response video posted on Monday morning, Accurso said: "I've shared prayers on here before, and said 'God bless', and that's because my faith is really important to me.
"It's also the reason why I love every neighbor... everyone belongs, everyone's welcome, everyone is treated with empathy and respect.
"[Jesus] doesn't say 'love every neighbor, except'... I stand with everyone; that's who I am. And the love back, and the 'God bless' if you disagree, is genuine."
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