Drag Performer Sues Right-Wing Blogger for Defamation
A drag performer in Idaho is suing the blogger he says falsely accused him of exposing his genitals at the Pride in the Park event in Coeur d’Alene.Eric Posey, whose drag name is Mona Liza Million, performed June 11 at Pride in the Park.
Right-wing Idaho blogger Summer Bushnell posted altered video of his appearance, blurring his groin “to make it appear as if he exposed himself,” says a press release from Stoel Rives, the law firm representing Posey.The edited video attracted 20,000 views on social media.
People who’d seen it — none of whom had been at the event — contacted local police and urged them to investigate. The City of Coeur d’Alene Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reviewed both the edited and unedited versions and found that the unedited one did not show any genital exposure. “The allegations of indecent exposure, or other crimes cannot be supported by the evidence.
Therefore, prosecution is declined,” said a statement issued by the office July 1, according to TV station KHQ.Now Posey is suing Bushnell, saying she defamed him. “After three months of silence, it is now my turn to speak,” Posey said in the press release. “Following Coeur d’Alene’s sixth annual and largest Pride in the Park on June 11th, an altered video of my performance was widely circulated online, along with false allegations of indecent exposure.
