CLAIM: Cover picture showing Nelson Chamisa and Cucsman was published by Windy City Times
SOURCE: Social media posts
VERDICT: False
An old cover page of Nelson Chamisa with musician/comedian @Cucsman, is once again doing the rounds on X.
The cover page purports to be from Windy City Times, a American paper that serves the diverse communication needs of the LGBTQ+.
On 14 November 2024, an account on X posted the cover page with the caption,
‘That one even got a front page picture on a gay magazine. With Chamisa wacho. No respect for the leader he claims to like. Kutsvaka kunyengesa mukomana (You want the young man to be propositioned).’
In 2023, another account had posted the same image with the caption, ‘We told you about Chamisa long time ago, now look!!!!’.
The latest post is from an account with 13,700 followers. The post ‘I wish Mugabe was alive for this. He would have had a beautifully poetic way of describing this in terms of occiputs and panting’ had garnered more that 31,200 views in 24 hours.
The late Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, was known for his anti-gay stance.
Verification
The posted cover page is dated September 01 2023.
However, by September 2023, the Windy City Times had changed it’s cover page design to this one:
In actual fact the posted cover page design was discontinued in 2010 to the one pictured below, before once again changing to the current one.
A search of the archived Windy City Times editions, showed that the original cover page which has since been photo shopped was published on January 14, 2009.
Such posts can have unintended consequences of misinformation for the LGBTQI+ community such as:
- Increased stigma and discrimination: Misinformation can lead to increased stigma and discrimination against LGBTQI+ people. This can make it difficult for LGBTQI+ people to find housing, employment, and healthcare.
- Increased violence: Misinformation can also lead to increased violence against LGBTQI+ people. This can include hate crimes, physical assault, and even murder.
- Mental health problems: Misinformation can also lead to mental health problems for LGBTQI+ people. This can include depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
Conclusion
The cover page from Windy City Times of Nelson Chamisa and musician/comedian Cucsman is not real but fake. It is a photoshopped image of the newspaper’s January, 14, 2009 edition.
