June 13, 2011 | Online

'Gay Girl from Damascus' a straight dude from US

For several months the life of Amina Arraf, the blogger behind Gay Girl in Damascus, was followed around the world. She gave a face to the current struggles in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad, detaling day-to-day experiences during the current upheaval.

And then a family member claimed the young woman had been kidnapped on the streets and disappeared. No one knew if she was dead or alive.

In Montreal, one girl fretted even more than most. She had created a special bond with Arraf. They had shared over 500 e-mails, which included pictures of the Syrian blogger.

Yet no one had ever physically met Arraf. A picture once circulating through the press actually belonged to a British woman. There were no public records.

It was, it turns out, all a hoax. And the lesbian living her life in fear as a rebel and a queer in an intolerant country, turned out to be an American man named Tom McMaster, who is living in Scotland and married to a woman.

He posted on the blog: "I never expected this level of attention. While the narrative voıce may have been fictional, the facts on thıs blog are true and not mısleading as to the situation on the ground. I do not believe that I have harmed anyone — I feel that I have created an important voice for issues that I feel strongly about."

In other words, 'I'm sorry but not really.'

It is a good reminder that the Internet isn't always the best source for news (but it's still 30% more reliable than Fox News).

A Gay Girl in Damascus Author Revealed [The Advocate]

'Gay Girl In Damascus' Turns Out To Be An American Man [NPR]