Jose Rolon, a gay father and popular social media influencer known as @nycgaydad, has filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing commentator Stu Peters, who falsely accused him of “criminal sexual conduct” against his three young children.
Mr. Rolon, who has more than 150,000 followers on Instagram and more than 500,000 on TikTok, said he received a barrage of death threats and vile messages after Mr. Peters attacked him online for sharing a video about his life as a single gay father.
According to reports defenderRoron’s attorneys filed a five-count lawsuit in Kings County Supreme Court charging Peters with defamation and bias-related intimidation under the New York Civil Rights Act for making multiple false statements against Peters.
The complaint alleges that Peters engages his 1.6 million followers by portraying Christian Americans as “under attack from Jews, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized groups,” and often targets individuals representing these communities, such as mayors of small towns who allow Pride parades.
Rolon is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, payment of legal costs, and deprivation of financial benefits related to the alleged harassment campaign against Peters.
The harassment allegations began after Peters tagged both Rolon and the New York City Police Department in an Instagram video last year, prompting police to investigate the influencer. In the video, Peters called Rolon “disgusting” and a “perverted homo” and even called for a public execution for unsubstantiated claims of “criminal sex acts” involving children.
The “sexual act” Peters was apparently referring to was a post in which Rolon took her children to RuPaul’s Drag Con and purchased what she mistakenly thought was a rainbow-colored bracelet, which later turned out to be a cock ring. Roron shared her embarrassment online. Peters pounced on the post, expressing outrage not only at the exposure of her children to drugs, but also at a video of her family goofing around that referenced rainbows and disco balls in their home.
“Some perverts have access to at least four children at all times,” Peters said, incorrectly stating the number of Rolon’s children. “He can drag them to conventions, give evidence, post photos and videos of criminal sexual acts…and somehow not end up in prison, or even better, the gallows.”
After Peters’ post, Rolon received a flood of threats and hostile comments accusing her of “dressing up” for simply exposing children to LGBTQ content.
At that time, Roron said defender He was forced to take special safety measures for his family, including changing his work schedule so he was the only one who could pick up his children from school. He said the threat was felt particularly acute because Peters failed to blur the children’s faces to make them recognizable in the long video he posted on Rumble. However, it was difficult to see her face in the short Instagram clip.
Rather than backing away, Rolon posted a video of his own criticizing Peters’ accusations and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, labeling his claims “misinformation” — even though the same video continued to fuel violent threats against him.
“I had two options for what to do with @stewpeters,” Rolon wrote at the time. “Either ignore him or expose him for who he is and show the public that real people exist.”
Instagram has since deleted Peters’ video.
Rolon’s attorney had previously sent Peters a cease-and-desist letter requesting that all videos mentioning Rolon or her children be removed, and Peters granted the request. Now, Rolon appears determined to secure financial compensation for the harm he and his family have suffered.
said Rolon’s attorney, Carrie Goldberg. defender “The kind of harassment and incitement my client and his young family suffered may be celebrated online, but a jury in Brooklyn will see it very differently.”
Goldberg warned that some viewers of Peters’ videos could become radicalized or take steps to harm Rolon if they believe his false accusations that he is abusing children.
“With something as extensive as Peters, comes responsibility,” she says. “Our country has fought hard to protect the First Amendment, but freedom of speech never extends to harassing civilians or inciting falsified reports to police. It only takes one rogue believer to change a life forever.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
