Conservative activists are continuing to seek more influence over what children across the U.S. should be permitted to read.

Among the loudest of the more fringe voices in this debate is Rayla Campbell, a Republican running for Secretary of State in Massachusetts.

Campbell has led an ongoing campaign to censor books promoting LGBTQ+ rights and sex education for children.

However, her controversial views, which include unfounded claims that educators are trying to encourage sex among children, arguably make her an easy mark for misinformation too, with online actors exploiting the furore around her comments.

The Claim

A tweet, posted by "Fashalert MA" on August 16, 2022, claims that Rayla Campbell was reported and "detained" for possession of "child porn" after she flagged a book called "Gender Queer" to the police, claiming it contained illicit materials.

The post includes a photo of Campbell stood next to a Plymouth (MA) police officer reading the book.

Similar versions of the tweet, posted multiple times across different Twitter accounts were also shared and cross-posted to accounts on Reddit, where they received tens of thousands of upvotes, and Imgur.

There is a grain of truth to some of the claims surrounding the tweets about Campbell.

Rayla Campbell's campaign to ban child-friendly books that promote sex education and LGBTQ+ rights is well-established and reported in the media.

The book mentioned in the tweet, "Gender Queer," has been a long-standing target of hers...

Read Full Story: https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-was-gop-candidate-detained-reporting-gend...