A Republican politician has agreed to pay two drag queens six-figure sums after he falsely accused them of having inappropriate relationships with children.
After a two-year legal battle, David Love, who represents the Rockingham 13 district in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, has settled with Robert Champion and Michael McMahon, agreeing to pay each of them $100,000 (approximately 75,000) and admitting that his comments were “completely false”.
Love made the original comments in February 2022 while introducing House Bill 1529, which sought to mandate that library employees and volunteers must obtain criminal background checks.
His concerns surrounded drag queens taking part in story time events. At an event in Nashua in 2019, he called Champion a “convicted sex offender”, and at a meeting in Derry in 2021, accused McMahon of “rubbing butts” with children and “just really going way too far”.
Champion and McMahon sued for defamation.
As part of the settlement, Love was required to post a statement on social media.
“After being provided with inaccurate information, information that I failed to verify, I publicly accused Robert Champion… and Michael McMahon,” Love wrote. “I have since learned that those assertions were completely false.
“I wish to publicly retract those statements and apologise to Robert and Michael. I have agreed to monetary judgment against me for $100,000 for Robert and Michael each.”
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