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California Man Accused of Threatening Merriam-Webster
BOSTON, MA – Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, Calif., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with making threats to commit anti-LGBTQ violence against Springfield-based Merriam-Webster, Inc. and others.
Hanson was indicted on one count of interstate communication of threatening communications to commit violence and intentionally selecting Merriam-Webster, Inc., its property and its employees as the object of the threatening communications pertaining to one’s actual or perceived gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
According to the charging documents, between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2021, Springfield-based Merriam-Webster, Inc. received various threatening messages and comments demonstrating bias against specific gender identities submitted through its website’s “Contact Us” page and in the comments section on its webpages that corresponded to the word entries for “Girl” and “Woman.”
Specifically, it is alleged that on Oct. 2, 2021, Hanson used the handle “@anonYmous” to post the following comment on the dictionary’s website definition of “female”: “It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda. There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”
Hanson also allegedly sent the following threatening message via the website’s “Contact Us” page: “You [sic] headquarters should be shot up and bombed. It is sickening that you have caved to the cultural Marxist, anti-science tranny [sic] agenda and altered the definition of ‘female’ as part of the Left’s efforts to corrupt and degrade the English language and deny reality. You evil Marxists should all be killed. It would be poetic justice to have someone storm your offices and shoot up the place, leaving none of you commies alive.”
As a result of the threats, Merriam-Webster closed its offices in Springfield and New York City for approximately five business days.
The case is still ongoing, and Hanson will appear in federal court in Springfield on May 13, 2022.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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