Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses of intersectional victim dudes

MAGA country is a no-go zone. The New York Times, January 29:

Jussie Smollett, one of the stars of the Fox television show Empire, was attacked in Chicago … by two people who yelled racial and homophobic slurs and wrapped a rope around his neck, according to the police, who said they were investigating the incident as “a possible hate crime”. Smollett, who is black and publicly came out as gay in 2015, was walking on a downtown street when two people approached him and yelled the slurs … The attackers then began hitting Smollett in the face and poured an “unknown chemical substance” on him. One of the attackers also wrapped a rope around Smollett’s neck before the duo fled … Smollett told the police that the attackers yelled “this is MAGA country”, a reference to President Trump’s campaign slogan.

Entertainment Tonight, Twitter, January 30:

BREAKING: Jussie Smollett has been hospitalised in Chicago after a possible homophobic and racially charged attack.

Democrat wunderkind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Twitter, January 30:

This attack was not “possibly” homophobic. It was a racist and homophobic attack.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, statement, January 29:

(The) racist and homophobic attack on acclaimed actor and activist Jussie Smollett is troubling. The rise in hate crimes is directly linked to President Donald J. Trump’s racist and xenophobic rhetoric.

Democratic presidential hopeful Cory Booker, Twitter, January 30:

The vicious attack on actor Jussie Smollett was an attempted modern-day lynching.

Chicago Fox 32 reporter Rafer Weigel, Twitter, January 30:

Might be best to tone down the outrage on the #JussieSmollett story until more evidence comes in to suggest it actually happened.

Chad Griffin Human Rights Campaign, Twitter, February 14:

From the moment #JussieSmollett came forward, there have been leaks & spin from some within the Chicago (police) that have been used to discredit and undermine him. This is exactly the treatment that victims of hate crimes fear and why they often stay silent.

Heather Mac Donald, City Journal, February 18:

The Jussie Smollett case, in which a young black, gay actor has apparently concocted a tale of being attacked by two white men wearing MAGA hats and shouting anti-gay slurs, is just the latest example of how desperately media elites want to confirm their favoured narrative about America: that the country is endemically and lethally racist, sexist, and homophobic, and that the election of Donald Trump both proves and reinforces such bigotry. The truth: as instances of actual racism get harder and harder to find, the search to find such bigotry becomes increasingly frenzied and unmoored from reality.

Vox, February 21:

Police have arrested and charged Smollett for allegedly filing a false police report … Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said that Smollett was allegedly unhappy with his salary, and the attack was staged to his benefit.

Andy Ngo, National Review, February 18:

Jussie Smollett’s hoax is symptomatic of America’s illness. Because of the mainstreaming of academia’s victimhood culture, we are now in a place where we place more value on being a victim than on being heroic, charitable, or even kind. Victims … are supposed to be coveted … and believed unreservedly. Those who urge caution are treated as bigots.