This presentation will explain the key roles played by women in the emergence and spread of QAnon and how the conspiracy theory has metastasized into book burning campaigns and heightened antagonism towards LGBTQ+. Many women were first introduced to QAnon when it began promoting the #SaveTheChildren hashtag by leveraging the real problem of human trafficking in the spring of 2020. QAnon appealed to women at their most basic maternal instinct. However, this campaign’s real goal was to mobilize white suburban republican women to vote in the 2020 election.

Mia Bloom conducts research in Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. She’s the author of 6 books and 80 articles on violent extremism.