A recent documentary has brought to light a disturbing claim made by controversial influencer Sneako. During an interview with Louis Theroux for his new Netflix series, Sneako falsely asserted that singer Sam Smith is transgender.
Theroux’s documentary delves into the world of the “manosphere,” a network of online spaces often characterized by misogyny and homophobia. The film features interviews with prominent figures within this sphere, including Sneako and Harrison Sullivan.
Sneako, a former associate of Andrew Tate and a guest at Donald Trump’s inauguration, has been deplatformed from numerous social media sites due to his history of hate speech and spreading false information. He maintains a following of one million on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The inaccurate claim about Sam Smith surfaced during a conversation about Sneako’s belief that Satanism controls the world. He described Smith’s performance of “Unholy” as overtly devilish and a display of worship.
Sneako stated that Smith “used to look like you, and suddenly he became extremely fat, he became transgender,” falsely adding a gender identity change to his critique. He further claimed the performance included “30 devils” and simulated same-sex acts.
Theroux directly challenged Sneako’s assertions, expressing strong doubt about the connection to Satanism. The performance Sneako referenced, from the 2023 Grammy Awards, had previously drawn criticism from conservative groups who labeled it “demonic.”
The core of the issue lies in a fundamental misunderstanding of gender identity. Sam Smith identifies as non-binary, publicly sharing their pronouns as they/them in 2019, but is not transgender. They have consistently spoken about always knowing their gender identity.
It’s important to understand the distinction: non-binary encompasses a wide range of gender identities outside the traditional male/female binary, while transgender specifically refers to individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Not all non-binary people identify as transgender.
This incident underscores a pattern of misinformation propagated by Sneako, highlighting the dangers of unchecked claims and the importance of accurate representation and understanding of gender identity.
The documentary serves as a stark reminder of the harmful rhetoric circulating within online communities and the need for critical engagement with the information we consume.
