New Conviction for Incitement Against Sweden’s New Social Group

A man has been convicted of incitement against a social group after making critical social media posts about so-called drag queens. In its ruling, Uddevalla District Court established that drag queens are covered by the protections for “people with transgender identity or expression,” an interpretation that further broadens the application of the incitement laws.

The 59-year-old man, residing in Västra Götaland, admitted to writing the posts but claimed they were expressions of opinion within the ongoing public debate, even if some formulations could be considered harsh. In his post, he depicted drag queens as people with unhealthy sexual interests directed towards children.

He referred to the controversial discussion about story hours for very young children, where drag performers act as storytellers. Critics argue that some of the material risks sexualizing children or confronting them with topics and phenomena concerning sexuality they are not mature enough for. Supporters, on the other hand, see the story hours as a way to counteract prejudice through norm-critical and gender-bending education.

Montage. Photo: Uddevalla District Court / Press image Bland drakar och dragqueens

The Court: Not Factual Criticism, but Contempt

The district court judged that the 59-year-old’s posts did not constitute factual criticism but instead expressed contempt. Posting the message on a public Facebook page was considered dissemination in the eyes of the law. The court also referenced recent lower court rulings establishing that drag queens can be included in the group protected by incitement legislation.

The sentence was a suspended sentence and a fine of 3,600 SEK, as well as damages of 10,000 SEK to the complainant, Petter Wallenberg, for offense.

Petter Wallenberg works daily as the “artistic director” for the theater group ‘Bland drakar och dragqueens’ and is an HBTQI+ activist. In police interviews preceding the indictment, he described how the post felt offensive and frightening.

“It means you cannot live and work in society on the same terms as everyone else,” he said, sharing experiences of prolonged stress and fear in connection with what he described as recurring hate campaigns against his theater and storytelling group.

Petter Wallenberg and the pseudonym Inga Tvivel / storytime for children. Photo: Facsimile Facebook / Captainbrannigan CC BY-SA 4.0

Intends to File Police Reports Against Over a Hundred People

In interviews, Wallenberg has described the verdict as a principled victory and welcomes the judiciary’s clear stance. He has previously indicated that he plans to file police reports against more than a hundred other people who have expressed critical views about drag queens in general and such individuals’ storytimes for children in particular.

The convicted 59-year-old sees things differently. In interviews and through his defense counsel, he has argued that the verdict constitutes an unreasonable expansion of the concept of “social group” and that his freedom of expression and opinion is thereby restricted. According to him, it must be permissible in a democratic society to publicly criticize cultural phenomena and political trends, even when the criticism is perceived as offensive.

“Alone” Fighter on the Barricades

The ruling is part of a new lawfare trend. This year, mass complaints have led to 14 convictions for criticism directed at the controversial storytelling group ‘Bland drakar och dragqueens’. However, only three of the sentences have so far been upheld by higher courts.

“I have testified in eight trials this year. Even though I often feel alone in this, it is still a huge source of strength to see that the judicial system actually puts its foot down,” Wallenberg said in a comment to HBTQI+ magazine QX.

Lady Bustye and Ms Shameless – who also calls herself the Shameless Wine Whore – read a story about a boy who is to wear a dress. Image: Facsimile Youtube.

In the same interview, Wallenberg claims that only “far-right extremists” are critical of men dressed as caricatures of women reading sexually charged stories to children. He also includes Sweden Democrat (SD) politicians who have spoken out critically about the phenomenon in the group he labels as far-right extremists.

Wallenberg believes that he sees “an organized offensive” against his group’s human rights and that it justifies the counteroffensive of mass complaints he has initiated.