Keffals

Clara Sorrenti (born March 25, 1994),[1] better known as Keffals, is a Canadian Twitch streamer, transgender activist, left-wing political commentator and former candidate of the Communist Party of Canada.[2][3][4]

Keffals
Sorrenti dressed up as a catgirl on Halloween in her streaming setup
Sorrenti in 2022
Personal information
Born (1994-03-25) March 25, 1994
Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Websitekeffals.gg
Twitch information
Channel
Created byClara Sorrenti
Years active2021–present
Followers54,900
(February 18, 2023)
Associated acts
YouTube information
ChannelsKeffals
Subscribers42,800
Total views3,188,727
Last updated: February 18th, 2023

Sorrenti, who transitioned as a teenager, began engaging in transgender activism after Texas Governor Greg Abbott instructed Texas state agencies to treat gender-affirming medical treatments (such as puberty blockers or hormone treatments) for transgender youths as child abuse.[5][6][7] She has commentated on her experiences as a trans woman and has hosted people such as Chelsea Manning on her stream.[3]

In 2022, Sorrenti became the subject of a loosely-organized harassment campaign, primarily from Kiwi Farms,[8] with internet trolls using her deadname while filing false police reports, pizza bombing her residence, and organizing a number of swattings.

Early life

When growing up, Sorrenti played video games such as Team Fortress 2 and Garry's Mod using the online handle "Keffals".[3] By the age of 12, she realized that she was transgender. In 2013, when she was 18, she traveled to Thailand with her parents to receive gender-affirming surgery.[3] She attended the University of Western Ontario.[9]

Political career and activism (2018–2019)

Sorrenti is an advocate for the rights of transgender people. She has stated that she receives frequent harassment for being a trans person.[10][11][12]

Early in her life Sorrenti volunteered with the New Democratic Party.[2] She entered Canadian politics following the 2016 election of Donald Trump in the United States,[3] running for two races in 2018 and 2019 as a member of the Communist Party of Canada. She ran in the 2018 Ontario general election[13][14] and the 2019 Canadian federal election,[12] but lost both races.[3] During that time, she was the organizer for the Young Communist League's London, Ontario chapter.[15][16]

Election results
Year Office Party Votes Result Ref.
Total  % P.
2018 MPP for London North Centre Communist 128 0.24% 7th Lost [17]
2019 MP for London North Centre Communist 137 0.21% 6th Lost [18][19]

Online career (2020–present)

Sorrenti began streaming on Twitch playing video games, but switched to politics after a wave of anti-trans legislation was introduced in state legislatures in 2021 and 2022. She spoke out against Texas Governor Greg Abbott when he instructed Texas state agencies to treat gender-affirming medical treatments, such as puberty blockers or hormone treatments, for transgender youths as child abuse. Speaking on an Alabama law making it a felony to provide gender-affirming care for those under 18, Sorrenti said, "They literally want these kids to fucking kill themselves."[3][5][6][7] In April 2022, she raised US$205,000 for the Campaign for Southern Equality to protect transgender youth.[3] A month later, she called attention to a VOD of a 16-year-old trans Twitch streamer who was taken into foster care after police conducted a wellness check.[20][21][22] She has also criticized Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill and the conspiracy theory shared by online figures such as Infowars and United States Congressman Paul Gosar that the Uvalde shooter was transgender on stream.[11] She was profiled by Taylor Lorenz in The Washington Post in June 2022.[3][23] Lorenz described Sorrenti as "part of a new class of stars who have abandoned the platform's traditional game-stream format to talk about news and politics" and described her Twitch stream as "one of the few media outlets where viewers can hear the news from a trans person."[3][23]

In July 2022 her Twitch account was suspended for 28 days (reduced to 14) for "repeated hateful slurs or symbols" that featured on her stream thumbnail. Sorrenti said that the slurs in question were images of past harassment directed against her and that she had been banned "for openly talking about the abuse [she receives]". She moved to YouTube to stream during the ban.[11][24]

Sorrenti joined Twitter in December 2020, and amassed over 100,000 followers on the platform. Sorrenti is also known for "ratioing" Twitter personalities,[25] and has been in online disputes with former Twitch streamer Destiny, as well other public figures, including Tim Pool, Candace Owens, Lauren Southern, and J. K. Rowling.[3]

She supports her streaming career with fan donations from Patreon and PayPal, using the money to hire an editor and a graphic designer.[3]

August 2022 swatting incident

On August 5, 2022, Sorrenti was swatted and arrested after an email was sent to members of the London, Ontario city council claiming to be Sorrenti with an intent to kill her mother and members of the London City Council. The incident, that she believes to be a hate crime, led to computers and phones being confiscated by police. She said the London Police Service had used her deadname during the arrest, as well as in the wellness check on her mother.[12][25][26] Sorrenti claimed the police, talking to Sorrenti's mother, misgendered Sorrenti by referring to her as her mother's "son".[27][28] According to the London police, any use of Sorrenti's former legal name was based on records of prior interactions with the police and not deliberate disrespect.[29] CBC News reported that the police department will "review how officers treated [her]".[30] The swatting came after another earlier attempt had taken place through the Toronto Police Service; according to Sorrenti, the London Police Service was not aware of this previous attempt due to lack of correspondence with the Toronto Police Service.[31][32] The London Police Service drafted reforms for its treatment of transgender suspects after the incident.[33]

Following the incident, Sorrenti told Global News that "I'm not backing down. I know that the work I do is incredibly valuable, and ... I have [trans] people almost every day saying they came out to their families because of me".[31] Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, responded to the situation in a tweet saying "Trans folk, and especially trans activists, deserve the freedom to make themselves heard. Not to be doxed and swatted, arrested at gunpoint and deadnamed repeatedly. No one deserves this."[34]

In December 2022, an internal investigation by the London Police Service into the August swatting incident found no evidence Sorrenti had been deadnamed audibly by officers, with the LPS stating they have the video and audio evidence to confirm this.[35][36]

Conflict with Kiwi Farms

Following the swatting, Sorrenti also set up a GoFundMe fundraiser with the aim of funding a move and a lawsuit,[37][34] and said that she aimed to continue to stream.[4] Sorrenti later tweeted that the GoFundMe had had its funds frozen after being mass reported.[38] Nonetheless, she was subsequently able to move to a hotel. On August 17, 2022, the location of the hotel was posted on Kiwi Farms and the hotel was inundated with pizza deliveries made by trolls using Sorrenti's deadname. Sorrenti believes that the location of the hotel was discovered after she had posted a picture on her Discord server that inadvertently revealed the patterned bedsheets used by the hotel, allowing internet trolls to cross-reference the sheets with those in local hotels. London Police Service confirmed that they are investigating this and also a separate doxxing attempt. Following this, Sorrenti moved to a new temporary location and has said that she intends to move weekly until she finds a permanent residence.[39][40] She also said that she intended to host a protest against Kiwi Farms, that allegedly also played a role in her swatting, outside of the San Francisco offices of Cloudflare, a company that provided services to the forum.[41]

Following continued harassment, including her Uber account being hacked into to send her food, Sorrenti announced that she would be leaving Canada and moving to an undisclosed location in Europe in one or two months.[42] She was once again doxxed in another swatting attempt after relocating to Belfast, Northern Ireland.[43][44] On September 3, 2022, Cloudflare terminated services to the Kiwi Farms website, as the firm considered the forum activity to be increasingly dangerous.[45] The site was briefly accessible only through Tor. Sorrenti declared victory on September 5, saying the campaign had more than succeeded in its aim to shut Kiwi Farms down.[46][47] On September 6, 2022, The Daily Dot confirmed that VanwaTech was providing content delivery network services to Kiwi Farms, hence bringing it back online.[48][49]

References
  1. Birthday on March 25: Age 28 at the time of publishing:
  2. Creces, Gerard (June 4, 2018). "Clara Sorrenti - Young, Determined, Unapologetically Communist". London Fuse. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  3. Lorenz, Taylor (June 26, 2022). "The trans Twitch star delivering news to a legion of LGBTQ teens". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  4. Sung, Morgan (August 11, 2022). "Trans Twitch streamer Keffals says she was swatted and arrested by police in Ontario". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  5. Lindell, Chuck. "Abbott orders state agency to treat gender-affirming care as child abuse". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  6. "Texas governor directs state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care for trans youths as 'child abuse'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  7. Ghorayshi, Azeen (February 23, 2022). "Texas Governor Pushes to Investigate Medical Treatments for Trans Youth as 'Child Abuse'". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  8. Sung, Morgan (October 12, 2022). "Trans Twitch streamer Keffals is ready to return home after Kiwi Farms". www.nbcnews.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  9. Tayler, Emily (September 14, 2019). "Communists collect in UCC for Friday night election launch". The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  10. Grayson, Nathan (December 16, 2021). "Twitch suspension of Hasan Piker sparks debate over what qualifies as racist language". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2022. 'It's honestly rare for me to go live on Twitch without at least one person coming into my chat to harass me for being a trans person,' a streamer who goes by the handle 'Keffals' said on Twitter, 'but the hateful conduct that Twitch seems to care about more is whether people use goofy insults...'
  11. Gach, Ethan (July 21, 2022). "Trans Streamer Keffals Says Twitch Banned Her For 'Openly Talking' About Abuse She Receives". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  12. Dubinski, Kate (August 9, 2022). "Trans Twitch star arrested at gunpoint fears for life after someone sent police to her London, Ont., home". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  13. Allen, Martin; Tayler, Emily; McCallum, Katrina (November 30, 2018). "Western's TA union finds an ally in the Young Communist League". The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  14. "Who's running in London? Here's who". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  15. "WWP youth leader speaks at Bolshevik commemoration". Workers World. November 7, 2017. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  16. Tayler, Emily (November 16, 2018). "We Won't Be Erased London: Rally for trans and intersex rights". The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022. Trans rights march (Photo 4): Clara Sorrenti, the organizer of the Young Communist League London, Nov. 4, 2018.
  17. "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. p. 6. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  18. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  19. "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  20. Bevan, Rhiannon (May 7, 2022). "16-Year Old Trans Girl Detained By Police Mid-Livestream For Not Attending School That Misgendered Her". TheGamer. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  21. Cole, Samantha (May 10, 2022). "Cops Bust Into 16-Year-Old Trans Girl's Bedroom During Her Twitch Stream". Vice. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  22. Padgett, Donald (May 11, 2022). "Police Burst Into 16-Year Old Trans Girl's Bedroom During Livestream". The Advocate. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  23. Allsop, Jon (June 28, 2022). "Ukraine 'fatigue,' and what the press can—and can't—do about it". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  24. Wolens, Joshua (July 22, 2022). "Trans Twitch streamer claims she was banned for showing examples of abuse". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  25. Jackson, Gita (August 9, 2022). "Twitch Streamer Keffals Arrested After Transphobic SWATing". Vice. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  26. Diaz, Ana (August 9, 2022). "Trans streamer Keffals swatted and arrested in her home". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  27. Winslow, Jeremy (August 10, 2022). "Popular Trans Twitch Streamer Keffals Arrested After 'Traumatizing' Swatting Incident". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  28. Wolens, Joshua (August 10, 2022). "With guns drawn, police raid home of trans Twitch streamer Clara 'Keffals' Sorrenti in latest swatting debacle". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  29. Williams, Steve (August 11, 2022). "STATEMENT FROM POLICE CHIEF WILLIAMS AUGUST 2022". London Police. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  30. Dubinski, Kate (August 10, 2022). "London, Ont., police chief to review officer conduct in gunpoint arrest of trans activist". CBC News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  31. Khan, Ahmar (August 9, 2022). "Trans woman, Twitch streamer Keffals doxxed, arrested at gunpoint by London, Ont. police". Global News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  32. Sims, Jane (August 10, 2022). "'Swatted': Transgender activist decries arrest, seizure of devices". The London Free Press. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  33. Carruthers, Dale (September 13, 2022). "In wake of 'swatting' arrest, London police draft policy for trans suspects". The London Free Press. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  34. Grayson, Nathan (August 15, 2022). "Twitch streamers traumatized after four 'swattings' in a week". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  35. Graham, Andrew (December 14, 2022). "Internal review finds cops 'acted appropriately' in London, Ont. swatting arrest of trans activist". Global News. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  36. McInnes, Angela (December 14, 2022). "Officers acted appropriately in swatting arrest of international trans activist, internal review finds". CBC News. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  37. Hansford, Amelia (August 10, 2022). "Trans Twitch streamer arrested at gunpoint after evil trolls report fake death threats". PinkNews. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  38. Clara Sorrenti [@keffalsbackup] (August 9, 2022). "My gofundme so I can move after being victimized by the police after I was swatted got mass reported and my campaign funds are on hold. People can still donate, but the amount of suffering people try to put me through is cruel. I'm contacting gofundme right now" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
  39. Carruthers, Dale (August 17, 2022). "First 'swatting' and now 'doxing': online harassment of trans activist continues". London Free Press. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  40. Khan, Amar (August 17, 2022). "Twitch streamer and trans woman, Clara Sorrenti allegedly doxxed again". Global News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  41. Polhamus, Blaine (August 19, 2022). "Keffals clashes with Kiwi Farms, set to hold protest against the 'stalking' website". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  42. Zandbergen, Rebecca; McInnes, Angela (August 23, 2022). "Twitch streamer and trans activist says she's leaving Canada for awhile due to harassment". CBC News. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  43. Khan, Ahmar; Simon, Amy (August 31, 2022). "Twitch streamer and transgender activist doxxed in Northern Ireland after leaving Canada". Global News. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  44. Gilbert, David (September 7, 2022). "Inside Keffals' Battle to Bring Down Kiwi Farms". Vice. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  45. Tenbarge, Kat; Abbruzzese, Jason; Collins, Ben (September 4, 2022). "Internet services company Cloudflare blocks Kiwi Farms citing 'targeted threats'". NBC News. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  46. Plunkett, Luke (September 5, 2022). "Hate Forum Kiwi Farms Practically Dead As Owner Posts Conspiracy-Laden Rant". Kotaku. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  47. O'Sullivan, Donie; Naik, Richa (September 6, 2022). "Trans activist celebrates rare victory against online trolls after Kiwi Farms deplatforming". CNN. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  48. Goforth, Claire (September 6, 2022). "Kiwi Farms gets back online thanks to the same service that's kept 8kun alive". The Daily Dot. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  49. Brynelson, Troy (September 7, 2022). "Hate-filled Kiwi Farms message board finds new home with Southwest Washington tech company". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
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