Josh Seiter's controversial 'social experiment' sparks outrage

Thirty-seven-year-old Josh Seiter is known for his appearance on the reality show "Bachelorette" in 2015, where he was eliminated in the first week. On 15 October 2024, he caused a stir by admitting on the videocast "Prime Time With Alex Stein" that he had been masquerading as a transgender woman for several months as part of a self-proclaimed "social experiment."

In May 2024, Seiter posted a statement on Instagram: "I no longer want to hide who I am, and I no longer want to deal with the mental turmoil that comes with suppressing such an important [part] of me. So, I ask for your thoughts and prayers — and patience — as I transition." Since then, he has been sharing photos and videos wearing makeup and dresses and behaving exaggeratedly.

During Stein's videocast, Seiter declared, "For the last five months, I've been conducting a social experiment online to expose how gullible and how delusional the left is." Following his "coming out," he received support from people with liberal views, while also facing insults and unpleasant comments from the right. Seiter admitted to even receiving threats and death wishes.

Seiter's "experiment" was heavily criticised. Among those commenting was the famous YouTuber Matt Bernstein, who wrote on platform X: "he pretended to be trans online for six months and liberals left kind comments and conservatives left cruel comments. groundbreaking thanks josh." Many emphasised that mocking genuinely transgender people reflects poorly on Seiter himself.

On the celebrity's Instagram, a comment appeared: "It's truly sad that you mock transitioning. It's harmful to a community that already faces many obstacles just trying to live authentically." Even on the tabloid "The New York Post's" profile on platform X, which often presents a sensationalist conservative point of view, the most popular comments were those criticising Seiter's behaviour. One notable comment read: "'They accepted me' is a strange attempt at mockery."