“Ignorance, Stupidity, Malice, and Worst of All—Hatred”: Online Reactions to News Coverage of LGBTQ Political Leadership

Abstract This study explores the public discourse addressing Amir Ohana, an openly gay right-wing politician who was appointed Speaker of the Israeli Parliament in one of the country’s most conservative, homophobic coalitions. Focusing on the intersection of sexual orientation, political identity, and user-generated content, the study analyzed 3158 online user comments (OUCs) published between 2019 and 2024 on 12 major Israeli news outlets. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative content analysis with qualitative reflexive thematic analysis, the study uncovers three themes in audience responses: homophobia, liberalism, and ideological critiques of inauthenticity in politics. The findings challenge conventional distinctions between liberal and conservative outlets, revealing widespread use of identity-based discourse as a tool for social and political boundary maintenance. We introduce the concept of “everyday purity politics” to describe how user comments function as ritualized acts of inclusion and exclusion. By centering audience reactions in political and cultural communication research, the study highlights the discursive power of online comments in shaping public meanings, reaffirming hierarchies, and negotiating the terms of political legitimacy in a polarized digital landscape.