California man issued death threats to Merriam-Webster over what he thought were pro-LGBTQ dictionary entries: DOJ

On Friday, the Justice Department announced the arrest of a California man accused of sending anti-LGBTQ hate threats to Springfield, Massachusetts based dictionary company Merriam-Webster, Inc.

"Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, Calif., was charged by criminal complaint with one count of interstate communication of threats to commit violence," said the DOJ's statement. "Hanson was released on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in the Central District of California. Hanson will appear before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Katherine A. Robertson in federal court in Springfield on April 29, 2022."

"According to the criminal complaint, between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2021, Springfield-based Merriam-Webster, Inc. received various threatening messages and comments demonstrating bias against specific gender identities submitted through its website’s 'Contact Us' page and in the comments section on its webpages that corresponded to the word entries for 'Girl' and 'Woman,'" said the report. "Authorities later identified the user as Hanson. As a result of the threats, Merriam-Webster closed its offices in Springfield and New York City for approximately five business days."

Per the complaint, Hanson used the handle "@anonYmous" to attack the site, saying, "It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda. There is no such thing as 'gender identity.' The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot."

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