Her parents, ardent QAnon adherents, would finally see the truth and disavow the conspiracy theory, she believed. “[Inauguration] was the end of the line,” she said. Instead, the opposite happened.
Lily, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, has parents who believe in QAnon, the conspiracy theory that centers around former President Donald Trump. She’s one of countless people who feel they have lost a loved one to the grips of QAnon.
Adherents of this baseless conspiracy believe Trump is in a fight against the so-called “deep state,” a cabal of pedophilic, Democratic politicians and celebrities who abuse children. A mysterious entity who calls themselves “Q” claims to be a government insider and shares supposedly secret information about this fight through anonymous online posts, which the community calls “Q drops.”
For years, believers of QAnon have been waiting for “The Storm,” a day of reckoning foretold by Q during which these elites would be exposed, rounded up and possibly even executed. It seemed “The Storm” was always just around the corner.
Lily’s father frantically called her days before the inauguration, imploring her to come home for her safety, she said. Her parents were so sure Q’s predictions were going to come true.
But then Biden became president and nothing happened.
Lily hoped that her family would finally return to her after Biden’s inauguration.
“It’s only pushed them further and further,” Lily said.
Her parents have reasoned away why…
