Hansongate

Hansongate, which may also be referred to as Pinterestgate, refers not to one single event, but to the series of bad takes members of Hanson have publicly shared (or defended when private accounts became public) beginning in 2020. These offensive and alienating opinions centered around Black Lives Matter and Covid-19, but also touched upon gun ownership and the LGBT community. 
The band has always made a point of staying silent on political issues, though many fans would point out that it was not a secret that the band were conservative. Still, the extent of their beliefs and the fact that they kept them quiet to appeal to a wider audience did not sit well with some fans when it was made public.
==Timeline==
===Covid-19===
On March 12, 2020, Zac made a post on Instagram that encouraged people to "live their lives and not lick doorknobs."Instagram post by zachanson on March 12, 2020 Fans were quick to point out his callous dismissal of the seriousness of the pandemic. Many hoped that his attitude would improve after the death of Taylor's Tinted Windows bandmate Adam Schlesinger on April 1. 
The band was slow to cancel in-person concerts and events scheduled for May 2020 and January 2021, but eventually did so, offering fans the choice for refunds or to transfer their tickets to future events. From October 2020 to January 2021, the band hosted a series of hybrid concerts from their hometown, Tulsa, Oklahoma. There was some confusion over whether they were profiting from these shows or benefitting the venue where they were hosted. Fans could purchase streaming tickets or attend in person in small groups. The in-person concert had limited seating at tables with masks required when not seated, but many fans felt this was not safe enough. Indeed, one case of Covid-19 was reported following the November 2020 concert.r/postHanson: Fan tests positive for COVID after attending Cain's shows
Fans who attended the first of these concerts reported that Zac and Isaac were greeting fans maskless after the show, and did not accept the masks fans attempted to give them. These fans were themselves criticized for attending the concerts and confronting the band.
On November 1, 2020, Isaac posted a long Instagram story stating that the government was trying to cancel Christmas.Screenshot of Instagram post by isaachanson on November 1, 2020 with comments The following day, rather than apologize, he attempted to clarify his position with a series of questions about where to draw the line on lockdowns.Screen of Instagram post by isaachanson on November 2, 2020 He then deleted a post fans had used to comment on these stories and disabled all comments. 
===Black Lives Matter===
In the days following George Floyd's murder, fans pointed out the lack of any comment on Hanson's social media, especially as they continued to post other content. On May 31, Taylor posted a photo of George Floyd on his personal InstagramInstagram post by taylorhanson on May 31, 2020, followed by a black square on June 2Instagram post by taylorhanson on June 1, 2020. The following day, Isaac posted a statement about how "racism is wrong."Instagram post by isaachanson on June 2, 2020 The lack of the phrase "black lives matter" and no post from Zac felt very obvious and glaring to many fans. On June 5, after attempting to respond to some fans concerns directly, Zac makes a post that still does not say BLM but does endorse changes in policingInstagram post by zachanson on June 5, 2020. That same day, the band posts a photo of their hands along with their black backup musicians hands accompanied by a statement that still does explicitly say BLM.Instagram post by hanson on June 5, 2020 This is followed by a "love casts out fear" post on Taylor's personal page.Instagram post by taylorhanson on June 5, 2020
On June 6, a private Pinterest account of Zac's leaks (more info below) and the call for boycotting the band begins. Finally, on June 8, the band explicitly states that black lives matterInstagram post by hanson on June 8, 2020, but the delaying, timing and wording of their statement leaves many fans unsatisfied. 
===Pinterestgate===
A private Pinterest account belonging to Zac was leaked on June 6. The account appeared to be related to the Airsoft team he managed, but included many offensive memes relating to gun rights. These included ones that showed support for George Zimmermann, likened gun rights to civil rights, and suggested that men without guns were gay or actually women.Screenshots of Zac's private Pinterest accountFurther screenshots of Zac's private accounts and PMs
When fans asked Zac about these memes on IG, he admitted the account was his and attempted to defend the memes as "jokes" or explain how he viewed them only through the lens of second amendment rights. These comments were later deleted. Zac's wife Kate also posted a statement on IG defending Zac and stating that he would lay down his life for anyone, before making her account private. 
An unposted blog on the band's official website was discovered on July 18.confessinbothanson: Not too sure why this never got posted, but if you know how to find it, it is available on Hnet. Although it did feature something of an apology from Zac, it remained clear that he felt attacked and placed more value on the fans who defended him than those who had been critical of him and the band. In a post-concert livestream, Taylor mentioned hansongate by name and acknowledged that it had been a difficult year for many fans.r/postHanson: taylor said the words “hansongate”
In May of 2021 Hanson once again addressed the issue in a livestream after a fan asked about it. It was met with mixed reviews that tended to fall along the lines of where fans fell in terms of where they were in the fandom journey at the time.hnet reporter asks itz about hansongate.
==Reactions Outside Of Fandom==
On November 4, Queerty posted a short story on Isaac's statements about Christmas.Queerty: Isaac Hanson says COVID-19 is part of a government plot in the war on Christmas The story was picked up by a number of outlets, including MSN and The Mirror. Perez Hilton had the following to say:
The first major outlet to pick up the story of Hansongate itself was Vice, in a long piece published on November 10, 2020.Vice: Hanson Is Facing a Mutiny From Its Own Fans In the article, several fans are interviewed and comparisons are drawn to the Harry Potter fandom. Several other news outlets used the Vice investigation as a basis for their own articles.Newser: Why Diehard 'Fansons' Are Starting to Walk AwayVulture: Why Are Hanson Fans Turning Their Back on the Group?Zac Hanson issues apology for racist, transphobic stupidity
Few fellow celebrities and musicians have spoken out about the controversy. On March 8, 2021, the band Eve 6 tweeted a variety of things about Hanson, beginning with a comparison to Mumford and Sons (facing their own backlash for endorsing Jordan Peterson and for endorsement of fascist ideals by one member), and including the statement "im saying they’re better musically my take ends there. i haven’t personally kept up with hanson on reddit."
==Fan Reactions==
A subreddit called r/posthanson was created on June 6 for fans struggling with the band's behavior. By June 10, many fan groups on Facebook have temporarily archived their groups to give fans time to cool down. In the months following the bulk of these events, fighting between fans of different brothers has gotten worse, with many fans feeling Taylor is the only band member worth of any support. Many fans also felt that continuing to be active in the fandom was to tacitly support the band's behavior. The term "klanson" had been thrown around to describe fans who still supported the band, but has not reached widespread usage.
A fan or group of fans has created a series of nearly identical websites (linked below) that use the terms "hansongate" and "posthanson" but are in fact created in defense of the band and against the cancellation campaign. Their websites and posts seem clearly aimed at flooding out actual discussion of hansongate with posts promoting and supporting the band. 
===Comments===
====Post Hanson====
====In Support of Band and Zac====
====Death of the "Author"====
 
===Fanworks===
*Some Secrets Can't Be Pinned by Honeybee1984 was inspired by the Hansongate controversy.
==Links and Further Commentary==
==References==
Category:Hanson Fandom Glossary
Category:Scandals