Asheville drag queen says attack ad that falsely links her to Jamie Ager was made with AI
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — DISCLAIMER: This story covers a sensitive subject. Viewer discretion is advised.
A drag queen from the Asheville area is speaking out after appearing in a political attack ad against Jamie Ager, a Democratic candidate for Congress. She says the scenes shown in the ad were made up using artificial intelligence (AI).
Nova, the Asheville drag queen featured in the 30-second ad, said she was surprised when she learned about it. The ad was made by the campaign of Jennifer Balkcom, a Republican candidate for Congress.
The ad shows Ager at a barn dance with drag performers. It includes the words, “Jamie Ager talks like you and me on TV, but he’s dancing with they/them.”
Nova said the scene in the ad never happened. She said she has never even met Ager, the Democratic candidate.
“None of it was real,” Nova said. “I’ve never met the man in my life. I’m going to be honest with you: I’ve never been to a barn dance in my life.”
Nova said Balkcom’s campaign contacted her before she appeared in the ad. She also said she was worried about the message the ad sends about LGBTQ people in western North Carolina.
KNOW YOUR CANDIDATE: JAMIE AGER FOR NORTH CAROLINA'S 11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
“It’s just hurtful towards an entire community of people, and it’s not just us in the ads that are mad,” Nova said. “It’s the entire LGBTQ in western North Carolina.”
Nova said she believes the ad supports the false idea that drag performers try to influence children to adopt certain beliefs.
“I feel like they are mocking the community. I think this idea that drag queens want to indoctrinate children is a huge aspect of this, and that is simply not the truth,” she said.
Ager’s campaign also spoke out against the ad. It accused Balkcom of using AI to make political ads that mislead people.
“Our opponent is attacking Jamie with 100% fake, AI-generated ads. She can't win on the truth, so she is using AI to lie. It's insulting to the intelligence of voters in western North Carolina and another example of the exact corrupt system he is running against. Jamie got into this race because we can and must do politics better,” Ager’s campaign said in a statement.
Nova said she sent Balkcom’s campaign a cease-and-desist letter, which asks the campaign to stop the activity she objects to. At the time of her interview, she said she had not received a reply. When asked whether the campaign had answered her request, Nova said, “They have not.”
Balkcom’s campaign confirmed that it paid for the ad and helped make it as part of the campaign.
KNOW YOUR CANDIDATE: JENNIFER BALKCOM FOR NORTH CAROLINA'S 11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
When asked for a comment, Balkcom’s team declined to do an on-camera interview but released this statement:
“Liberal Jamie Ager is sending his left-wing army to attack his political opponents after being exposed for hosting events exposing young children to inappropriate performances from individuals like Sister Domina Trix and Sister Helen Bedd. Ager owes North Carolina voters answers for why he’s trying to push sexualized performers onto kids.”
Balkcom’s campaign accused Ager of hosting events with performances it believes are not suitable for children. Nova disagrees with the way the ad shows the events. She also said using AI to create these scenes raises concerns about how political messages portray drag performers and the LGBTQ community.
The dispute has also raised questions about using AI in political ads. North Carolina currently has no widely enforced law that requires political ads to disclose when AI has been used to make them.
Nova said she believes the issue is bigger than whether a political ad is allowed by law.
“We teeter that line of when is it okay just because it’s legal, and when are y’all going to start creating other preposterous storylines about gay people to fit into your narrative,” she said.