History of Lauren Southern in Timeline

Lauren Southern is a Canadian political activist and YouTuber known for her alt-right views. She gained prominence through her online content and activism, often focusing on topics like immigration, nationalism, and identity politics. In 2015, Southern ran as a Libertarian Party candidate in Canada's federal election but secured only a small fraction of the vote. She was affiliated with Rebel Media before becoming an independent content creator.

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Full Timeline

June 1995: Lauren Southern Born

In June 1995, Lauren Cherie Southern was born. She is a Canadian alt-right YouTuber and political activist.

2000: Terrorism Act

In March 2018, Lauren Southern was questioned under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

April 2015: First Video on Rebel Media

In April 2015, Lauren Southern's first video, "Why I Am Not A Feminist", appeared on The Rebel Media website.

June 2015: Reported on Vancouver SlutWalk

In June 2015, Lauren Southern reported on the Vancouver SlutWalk for The Rebel Media, stating that her protest sign was torn up and that she made controversial statements about rape culture in the West compared to the Third World.

October 2015: Candidate in Canadian Federal Election

On October 18, 2015, Lauren Southern was a candidate in the Canadian federal election, representing the Libertarian Party in Langley–Aldergrove. Despite initial removal, she was reinstated with support from Breitbart News and The Rebel Media. She finished last in the election, receiving 535 votes, or 0.9% of the total.

2015: Ran as a Libertarian Party Candidate

In 2015, Lauren Southern ran as a Libertarian Party candidate in the Canadian federal election in her riding, but finished last with 535 votes, or 0.9% of the total.

March 2016: Attended Event in Vancouver

During March 2016, Lauren Southern visited Vancouver for an event where Augustus Sol Invictus was scheduled to appear. While there, a protester poured a bottle of urine over her head while she was engaging with LGBTQ protesters.

October 2016: Legally Changed Gender

In October 2016, Lauren Southern legally changed her gender to male as part of a video produced for The Rebel Media to demonstrate the ease of Ontario's new gender ID laws.

December 2016: Published "Barbarians"

In December 2016, Lauren Southern self-published the book "Barbarians: How Baby Boomers, Immigrants, and Islam Screwed My Generation", which included controversial statements about Hitler. The book received a cover endorsement from Ann Coulter.

Barbarians: How Baby Boomers, Immigrants, and Islam Screwed My Generation

Check it on Amazon

March 2017: Left Rebel Media and Gained White House Access

In March 2017, Lauren Southern announced her departure from The Rebel Media and gained access to White House press briefings. She also appeared on Lana Lokteff's program Radio 3Fourteen.

March 2017: Left Rebel Media

In March 2017, Lauren Southern left Rebel Media to work independently.

April 2017: Patriots' Day Rally in Berkeley

In April 2017, Lauren Southern was a scheduled speaker at a Patriots' Day rally in Berkeley, California, which led to a riot between pro-Trump demonstrators and counter-protesters.

May 2017: Supported Defend Europe and Detained

In May 2017, Lauren Southern supported Defend Europe's efforts to obstruct refugee search-and-rescue operations. She was briefly detained by the Italian Coast Guard for blocking a rescue ship. Consequently, Patreon removed her and she was demonetized by YouTube and banned from GoFundMe.

May 2017: Attempt to Block Rescue Ship and Detention

In May 2017, Lauren Southern, along with others, attempted to block the Aquarius, an NGO ship involved in search-and-rescue missions for migrants off the coast of North Africa. Southern was briefly detained by the Italian Coast Guard for her actions.

June 2017: YouTube Demonetization

In June 2017, YouTube demonetized Lauren Southern's channel, stopping advertisements from running on it.

July 2017: YouTube Video on Great Replacement

In July 2017, Lauren Southern released a YouTube video promoting the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, which posits that non-white immigration will lead to a genocide of white Europeans. The video was credited with helping to promote a white nationalist viewpoint.

July 2017: Great Replacement Video Release

In July 2017, Lauren Southern released a YouTube video titled "Great Replacement," which promoted the Great Replacement conspiracy theory and garnered over 600,000 views by March 2019. It was reported to have helped promote white nationalist viewpoints.

July 2017: Patreon Account Deletion

In July 2017, Lauren Southern reported that Patreon deleted her account due to concerns about her raising funds for activities that were likely to cause loss of life, referring to Defend Europe's actions. She denied these allegations.

November 2017: Why I'm Not Married Video

In a November 2017 YouTube video titled "Why I'm Not Married", Lauren Southern discussed her views on marriage and traditionalism, arguing for women's freedom to choose their own path.

February 2018: Flyers in Luton

In February 2018, Lauren Southern, along with Brittany Pettibone and Caolan Robertson, distributed flyers in Luton, England, describing Allah as "gay", as part of a social experiment video.

March 2018: Denied Entry to the United Kingdom

In March 2018, Lauren Southern was denied entry to the United Kingdom while waiting in Calais, France. She was intending to meet Martin Sellner and Brittany Pettibone. She was questioned under the Terrorism Act 2000, and her entry was denied due to her intentions during the visit.

June 2018: Meeting with Aleksandr Dugin in Moscow

In June 2018, Lauren Southern visited Moscow to meet Aleksandr Dugin, a political philosopher. She and Brittany Pettibone conducted a multi-part interview with Dugin, published on YouTube as "From Russia With Love". Southern defended Dugin against accusations of fascism.

July 2018: Speaking Tour of New Zealand

In July 2018, Lauren Southern applied for a travel visa to visit New Zealand for a speaking tour with Stefan Molyneux. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway allowed their entry, despite describing their views as "repugnant". The pair faced venue cancellations and protests, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stating New Zealand is "hostile" to their views.

July 2018: Australia Speaking Tour

In July 2018, Lauren Southern visited Australia for a speaking tour with Stefan Molyneux.

August 2018: Auckland Venue Cancellation Controversy

In August 2018, the Mayor of Auckland, Phil Goff, stated that Council venues should not be used to "stir up ethnic or religious tensions", agreeing with the cancellation of Lauren Southern's event. Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson received death threats for agreeing with the cancellation.

November 2018: Video on NGO Worker

In November 2018, Lauren Southern released a video that appeared to show an NGO worker admitting to coaching asylum seekers. However, the UNHCR stated that Greece has rigorous asylum procedures in place.

2018: Meeting with Andrew Tate in Romania

In 2018, Lauren Southern met Andrew Tate in Romania with the intention of convincing him to invest in a right-wing business. According to Southern's memoir, an encounter occurred at her hotel room after a night club visit.

2018: Documentary "Farmlands" Released

In 2018, Lauren Southern produced a documentary called "Farmlands" which falsely claimed that racially motivated farm attacks in South Africa may represent an impending genocide, a common talking point for white nationalists. She worked with Simon Roche, who predicts a race war.

2018: Farmlands Documentary

In 2018, Lauren Southern released the documentary Farmlands, in which she suggested an impending race war in South Africa due to farm attacks, further promoting the white genocide conspiracy theory.

March 2019: Views on Great Replacement Video

By March 2019, Lauren Southern's YouTube video titled "Great Replacement" had garnered over 600,000 views, which was reported to have helped promote white nationalist viewpoints.

May 2019: Borderless Documentary Release

In May 2019, Lauren Southern released a YouTube documentary, Borderless, about the refugee and migrant crisis. The film was temporarily removed by YouTube.

June 2019: Announcement of Retirement

On June 2, 2019, Lauren Southern announced her retirement from political activism on her website, citing the need to move on and find fulfillment in a more private capacity.

June 2019: Retirement Announcement

On June 2, 2019, Lauren Southern announced her retirement from political activism.

2019: Denials and Race War Prediction

In 2019, Lauren Southern denied being racist or far-right to a journalist from The Times of London, and ended the conversation by predicting a race war.

June 2020: Return to YouTube

On June 19, 2020, Lauren Southern announced her return to YouTube, expressing some remorse for her previous stances, though her sincerity was questioned by Daniel Lombroso in The Atlantic.

June 2020: YouTube Return

On June 19, 2020, Lauren Southern returned to YouTube, expressing some remorse for her previous stances.

August 2020: Great Replacement Video Access Restricted

By August 2020, Lauren Southern's YouTube video on the Great Replacement theory could only be accessed privately on her channel.

2021: Sky News Australia Contributor

As of 2021, Lauren Southern is a contributor for Sky News Australia.

June 2023: Return to Canada

In June 2023, Lauren Southern moved back to Canada from Australia with her son after her husband left her.

September 2024: Involvement with Russian State Media

In September 2024, it was revealed that two Russian state media employees were charged with secretly funnelling almost $10 million to a Tennessee company, believed to be Tenet Media, which employed Lauren Southern. Her content focused on controversial topics like anti-white sentiment and anti-LGBT content.