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{{Short description|Canadian Twitch streamer (born 1994)}}
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{{Article for deletion/dated|page=Keffals|timestamp=20220628051717|year=2022|month=June|day=28|substed=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
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{{Infobox Twitch streamer
<!-- End of AfD message, feel free to edit beyond this point -->
| name = Keffals
{{Short description|American trans Twitch streamer}}
| image = Keffals catgirl (cropped 3to4 ratio).jpg
{{Infobox Twitch streamer|name=Clara Sorrenti|image=<!-- ONLY IMAGES WITH A FREE LICENSE ALLOWED. NO SCREENSHOTS. -->|birth_name=<!-- Per [[WP:DEADNAME]], do NOT include her birth name since she was not notable under her given name. -->|birth_date={{Birth based on age as of date|28|2022|6|26}}|nationality=Canadian|URL={{URL|keffals.gg}}|pseudonym=Keffals|channel_name=keffals|years_active=2021-present|followers=34,500|views=257,000|associated_acts=[[Vaush]]|stats_update=June 26, 2022|location=[[London, Ontario]]}}
| alt = Sorrenti dressed up as a catgirl on Halloween in her streaming setup
| caption = Sorrenti in 2022
| birth_name = <!-- Per WP:DEADNAME, do not include her assigned name since she was not notable under her given name. -->
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1994|3|25}}
| birth_place = [[Ontario, Canada]]
| nationality = Canadian
| URL = {{URL|https://keffals.gg}}
| channel_name = keffals
| years_active = 2021–present
| creator = Clara Sorrenti
| followers = 54,900
<!-- | views = 257,000 -->| associated_acts = {{ubl|
* [[Vaush]]
* [[Chelsea Manning]]
}}
| follower_date = February 18, 2023
| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality
| subbox = yes
| name = Keffals
| channels = {{YouTube channel|Keffals}}
| subscribers =
| views = 3,188,727
| stats_update = February 18th, 2023
}}
}}


'''Clara Sorrenti''' <!-- Per WP:DEADNAME, do not include her assigned name since she was not notable under her given name. -->(born March 25, 1994),<ref>Birthday on March 25:
'''Clara Sorrenti'''<!-- Per [[WP:DEADNAME]], do NOT include her birth name since she was not notable under her given name. -->, better known online as '''Keffals''', is a [[Transgender|trans]] Canadian [[socialist]] [[Twitch streamer]] and [[Trans activism|trans activist]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Lorenz |first=Taylor |author-link=Taylor Lorenz |date=June 26, 2022 |title=The trans Twitch star delivering news to a legion of LGBTQ teens |work=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/26/keffals-trans-twitch-streaming-news/ |access-date=June 26, 2022}}</ref> She is known for frequently "[[The ratio (Twitter)|ratioing]]" other Twitter users.
* {{Cite tweet |user=keffals |number=1507484127678943232 |title=today is my birthday. if anyone wants to show appreciation for what i do, i am trying to raise enough money to pay the team who runs my youtube channel. 100% of the funds go directly to them, and i would appreciate it a lot ❤️ |archive-url=https://archive.today/dyaV5/again?url=https://twitter.com/keffals/status/1507484127678943232 |archive-date=March 26, 2022}}
Age 28 at the time of publishing:
* {{Cite news |last=Lorenz |first=Taylor |author-link=Taylor Lorenz |date=June 26, 2022 |title=The trans Twitch star delivering news to a legion of LGBTQ teens |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/26/keffals-trans-twitch-streaming-news/ |access-date=June 26, 2022 |quote="The 28-year-old took to Twitch..." |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626112207/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/26/keffals-trans-twitch-streaming-news/ |url-status=live }}</ref> better known as '''Keffals''', is a Canadian [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]] [[online streamer|streamer]], [[Trans activism|transgender activist]], [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]] [[political commentator]]<!-- Do not remove information about Sorrenti's political career; including information about a political commentator's former political career in the lede of their article is WP:PROPORTIONAL and there is a consensus to that effect --> and former candidate of the [[Communist Party of Canada]].<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Lorenz |first=Taylor |author-link=Taylor Lorenz |date=June 26, 2022 |title=The trans Twitch star delivering news to a legion of LGBTQ teens |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/26/keffals-trans-twitch-streaming-news/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807195947/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/26/keffals-trans-twitch-streaming-news/ |archive-date=August 7, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> She has since ended her affiliation with the Communist Party.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sung |first=Morgan |date=October 12, 2022 |title=Trans Twitch streamer Keffals is ready to return home |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/keffals-twitch-kiwi-farms-new-chapter-rcna47780 |access-date=February 18, 2023 |website=[[NBC News]] |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205215141/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/keffals-twitch-kiwi-farms-new-chapter-rcna47780 |url-status=live }}</ref>


Sorrenti, who [[gender transitioning|transitioned]] as a teenager, began engaging in [[Transgender rights movement|transgender activism]] after [[governor of Texas|Texas Governor]] [[Greg Abbott]] instructed Texas state agencies to treat [[Transgender health care|gender-affirming]] medical treatments (such as [[puberty blocker]]s or [[Hormone therapy|hormone treatments]]) for [[transgender youth]]s as child abuse.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Lindell |first=Chuck |title=Abbott orders state agency to treat gender-affirming care as child abuse |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/02/23/texas-gov-greg-abbott-gender-affirming-care-reported-child-abuse/6898869001/ |access-date=2022-02-23 |website=Austin American-Statesman |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030182512/https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/02/23/texas-gov-greg-abbott-gender-affirming-care-reported-child-abuse/6898869001/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite news |title=Texas governor directs state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care for trans youths as 'child abuse' |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/23/greg-abbott-gender-affirming-care-child-abuse-directive/ |access-date=2022-02-23 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106084853/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/23/greg-abbott-gender-affirming-care-child-abuse-directive/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":12">{{cite web |last1=Ghorayshi |first1=Azeen |date=23 February 2022 |title=Texas Governor Pushes to Investigate Medical Treatments for Trans Youth as 'Child Abuse' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/science/texas-abbott-transgender-child-abuse.html |access-date=25 February 2022 |website=The New York Times |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618124554/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/science/texas-abbott-transgender-child-abuse.html |url-status=live }}</ref> She has commentated on her experiences as a [[trans woman]] and has hosted people such as [[Chelsea Manning]] on her stream.<ref name=":0" />
She began streaming video games, and transitioned to activism after [[Greg Abbott]], the [[governor of Texas]], began a campaign against [[gender-affirming care]]. Sorrenti, who transitioned as a teenager, started to talk about her experiences. She has hosted people like [[Chelsea Manning]] on her stream.<ref name=":0" />

In 2022, Sorrenti became the subject of a loosely-organized harassment campaign that she has attributed to [[Kiwi Farms]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sung |first=Morgan |title=Trans Twitch streamer Keffals is ready to return home after Kiwi Farms |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/keffals-twitch-kiwi-farms-new-chapter-rcna47780 |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=www.nbcnews.com |date=October 12, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205215141/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/keffals-twitch-kiwi-farms-new-chapter-rcna47780 |url-status=live }}</ref> with [[internet troll]]s using her [[Deadnaming|deadname]] while filing false police reports, [[Pizza delivery#Prank order|pizza bombing]] her residence, and organizing a number of [[swatting]]s.


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Sorrenti had used the [[Username|handle]] 'Keffals' online when growing up. By 12, she realized that she was trans. In 2013, when she was 18, her parents [[Medical tourism|paid for a trip]] to [[Thailand]] to receive gender-affirming surgery.<ref name=":0" /> She attended the [[University of Western Ontario]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Tayler |first=Emily |date=September 14, 2019 |title=Communists collect in UCC for Friday night election launch |url=https://westerngazette.ca/news/communists-collect-in-ucc-for-friday-night-election-launch/article_538de0b2-d68d-11e9-8fa4-97bb28b12ef6.html |access-date=June 27, 2022 |website=The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper}}</ref>
When growing up, Sorrenti played video games such as ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' and ''[[Garry's Mod]]'' using the online handle "Keffals".<ref name=":0"/> By the age of 12, she realized that she was transgender. In 2013, when she was 18, she [[Medical tourism|traveled]] to [[Thailand]] with her parents to receive [[gender-affirming surgery]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1752368112408605101 |user=keffals |title=Eleven years ago today my mom and dad supported me through getting sexual reassignment surgery. I was 18. I love her so much, and I am one the luckiest girls in the world. |first=Clara |last=Sorrenti |date=January 30, 2024 |access-date=January 30, 2024}}</ref> She attended the [[University of Western Ontario]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Tayler |first=Emily |date=September 14, 2019 |title=Communists collect in UCC for Friday night election launch |url=https://westerngazette.ca/news/communists-collect-in-ucc-for-friday-night-election-launch/article_538de0b2-d68d-11e9-8fa4-97bb28b12ef6.html |access-date=June 27, 2022 |website=The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628003747/https://westerngazette.ca/news/communists-collect-in-ucc-for-friday-night-election-launch/article_538de0b2-d68d-11e9-8fa4-97bb28b12ef6.html |url-status=live }}</ref>


== Political career and activism (2018–2019) ==
== Career ==
Sorrenti is an advocate for the [[Trans rights|rights of transgender]] people. She claims to receive harassment frequently for being a trans person.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Grayson |first=Nathan |date=December 16, 2021 |title=Twitch suspension of Hasan Piker sparks debate over what qualifies as racist language |work=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/12/16/twitch-cracker-ban-hasan-vaush/ |access-date=June 26, 2022 |quote="'It's honestly rare for me to go live on Twitch without at least one person coming into my chat to harass me for being a trans person,' a streamer who goes by the handle 'Keffals' said on Twitter, 'but the hateful conduct that Twitch seems to care about more is whether people use goofy insults...'"}}</ref> After the [[election of Donald Trump]] in 2016, she entered Canadian politics. She ran for positions in [[2018 Ontario general election|2018]] and [[2019 Canadian federal election|2019]] as part of the [[Communist Party of Canada]], but lost both races.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Who's running in London? Here's who |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/who-s-running-in-london-here-s-who-1.5279412 |access-date=June 27, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=Martin |last2=Tayler |first2=Emily |last3=McCallum |first3=Katrina |date=November 30, 2018 |title=Western's TA union finds an ally in the Young Communist League |url=https://westerngazette.ca/features/westerns-ta-union-finds-an-ally-in-the-young-communist-league/article_5a9cafb6-f414-11e8-85a0-eb04692b462e.html |access-date=June 27, 2022 |website=The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper}}</ref> During that time, she was the organizer for the [[Young Communist League of Canada|Young Communist League]]'s London, Ontario chapter.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=November 7, 2017 |title=WWP youth leader speaks at Bolshevik commemoration |url=https://www.workers.org/2017/11/34190/ |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=[[Workers World (newspaper)|Workers World]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tayler |first=Emily |date=November 16, 2018 |title=We Won't Be Erased London: Rally for trans and intersex rights |url=https://westerngazette.ca/culture/we-wont-be-erased-london-rally-for-trans-and-intersex-rights/article_31c93462-e792-11e8-9e73-67df123d2454.html |access-date=June 27, 2022 |website=The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper |quote="Trans rights march (Photo 4): Clara Sorrenti, the organizer of the Young Communist League London, Nov. 4, 2018."}}</ref> After a wave of anti-trans legislation introduced in state legislatures in 2021, she began covering those topics.<ref name=":0" />
Sorrenti is an advocate for the [[Trans rights|rights of transgender people]]. She has stated that she receives frequent harassment for being a trans person.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Grayson |first=Nathan |date=December 16, 2021 |title=Twitch suspension of Hasan Piker sparks debate over what qualifies as racist language |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/12/16/twitch-cracker-ban-hasan-vaush/ |access-date=June 26, 2022 |quote="'It's honestly rare for me to go live on Twitch without at least one person coming into my chat to harass me for being a trans person,' a streamer who goes by the handle 'Keffals' said on Twitter, 'but the hateful conduct that Twitch seems to care about more is whether people use goofy insults...'" |archive-date=December 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217083440/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/12/16/twitch-cracker-ban-hasan-vaush/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Gach |first=Ethan |date=July 21, 2022 |title=Trans Streamer Keffals Says Twitch Banned Her For 'Openly Talking' About Abuse She Receives |url=https://kotaku.com/twitch-ban-keffals-destiny-trans-hate-speech-slur-1849315462 |access-date=July 21, 2022 |website=[[Kotaku]] |archive-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721180449/https://kotaku.com/twitch-ban-keffals-destiny-trans-hate-speech-slur-1849315462 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":4" />


Early in her life Sorrenti volunteered with the [[New Democratic Party]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Creces |first=Gerard |date=June 4, 2018 |title=Clara Sorrenti - Young, Determined, Unapologetically Communist |url=https://londonfuse.ca/clara-sorrenti-young-determined-unapologetically-communist/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326201910/https://londonfuse.ca/clara-sorrenti-young-determined-unapologetically-communist/ |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=London Fuse}}</ref> She entered [[Canadian politics]] following the 2016 [[election of Donald Trump]] in the United States,<ref name=":0" /> running for two races in 2018 and 2019 as a member of the [[Communist Party of Canada]]. She ran in the [[2018 Ontario general election]]<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Martin |last2=Tayler |first2=Emily |last3=McCallum |first3=Katrina |date=November 30, 2018 |title=Western's TA union finds an ally in the Young Communist League |url=https://westerngazette.ca/features/westerns-ta-union-finds-an-ally-in-the-young-communist-league/article_5a9cafb6-f414-11e8-85a0-eb04692b462e.html |access-date=June 27, 2022 |website=The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807200703/https://westerngazette.ca/features/westerns-ta-union-finds-an-ally-in-the-young-communist-league/article_5a9cafb6-f414-11e8-85a0-eb04692b462e.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Who's running in London? Here's who |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/who-s-running-in-london-here-s-who-1.5279412 |access-date=June 27, 2022 |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628004246/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/who-s-running-in-london-here-s-who-1.5279412 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[2019 Canadian federal election]],<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Dubinski |first=Kate |date=August 9, 2022 |title=Trans Twitch star arrested at gunpoint fears for life after someone sent police to her London, Ont., home |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/trans-twitch-star-arrested-at-gunpoint-fears-for-life-after-someone-sent-police-to-her-london-ont-home-1.6546015 |access-date=August 9, 2022 |website=[[CBC.ca]] |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809212412/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/trans-twitch-star-arrested-at-gunpoint-fears-for-life-after-someone-sent-police-to-her-london-ont-home-1.6546015 |url-status=live }}</ref> but lost both races.<ref name=":0" /> During that time, she was the organizer for the [[Young Communist League of Canada|Young Communist League]]'s London, Ontario chapter.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=November 7, 2017 |title=WWP youth leader speaks at Bolshevik commemoration |url=https://www.workers.org/2017/11/34190/ |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=[[Workers World (newspaper)|Workers World]] |archive-date=March 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330190853/https://www.workers.org/2017/11/34190/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tayler |first=Emily |date=November 16, 2018 |title=We Won't Be Erased London: Rally for trans and intersex rights |url=https://westerngazette.ca/culture/we-wont-be-erased-london-rally-for-trans-and-intersex-rights/article_31c93462-e792-11e8-9e73-67df123d2454.html |access-date=June 27, 2022 |website=The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper |quote="Trans rights march (Photo 4): Clara Sorrenti, the organizer of the Young Communist League London, Nov. 4, 2018." |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628004246/https://westerngazette.ca/culture/we-wont-be-erased-london-rally-for-trans-and-intersex-rights/article_31c93462-e792-11e8-9e73-67df123d2454.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In April 2022, she raised {{USD|200,000}} for the Campaign for Southern Equality to protect [[transgender youth]]. A month later, she had spread a [[Video on demand|VOD]] of another trans Twitch streamer who was arrested by Tennessee police allegedly for [[truancy]]. The event was covered in ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cole |first=Samantha |date=May 9, 2022 |title=Cops Bust Into 16-Year-Old Trans Girl’s Bedroom During Her Twitch Stream |work=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/88gyev/cops-trans-girl-twitch-stream |access-date=June 26, 2022}}</ref> ''Dexerto'',<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 8, 2022 |title=16-year-old Trans Twitch streamer allegedly taken into foster care by police during stream |url=https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/trans-twitch-streamer-allegedly-put-into-foster-care-live-on-stream-1818959/ |access-date=June 26, 2022 |website=Dexerto}}</ref> and ''TheGamer''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bevan |first=Rhiannon |date=May 7, 2022 |title=16-Year Old Trans Girl Detained By Police Mid-Livestream For Not Attending School That Misgendered Her |url=https://www.thegamer.com/twitch-livestream-trans-girl-police-foster-care-school-viowynn-keffals/ |access-date=June 26, 2022 |website=TheGamer |language=en-US}}</ref>


=== Election results ===
Her activism includes online disputes with former Twitch streamer [[Steven Bonnell]], and other public figures like [[Tim Pool]], [[Candace Owens]], [[Lauren Southern]], and [[J. K. Rowling]].<ref name=":0" />
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Year
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Office
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan=2 rowspan=2 | Party
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan=3 | Votes
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Result
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | {{refh|plural=yes}}
|-
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | Total
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | %
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | {{abbr|2=Position|P}}.
|-
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | [[2018 Ontario general election|2018]]
| [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada)|MPP]] for [[London North Centre (provincial electoral district)|London North Centre]]
| style="background-color:{{party color|Communist Party of Canada}};" |
| [[Communist Party of Canada (Ontario)|Communist]]
| 128
| 0.24%
| 7th
| {{lost}}
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elections.on.ca/content/dam/NGW/sitecontent/2018/results/officialresults-yellowbook/votescastbycandidate/pdf/Valid%20Votes%20Cast%20for%20Each%20Candidate%20-%202018%20Provincial%20General%20Election.pdf|title=Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate|page=6|publisher=Elections Ontario|access-date=16 January 2019|archive-date=December 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228175029/https://www.elections.on.ca/content/dam/NGW/sitecontent/2018/results/officialresults-yellowbook/votescastbycandidate/pdf/Valid%20Votes%20Cast%20for%20Each%20Candidate%20-%202018%20Provincial%20General%20Election.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | [[2019 Canadian federal election|2019]]
| [[House of Commons of Canada|MP]] for [[London North Centre (federal electoral district)|London North Centre]]
| style="background-color:{{party color|Communist Party of Canada}};" |
| [[Communist Party of Canada|Communist]]
| 137
| 0.21%
| 6th
| {{lost}}
| <ref>{{cite web |title=List of confirmed candidates |url=https://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand/lst&document=index&lang=e |website=Elections Canada |access-date=October 4, 2019 |archive-date=February 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215213323/https://elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand%2Flst&document=index&lang=e |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Official Voting Results |url=https://www.elections.ca/res/rep/off/ovr2019app/51/11094e.html |publisher=Elections Canada |access-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-date=December 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203134734/https://www.elections.ca/res/rep/off/ovr2019app/51/11094e.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

== Online career (2020–present) ==
Sorrenti began streaming on Twitch playing video games, but switched to politics after a wave of anti-trans legislation was introduced in state legislatures in 2021 and 2022. She spoke out against [[governor of Texas|Texas Governor]] [[Greg Abbott]] when he instructed Texas state agencies to treat gender-affirming medical treatments, such as [[puberty blocker]]s or [[Hormone therapy|hormone treatments]], for [[transgender youth]]s as child abuse. Speaking on an Alabama law making it a felony to provide gender-affirming care for those under 18, Sorrenti said, "They literally want these kids to fucking kill themselves."<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":10" /><ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" /> In April 2022, she raised {{USD|205,000}} for the Campaign for Southern Equality to protect transgender youth.<ref name=":0" /> A month later, she called attention to a [[Video on demand|VOD]] of a 16-year-old trans Twitch streamer who was taken into [[foster care]] after police conducted a [[wellness check]].<ref name=":TheGamer">{{Cite web |last=Bevan |first=Rhiannon |date=May 7, 2022 |title=16-Year Old Trans Girl Detained By Police Mid-Livestream For Not Attending School That Misgendered Her |url=https://www.thegamer.com/twitch-livestream-trans-girl-police-foster-care-school-viowynn-keffals/ |access-date=June 26, 2022 |website=TheGamer |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626203010/https://www.thegamer.com/twitch-livestream-trans-girl-police-foster-care-school-viowynn-keffals/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cole |first=Samantha |date=May 10, 2022 |title=Cops Bust Into 16-Year-Old Trans Girl's Bedroom During Her Twitch Stream |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/88gyev/cops-trans-girl-twitch-stream |work=[[Vice Media|Vice]] |access-date=July 23, 2022 |archive-date=July 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711210531/https://www.vice.com/en/article/88gyev/cops-trans-girl-twitch-stream |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Padgett |first=Donald |date=May 11, 2022 |title=Police Burst Into 16-Year Old Trans Girl's Bedroom During Livestream |url=https://www.advocate.com/news/2022/5/11/police-burst-16-year-old-trans-girls-bedroom-during-livestream |work=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]] |access-date=July 23, 2022 |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807195942/https://www.advocate.com/news/2022/5/11/police-burst-16-year-old-trans-girls-bedroom-during-livestream |url-status=live }}</ref> She has also criticized Florida's [[Parental Rights in Education]] act and the false claim shared by online figures such as [[Infowars]] and United States [[Congressman]] [[Paul Gosar]] that the [[Robb Elementary School shooting|Uvalde shooter]] was transgender on stream.<ref name=":2" /> She was profiled by [[Taylor Lorenz]] in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in June 2022.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5">{{cite news |last1=Allsop |first1=Jon |date=June 28, 2022 |title=Ukraine 'fatigue,' and what the press can—and can't—do about it |work=[[Columbia Journalism Review]] |url=https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/ukraine_fatigue_attention_media.php |access-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628172811/https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/ukraine_fatigue_attention_media.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Lorenz described Sorrenti as "part of a new class of stars who have abandoned the platform's traditional game-stream format to talk about news and politics" and described her Twitch stream as "one of the few media outlets where viewers can hear the news from a trans person."<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" />

In July 2022 her [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]] account was suspended for 28 days (reduced to 14) for "repeated hateful slurs or symbols" that featured on her stream [[thumbnail]]. Sorrenti said that the slurs in question were images of past harassment directed against her and that she had been banned "for openly talking about the abuse [she receives]". She moved to [[YouTube]] to stream during the ban.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wolens |first=Joshua |date=July 22, 2022 |title=Trans Twitch streamer claims she was banned for showing examples of abuse |work=[[PC Gamer]] |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/trans-twitch-streamer-claims-she-was-banned-for-showing-examples-of-abuse/ |access-date=July 22, 2022 |archive-date=July 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722123427/https://www.pcgamer.com/trans-twitch-streamer-claims-she-was-banned-for-showing-examples-of-abuse/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sorrenti joined Twitter in December 2020, and amassed over 100,000 followers on the platform. Sorrenti is also known for "[[The ratio (Twitter)|ratioing]]" Twitter personalities,<ref name=":3" /> and has been in online disputes with former Twitch streamer [[Destiny (streamer)|Destiny]], as well other public figures, including [[Tim Pool]], [[Candace Owens]], [[Lauren Southern]], and [[J. K. Rowling]].<ref name=":0" />

She supports her streaming career with fan donations from [[Patreon]] and [[PayPal]], using the money to hire an [[Video editor|editor]] and a [[graphic designer]].<ref name=":0" />

In a 2023 Progressive Victory livestream, Sorrenti and fellow streamers [[Destiny (streamer)|Destiny]], Emma Vigeland, and [[Vaush]] interviewed [[U.S. Representative]] [[Ro Khanna]] about various topics, including the importance of youth political participation and ways to push [[Progressivism|progressive]] political sentiment.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lorenz |first1=Taylor |title=Democrats plan four-hour live stream with Twitch and YouTube stars |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/09/28/live-stream-twitch-politics-khanna/ |access-date=3 October 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929155206/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/09/28/live-stream-twitch-politics-khanna/ |archive-date=September 29, 2023 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gutelle |first=Sam |date=2023-09-29 |title=U.S. rep Ro Khanna streamed with creators like Vaush and Emma Vigeland outside the White House |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/09/29/ro-khanna-stream-politics-creators-white-house-vaush-keffals-emma-vigeland/ |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=Tubefilter |language=en-US |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010055608/https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/09/29/ro-khanna-stream-politics-creators-white-house-vaush-keffals-emma-vigeland/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Harassment campaigns ===
==== August 2022 swatting incident ====
On August 5, 2022, Sorrenti was [[swatted]] and arrested after an email was sent to members of the [[London, Ontario]] city council claiming to be Sorrenti with an intent to kill her mother and members of the [[London City Council]]. The incident, that she believes to be a [[hate crime]], led to computers and phones being confiscated by police. She said the [[London Police Service]] had used her [[deadname]] during the arrest, as well as in the [[wellness check]] on her mother.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Jackson |first=Gita |date=August 9, 2022 |title=Twitch Streamer Keffals Arrested After Transphobic SWATing |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7bzaz/twitch-streamer-keffals-arrested-after-transphobic-swating |access-date=August 9, 2022 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809184626/https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7bzaz/twitch-streamer-keffals-arrested-after-transphobic-swating |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Diaz |first=Ana |date=August 9, 2022 |title=Trans streamer Keffals swatted and arrested in her home |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |url=https://www.polygon.com/23298726/keffals-swatted-twitch-streamer-london-ontario-police |access-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809230240/https://www.polygon.com/23298726/keffals-swatted-twitch-streamer-london-ontario-police |url-status=live }}</ref> Sorrenti claimed the police, talking to Sorrenti's mother, [[misgender]]ed Sorrenti by referring to her as her mother's "son".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Winslow |first=Jeremy |date=August 10, 2022 |title=Popular Trans Twitch Streamer Keffals Arrested After 'Traumatizing' Swatting Incident |work=[[Kotaku]] |url=https://kotaku.com/trans-twitch-youtube-livestream-clara-keffals-sorrenti-1849396487 |access-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810190536/https://kotaku.com/trans-twitch-youtube-livestream-clara-keffals-sorrenti-1849396487 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wolens |first=Joshua |date=August 10, 2022 |title=With guns drawn, police raid home of trans Twitch streamer Clara 'Keffals' Sorrenti in latest swatting debacle |work=[[PC Gamer]] |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/keffals-swatting/ |access-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810222629/https://www.pcgamer.com/keffals-swatting/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the London police, any use of Sorrenti's former legal name was based on records of prior interactions with the police and not deliberate disrespect.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.londonpolice.ca/en/news/statement-from-police-chief-williams-august-2022.aspx |title=STATEMENT FROM POLICE CHIEF WILLIAMS AUGUST 2022 |last=Williams |first=Steve |date=August 11, 2022 |website=London Police |access-date=September 6, 2022 |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113195651/https://www.londonpolice.ca/en/news/statement-from-police-chief-williams-august-2022.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> [[CBC News]] reported that the chief of the police department said he will review how she was treated by officers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dubinski |first=Kate |date=August 10, 2022 |title=London, Ont., police chief to review officer conduct in gunpoint arrest of trans activist |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/trans-activist-arrest-london-police-chief-review-1.6547124 |access-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810203655/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/trans-activist-arrest-london-police-chief-review-1.6547124 |url-status=live }}</ref> The swatting came after another earlier attempt had taken place through the [[Toronto Police Service]]; according to Sorrenti, the London Police Service was not aware of this previous attempt due to lack of correspondence with the Toronto Police Service.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Khan |first=Ahmar |date=August 9, 2022 |title=Trans woman, Twitch streamer Keffals doxxed, arrested at gunpoint by London, Ont. police |work=[[Global News]] |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9048763/trans-woman-twitch-streamer-keffals-london-police/ |access-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810001854/https://globalnews.ca/news/9048763/trans-woman-twitch-streamer-keffals-london-police/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sims |first=Jane |date=August 10, 2022 |title='Swatted': Transgender activist decries arrest, seizure of devices |work=[[The London Free Press]] |url=https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/i-was-swatted-london-transgender-activist-decries-arrest-seizure-of-devices |access-date=August 10, 2022}}</ref> The London Police Service drafted reforms for its treatment of transgender suspects after the incident.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carruthers |first=Dale |date=September 13, 2022 |title=In wake of 'swatting' arrest, London police draft policy for trans suspects |work=[[The London Free Press]] |url=https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/in-wake-of-swatting-arrest-london-police-draft-policy-for-trans-suspects |access-date=September 18, 2022 |archive-date=September 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929125049/https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/in-wake-of-swatting-arrest-london-police-draft-policy-for-trans-suspects |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the incident, Sorrenti told [[Global News]] that "I'm not backing down. I know that the work I do is incredibly valuable, and{{nbsp}}... I have [trans] people almost every day saying they came out to their families because of me".<ref name=":6" /> [[Jagmeet Singh]], leader of the New Democratic Party, responded to the situation in a tweet saying "Trans folk, and especially trans activists, deserve the freedom to make themselves heard. Not to be doxed and swatted, arrested at gunpoint and deadnamed repeatedly. No one deserves this."<ref name=":7" />

In December 2022, an internal investigation by the London Police Service into the August swatting incident found no evidence Sorrenti had been deadnamed audibly by officers, with the LPS stating they have the video and audio evidence to confirm this.<ref>{{cite news |last=Graham |first=Andrew |date=14 December 2022 |title=Internal review finds cops 'acted appropriately' in London, Ont. swatting arrest of trans activist |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9349013/lps-review-swatting-arrest-keffals-appropriate/ |work=[[Global News]] |location= |access-date=9 January 2023 |archive-date=January 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109105644/https://globalnews.ca/news/9349013/lps-review-swatting-arrest-keffals-appropriate/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McInnes |first=Angela |date=14 December 2022 |title=Officers acted appropriately in swatting arrest of international trans activist, internal review finds |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/officers-acted-appropriately-in-swatting-arrest-of-international-trans-activist-internal-review-finds-1.6685361 |work=[[CBC News]] |location= |access-date=9 January 2023 |archive-date=January 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109111515/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/officers-acted-appropriately-in-swatting-arrest-of-international-trans-activist-internal-review-finds-1.6685361 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Conflict with Kiwi Farms ====
Following the swatting, Sorrenti also set up a [[GoFundMe]] fundraiser with the aim of funding a move and a lawsuit,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hansford |first=Amelia |date=August 10, 2022 |title=Trans Twitch streamer arrested at gunpoint after evil trolls report fake death threats |work=[[PinkNews]] |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/08/10/keffals-swatting-trans-twitch-streamer/ |access-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810174005/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/08/10/keffals-swatting-trans-twitch-streamer/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Grayson |first=Nathan |date=August 15, 2022 |title=Twitch streamers traumatized after four 'swattings' in a week |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/08/15/keffals-adin-ross-ishowspeed-swatting-twitch-youtube/ |access-date=August 15, 2022 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=August 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816030937/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/08/15/keffals-adin-ross-ishowspeed-swatting-twitch-youtube/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and said that she aimed to continue to stream.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Sung |first=Morgan |date=August 11, 2022 |title=Trans Twitch streamer Keffals says she was swatted and arrested by police in Ontario |work=[[NBC News]] |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/trans-twitch-streamer-keffals-says-was-swatted-arrested-police-ontario-rcna42533 |access-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811213558/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/trans-twitch-streamer-keffals-says-was-swatted-arrested-police-ontario-rcna42533 |url-status=live }}</ref> Sorrenti later tweeted that the GoFundMe had its funds frozen after being mass reported.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1557080214320173057|user=keffalsbackup|title=My gofundme so I can move after being victimized by the police after I was swatted got mass reported and my campaign funds are on hold. People can still donate, but the amount of suffering people try to put me through is cruel. I'm contacting gofundme right now.|author=Clara Sorrenti|date=August 9, 2022|access-date=August 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809201439/https://twitter.com/keffalsbackup/status/1557080214320173057|archive-date=August 9, 2022}}</ref> Nonetheless, she was subsequently able to move to a hotel. On August 17, 2022, the location of the hotel was posted online and the hotel was [[Pizza delivery#Prank order|inundated with pizza deliveries]] made by [[Internet troll|trolls]] using Sorrenti's deadname. Sorrenti believes that the location of the hotel was discovered after she had posted a picture on her [[Discord]] server that inadvertently revealed the patterned bedsheets used by the hotel, allowing internet trolls to cross-reference the sheets with those in local hotels. London Police Service confirmed that they are investigating this and also a separate [[doxxing]] attempt. Following this, Sorrenti moved to a new temporary location and has said that she intends to move weekly until she finds a permanent residence.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carruthers |first=Dale |date=August 17, 2022 |title=First 'swatting' and now 'doxing': online harassment of trans activist continues |work=[[London Free Press]] |url=https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/first-swatting-and-now-doxing-online-harassment-of-trans-activist-continues |access-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817225257/https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/first-swatting-and-now-doxing-online-harassment-of-trans-activist-continues |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Khan |first=Amar |date=August 17, 2022 |title=Twitch streamer and trans woman, Clara Sorrenti allegedly doxxed again |work=[[Global News]] |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9068032/twitch-streamer-trans-woman-clara-sorrenti-keffals-doxxed-again/ |access-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818025832/https://globalnews.ca/news/9068032/twitch-streamer-trans-woman-clara-sorrenti-keffals-doxxed-again/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She also said that she intended to host a protest against [[Kiwi Farms]], a site which Sorrenti alleged played a role in her swatting, outside of the [[San Francisco]] offices of [[Cloudflare]], a company that provided services to the forum.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Polhamus |first=Blaine |date=August 19, 2022 |title=Keffals clashes with Kiwi Farms, set to hold protest against the 'stalking' website |url=https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/keffals-clashes-with-kiwi-farms-set-to-hold-protest-against-the-stalking-website |access-date=August 23, 2022 |website=[[Dot Esports]] |archive-date=December 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221142059/https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/keffals-clashes-with-kiwi-farms-set-to-hold-protest-against-the-stalking-website |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following continued harassment, including her [[Uber]] account being hacked into to send her food, Sorrenti announced that she would be leaving Canada and moving to an undisclosed location in [[Europe]] in one or two months.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Zandbergen |first1=Rebecca |last2=McInnes |first2=Angela |date=August 23, 2022 |title=Twitch streamer and trans activist says she's leaving Canada for awhile due to harassment |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6559289 |access-date=August 25, 2022 |archive-date=December 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221133759/https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6559289 |url-status=live }}</ref> She was once again doxxed in another swatting attempt after relocating to [[Belfast|Belfast, Northern Ireland]].<ref name="gca-31aug2022">{{cite news |last1=Khan |first1=Ahmar |last2=Simon |first2=Amy |title=Twitch streamer and transgender activist doxxed in Northern Ireland after leaving Canada |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9097654/twitch-streamer-and-transgender-activist-doxxed-in-northern-ireland/ |access-date=August 31, 2022 |work=[[Global News]] |date=August 31, 2022 |archive-date=December 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217231535/https://globalnews.ca/news/9097654/twitch-streamer-and-transgender-activist-doxxed-in-northern-ireland/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=September 7, 2022 |title=Inside Keffals' Battle to Bring Down Kiwi Farms |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgyagd/keffals-kiwi-farms |access-date=September 7, 2022 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |archive-date=September 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908020330/https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgyagd/keffals-kiwi-farms |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 3, 2022, pressure on Cloudflare in response to the harassment campaign resulted in the company terminating services to the Kiwi Farms website,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cox |first=Joseph |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Spy Site Selling Discord Messages Linked to Kiwi Farms |url=https://www.404media.co/spy-site-selling-discord-messages-linked-to-kiwi-farms/ |work=[[404 Media]] |quote=That pressure came after Kiwi Farms was linked to harassment of trans Twitch streamer Keffals. |access-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419165835/https://www.404media.co/spy-site-selling-discord-messages-linked-to-kiwi-farms/ |url-status=live }}</ref> as the firm considered the forum activity to be increasingly dangerous.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Internet services company Cloudflare blocks Kiwi Farms citing 'targeted threats' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/cloudflare-provided-security-services-kiwi-farms-blocks-website-rcna46219 |first1=Kat |last1=Tenbarge |first2=Jason |last2=Abbruzzese |first3=Ben |last3=Collins |date=September 4, 2022 |access-date=September 4, 2022 |website=[[NBC News]] |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903232926/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/cloudflare-provided-security-services-kiwi-farms-blocks-website-rcna46219 |url-status=live }}</ref> The site was briefly accessible only through [[Tor (network)|Tor]]. Sorrenti declared victory on September 5, saying the campaign had more than succeeded in its aim to shut Kiwi Farms down.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 5, 2022 |title=Hate Forum Kiwi Farms Practically Dead As Owner Posts Conspiracy-Laden Rant |url=https://kotaku.com/kiwi-farms-dead-closed-rip-shut-down-russia-telegram-1849498373 |first=Luke |last=Plunkett |access-date=September 6, 2022 |website=[[Kotaku]] |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201013229/https://kotaku.com/kiwi-farms-dead-closed-rip-shut-down-russia-telegram-1849498373 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="cnn-6sep2022">{{cite news |last1=O'Sullivan |first1=Donie |last2=Naik |first2=Richa |title=Trans activist celebrates rare victory against online trolls after Kiwi Farms deplatforming |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/06/tech/kiwi-farms-clara-sorrenti-keffals/index.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |work=[[CNN]] |date=September 6, 2022 |archive-date=September 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906233346/https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/06/tech/kiwi-farms-clara-sorrenti-keffals/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 6, 2022, ''The Daily Dot'' confirmed that VanwaTech was providing content delivery network services to Kiwi Farms, hence bringing it back online.<ref name="goforth-daily-dot">{{Cite news |last=Goforth |first=Claire |date=September 6, 2022 |title=Kiwi Farms gets back online thanks to the same service that's kept 8kun alive |work=[[The Daily Dot]] |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/kiwi-farms-back-online-vanwatech/ |access-date=September 6, 2022 |archive-date=October 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023212856/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/kiwi-farms-back-online-vanwatech/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="opb">{{Cite web |title=Hate-filled Kiwi Farms message board finds new home with Southwest Washington tech company |first=Troy |last=Brynelson |url=https://www.opb.org/article/2022/09/06/kiwi-farms-new-provider-after-cloudfare-drops-site/ |date=September 7, 2022 |access-date=September 7, 2022 |publisher=[[Oregon Public Broadcasting]] |archive-date=November 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126115118/https://www.opb.org/article/2022/09/06/kiwi-farms-new-provider-after-cloudfare-drops-site/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
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== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{Official website}}
* {{Twitter}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Keffals}}
* {{Official website|keffals.gg}}
[[Category:1994 births]]
* {{Twitter|id=keffals}}
[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:20th-century LGBT people]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian LGBT people]]
[[Category:21st-century LGBT people]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian women politicians]]
[[Category:Canadian anti-fascists]]
[[Category:Activists from Belfast]]
[[Category:Activists from Ontario]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriates in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Canadian socialists]]
[[Category:Canadian socialists]]
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[[Category:Canadian women activists]]
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[[Category:Canadian YouTubers]]
[[Category:LGBT people from Canada]]
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[[Category:Canadian transgender politicians]]
[[Category:Canadian LGBT rights activists]]
[[Category:LGBT YouTubers]]
[[Category:LGBT YouTubers]]
[[Category:Patreon creators]]
[[Category:Communist Party of Canada politicians]]
[[Category:Twitch (service) streamers]]
[[Category:Transgender rights activists]]
[[Category:Transgender women]]
[[Category:Transgender women politicians]]
[[Category:University of Western Ontario alumni]]
[[Category:University of Western Ontario alumni]]
[[Category:Victims of cyberbullying]]
[[Category:Women in Ontario politics]]
[[Category:YouTubers from Ontario]]

Latest revision as of 10:05, 16 June 2024

Keffals
Sorrenti dressed up as a catgirl on Halloween in her streaming setup
Sorrenti in 2022
Personal information
Born (1994-03-25) March 25, 1994 (age 30)
Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Websitekeffals.gg
Twitch information
Channel
Created byClara Sorrenti
Years active2021–present
Followers54,900
(February 18, 2023)
Associated acts
YouTube information
ChannelsKeffals
Subscribers52,300 Edit this at Wikidata
(May 2024)
Total views3,188,727
Last updated: February 18th, 2023

Clara Sorrenti (born March 25, 1994),[1] better known as Keffals, is a Canadian Twitch streamer, transgender activist, left-wing political commentator and former candidate of the Communist Party of Canada.[2][3][4] She has since ended her affiliation with the Communist Party.[5]

Sorrenti, who transitioned as a teenager, began engaging in transgender activism after Texas Governor Greg Abbott instructed Texas state agencies to treat gender-affirming medical treatments (such as puberty blockers or hormone treatments) for transgender youths as child abuse.[6][7][8] She has commentated on her experiences as a trans woman and has hosted people such as Chelsea Manning on her stream.[3]

In 2022, Sorrenti became the subject of a loosely-organized harassment campaign that she has attributed to Kiwi Farms,[9] with internet trolls using her deadname while filing false police reports, pizza bombing her residence, and organizing a number of swattings.

Early life

When growing up, Sorrenti played video games such as Team Fortress 2 and Garry's Mod using the online handle "Keffals".[3] By the age of 12, she realized that she was transgender. In 2013, when she was 18, she traveled to Thailand with her parents to receive gender-affirming surgery.[3][10] She attended the University of Western Ontario.[11]

Political career and activism (2018–2019)

Sorrenti is an advocate for the rights of transgender people. She has stated that she receives frequent harassment for being a trans person.[12][13][14]

Early in her life Sorrenti volunteered with the New Democratic Party.[2] She entered Canadian politics following the 2016 election of Donald Trump in the United States,[3] running for two races in 2018 and 2019 as a member of the Communist Party of Canada. She ran in the 2018 Ontario general election[15][16] and the 2019 Canadian federal election,[14] but lost both races.[3] During that time, she was the organizer for the Young Communist League's London, Ontario chapter.[17][18]

Election results

Year Office Party Votes Result Ref.
Total % P.
2018 MPP for London North Centre Communist 128 0.24% 7th Lost [19]
2019 MP for London North Centre Communist 137 0.21% 6th Lost [20][21]

Online career (2020–present)

Sorrenti began streaming on Twitch playing video games, but switched to politics after a wave of anti-trans legislation was introduced in state legislatures in 2021 and 2022. She spoke out against Texas Governor Greg Abbott when he instructed Texas state agencies to treat gender-affirming medical treatments, such as puberty blockers or hormone treatments, for transgender youths as child abuse. Speaking on an Alabama law making it a felony to provide gender-affirming care for those under 18, Sorrenti said, "They literally want these kids to fucking kill themselves."[3][6][7][8] In April 2022, she raised US$205,000 for the Campaign for Southern Equality to protect transgender youth.[3] A month later, she called attention to a VOD of a 16-year-old trans Twitch streamer who was taken into foster care after police conducted a wellness check.[22][23][24] She has also criticized Florida's Parental Rights in Education act and the false claim shared by online figures such as Infowars and United States Congressman Paul Gosar that the Uvalde shooter was transgender on stream.[13] She was profiled by Taylor Lorenz in The Washington Post in June 2022.[3][25] Lorenz described Sorrenti as "part of a new class of stars who have abandoned the platform's traditional game-stream format to talk about news and politics" and described her Twitch stream as "one of the few media outlets where viewers can hear the news from a trans person."[3][25]

In July 2022 her Twitch account was suspended for 28 days (reduced to 14) for "repeated hateful slurs or symbols" that featured on her stream thumbnail. Sorrenti said that the slurs in question were images of past harassment directed against her and that she had been banned "for openly talking about the abuse [she receives]". She moved to YouTube to stream during the ban.[13][26]

Sorrenti joined Twitter in December 2020, and amassed over 100,000 followers on the platform. Sorrenti is also known for "ratioing" Twitter personalities,[27] and has been in online disputes with former Twitch streamer Destiny, as well other public figures, including Tim Pool, Candace Owens, Lauren Southern, and J. K. Rowling.[3]

She supports her streaming career with fan donations from Patreon and PayPal, using the money to hire an editor and a graphic designer.[3]

In a 2023 Progressive Victory livestream, Sorrenti and fellow streamers Destiny, Emma Vigeland, and Vaush interviewed U.S. Representative Ro Khanna about various topics, including the importance of youth political participation and ways to push progressive political sentiment.[28][29]

Harassment campaigns

August 2022 swatting incident

On August 5, 2022, Sorrenti was swatted and arrested after an email was sent to members of the London, Ontario city council claiming to be Sorrenti with an intent to kill her mother and members of the London City Council. The incident, that she believes to be a hate crime, led to computers and phones being confiscated by police. She said the London Police Service had used her deadname during the arrest, as well as in the wellness check on her mother.[14][27][30] Sorrenti claimed the police, talking to Sorrenti's mother, misgendered Sorrenti by referring to her as her mother's "son".[31][32] According to the London police, any use of Sorrenti's former legal name was based on records of prior interactions with the police and not deliberate disrespect.[33] CBC News reported that the chief of the police department said he will review how she was treated by officers.[34] The swatting came after another earlier attempt had taken place through the Toronto Police Service; according to Sorrenti, the London Police Service was not aware of this previous attempt due to lack of correspondence with the Toronto Police Service.[35][36] The London Police Service drafted reforms for its treatment of transgender suspects after the incident.[37]

Following the incident, Sorrenti told Global News that "I'm not backing down. I know that the work I do is incredibly valuable, and ... I have [trans] people almost every day saying they came out to their families because of me".[35] Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, responded to the situation in a tweet saying "Trans folk, and especially trans activists, deserve the freedom to make themselves heard. Not to be doxed and swatted, arrested at gunpoint and deadnamed repeatedly. No one deserves this."[38]

In December 2022, an internal investigation by the London Police Service into the August swatting incident found no evidence Sorrenti had been deadnamed audibly by officers, with the LPS stating they have the video and audio evidence to confirm this.[39][40]

Conflict with Kiwi Farms

Following the swatting, Sorrenti also set up a GoFundMe fundraiser with the aim of funding a move and a lawsuit,[41][38] and said that she aimed to continue to stream.[4] Sorrenti later tweeted that the GoFundMe had its funds frozen after being mass reported.[42] Nonetheless, she was subsequently able to move to a hotel. On August 17, 2022, the location of the hotel was posted online and the hotel was inundated with pizza deliveries made by trolls using Sorrenti's deadname. Sorrenti believes that the location of the hotel was discovered after she had posted a picture on her Discord server that inadvertently revealed the patterned bedsheets used by the hotel, allowing internet trolls to cross-reference the sheets with those in local hotels. London Police Service confirmed that they are investigating this and also a separate doxxing attempt. Following this, Sorrenti moved to a new temporary location and has said that she intends to move weekly until she finds a permanent residence.[43][44] She also said that she intended to host a protest against Kiwi Farms, a site which Sorrenti alleged played a role in her swatting, outside of the San Francisco offices of Cloudflare, a company that provided services to the forum.[45]

Following continued harassment, including her Uber account being hacked into to send her food, Sorrenti announced that she would be leaving Canada and moving to an undisclosed location in Europe in one or two months.[46] She was once again doxxed in another swatting attempt after relocating to Belfast, Northern Ireland.[47][48] On September 3, 2022, pressure on Cloudflare in response to the harassment campaign resulted in the company terminating services to the Kiwi Farms website,[49] as the firm considered the forum activity to be increasingly dangerous.[50] The site was briefly accessible only through Tor. Sorrenti declared victory on September 5, saying the campaign had more than succeeded in its aim to shut Kiwi Farms down.[51][52] On September 6, 2022, The Daily Dot confirmed that VanwaTech was providing content delivery network services to Kiwi Farms, hence bringing it back online.[53][54]

References

  1. ^ Birthday on March 25:
    • @keffals (March 25, 2022). "today is my birthday. if anyone wants to show appreciation for what i do, i am trying to raise enough money to pay the team who runs my youtube channel. 100% of the funds go directly to them, and i would appreciate it a lot ❤️" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 26, 2022 – via Twitter.
    Age 28 at the time of publishing:
  2. ^ a b Creces, Gerard (June 4, 2018). "Clara Sorrenti - Young, Determined, Unapologetically Communist". London Fuse. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lorenz, Taylor (June 26, 2022). "The trans Twitch star delivering news to a legion of LGBTQ teens". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Sung, Morgan (August 11, 2022). "Trans Twitch streamer Keffals says she was swatted and arrested by police in Ontario". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  5. ^ Sung, Morgan (October 12, 2022). "Trans Twitch streamer Keffals is ready to return home". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Lindell, Chuck. "Abbott orders state agency to treat gender-affirming care as child abuse". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Texas governor directs state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care for trans youths as 'child abuse'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Ghorayshi, Azeen (February 23, 2022). "Texas Governor Pushes to Investigate Medical Treatments for Trans Youth as 'Child Abuse'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  9. ^ Sung, Morgan (October 12, 2022). "Trans Twitch streamer Keffals is ready to return home after Kiwi Farms". www.nbcnews.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  10. ^ Sorrenti, Clara [@keffals] (January 30, 2024). "Eleven years ago today my mom and dad supported me through getting sexual reassignment surgery. I was 18. I love her so much, and I am one the luckiest girls in the world" (Tweet). Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Tayler, Emily (September 14, 2019). "Communists collect in UCC for Friday night election launch". The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  12. ^ Grayson, Nathan (December 16, 2021). "Twitch suspension of Hasan Piker sparks debate over what qualifies as racist language". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2022. 'It's honestly rare for me to go live on Twitch without at least one person coming into my chat to harass me for being a trans person,' a streamer who goes by the handle 'Keffals' said on Twitter, 'but the hateful conduct that Twitch seems to care about more is whether people use goofy insults...'
  13. ^ a b c Gach, Ethan (July 21, 2022). "Trans Streamer Keffals Says Twitch Banned Her For 'Openly Talking' About Abuse She Receives". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Dubinski, Kate (August 9, 2022). "Trans Twitch star arrested at gunpoint fears for life after someone sent police to her London, Ont., home". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  15. ^ Allen, Martin; Tayler, Emily; McCallum, Katrina (November 30, 2018). "Western's TA union finds an ally in the Young Communist League". The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "Who's running in London? Here's who". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  17. ^ "WWP youth leader speaks at Bolshevik commemoration". Workers World. November 7, 2017. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  18. ^ Tayler, Emily (November 16, 2018). "We Won't Be Erased London: Rally for trans and intersex rights". The Gazette • Western University's Student Newspaper. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022. Trans rights march (Photo 4): Clara Sorrenti, the organizer of the Young Communist League London, Nov. 4, 2018.
  19. ^ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  20. ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  21. ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  22. ^ Bevan, Rhiannon (May 7, 2022). "16-Year Old Trans Girl Detained By Police Mid-Livestream For Not Attending School That Misgendered Her". TheGamer. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  23. ^ Cole, Samantha (May 10, 2022). "Cops Bust Into 16-Year-Old Trans Girl's Bedroom During Her Twitch Stream". Vice. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  24. ^ Padgett, Donald (May 11, 2022). "Police Burst Into 16-Year Old Trans Girl's Bedroom During Livestream". The Advocate. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  25. ^ a b Allsop, Jon (June 28, 2022). "Ukraine 'fatigue,' and what the press can—and can't—do about it". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  26. ^ Wolens, Joshua (July 22, 2022). "Trans Twitch streamer claims she was banned for showing examples of abuse". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Jackson, Gita (August 9, 2022). "Twitch Streamer Keffals Arrested After Transphobic SWATing". Vice. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  28. ^ Lorenz, Taylor (September 28, 2023). "Democrats plan four-hour live stream with Twitch and YouTube stars". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  29. ^ Gutelle, Sam (September 29, 2023). "U.S. rep Ro Khanna streamed with creators like Vaush and Emma Vigeland outside the White House". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  30. ^ Diaz, Ana (August 9, 2022). "Trans streamer Keffals swatted and arrested in her home". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  31. ^ Winslow, Jeremy (August 10, 2022). "Popular Trans Twitch Streamer Keffals Arrested After 'Traumatizing' Swatting Incident". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  32. ^ Wolens, Joshua (August 10, 2022). "With guns drawn, police raid home of trans Twitch streamer Clara 'Keffals' Sorrenti in latest swatting debacle". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  33. ^ Williams, Steve (August 11, 2022). "STATEMENT FROM POLICE CHIEF WILLIAMS AUGUST 2022". London Police. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  34. ^ Dubinski, Kate (August 10, 2022). "London, Ont., police chief to review officer conduct in gunpoint arrest of trans activist". CBC News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  35. ^ a b Khan, Ahmar (August 9, 2022). "Trans woman, Twitch streamer Keffals doxxed, arrested at gunpoint by London, Ont. police". Global News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  36. ^ Sims, Jane (August 10, 2022). "'Swatted': Transgender activist decries arrest, seizure of devices". The London Free Press. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  37. ^ Carruthers, Dale (September 13, 2022). "In wake of 'swatting' arrest, London police draft policy for trans suspects". The London Free Press. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  38. ^ a b Grayson, Nathan (August 15, 2022). "Twitch streamers traumatized after four 'swattings' in a week". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  39. ^ Graham, Andrew (December 14, 2022). "Internal review finds cops 'acted appropriately' in London, Ont. swatting arrest of trans activist". Global News. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  40. ^ McInnes, Angela (December 14, 2022). "Officers acted appropriately in swatting arrest of international trans activist, internal review finds". CBC News. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  41. ^ Hansford, Amelia (August 10, 2022). "Trans Twitch streamer arrested at gunpoint after evil trolls report fake death threats". PinkNews. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  42. ^ Clara Sorrenti [@keffalsbackup] (August 9, 2022). "My gofundme so I can move after being victimized by the police after I was swatted got mass reported and my campaign funds are on hold. People can still donate, but the amount of suffering people try to put me through is cruel. I'm contacting gofundme right now" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
  43. ^ Carruthers, Dale (August 17, 2022). "First 'swatting' and now 'doxing': online harassment of trans activist continues". London Free Press. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  44. ^ Khan, Amar (August 17, 2022). "Twitch streamer and trans woman, Clara Sorrenti allegedly doxxed again". Global News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  45. ^ Polhamus, Blaine (August 19, 2022). "Keffals clashes with Kiwi Farms, set to hold protest against the 'stalking' website". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  46. ^ Zandbergen, Rebecca; McInnes, Angela (August 23, 2022). "Twitch streamer and trans activist says she's leaving Canada for awhile due to harassment". CBC News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  47. ^ Khan, Ahmar; Simon, Amy (August 31, 2022). "Twitch streamer and transgender activist doxxed in Northern Ireland after leaving Canada". Global News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  48. ^ Gilbert, David (September 7, 2022). "Inside Keffals' Battle to Bring Down Kiwi Farms". Vice. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  49. ^ Cox, Joseph (April 19, 2024). "Spy Site Selling Discord Messages Linked to Kiwi Farms". 404 Media. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024. That pressure came after Kiwi Farms was linked to harassment of trans Twitch streamer Keffals.
  50. ^ Tenbarge, Kat; Abbruzzese, Jason; Collins, Ben (September 4, 2022). "Internet services company Cloudflare blocks Kiwi Farms citing 'targeted threats'". NBC News. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  51. ^ Plunkett, Luke (September 5, 2022). "Hate Forum Kiwi Farms Practically Dead As Owner Posts Conspiracy-Laden Rant". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  52. ^ O'Sullivan, Donie; Naik, Richa (September 6, 2022). "Trans activist celebrates rare victory against online trolls after Kiwi Farms deplatforming". CNN. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  53. ^ Goforth, Claire (September 6, 2022). "Kiwi Farms gets back online thanks to the same service that's kept 8kun alive". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  54. ^ Brynelson, Troy (September 7, 2022). "Hate-filled Kiwi Farms message board finds new home with Southwest Washington tech company". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.

External links

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