Barclay McGain

Barclay Thomas McGain (born April 2, 2000) is an Australian political researcher, electorate officer, and the former chairman of the Gold Coast Young LNP branch.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] He has occasionally written for The Spectator Australia, Australian Taxpayers' Alliance, and Caldron Pool.[8][9][10][11]

Barclay McGain
McGain in 2020
Born
Barclay Thomas McGain

(2000-04-02) April 2, 2000
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Other namesClay
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
MovementYoung LNP

Early life

McGain is a student of University of Queensland.[12] In 2016, he went to study in America for one year as an exchange-student.[13] McGain is a member of the Queensland University Liberal National Club (UQLNC).[14][15][16][17][18]

Schoolies video

In December 2019, McGain faced controversy after a video was released on the Young Liberal's Facebook page. The video showed McGain interviewing young adults at random during Schoolies week.[19][20][21][22] In one interview McGain is shown laughing as a fellow teenager criticized Aboriginal Australians for not being able to "even invent the bloody wheel".[23][24][25][26][27]

McGain initially declined to comment on the video, which was widely condemned.[28][29][30][31][32][33] Leader of the Queensland Opposition Deb Frecklington apologized on behalf of the university club.[34][35][36][37][38] McGain was suspended from his role as club leader, pending further internal investigation.[39][40][41][42] An LNP spokesman told the Guardian Australia that in June 2020, McGain resigned voluntarily from the party.[3][14]

In July 2020, McGain openly talked about the matter with the press, claiming the LNP had "throw[n] young teenagers under the bus”.[3]

In March 2021, Liberal Member of the Parliament, Andrew Laming, who employed McGain as an electorate officer and suspended him in June 2020, defended McGain.[43][44][45][46] In September 2020, McGain was seen campaigning for the party.[47][14][48] McGain returned to his office in January 2021 after being suspended for six months.[49][50][43][12]

Donald Trump impersonation

In December 2019, a video of McGain impersonating then-U.S. President Donald Trump surfaced on the internet. The video recorded in January 2018 showed McGain was using ethnic slurs standing in front of the Great Wall of China.[51][52]

Drag Queen Story Hour

In January 2020, McGain with several other members of the Queensland LNP faced backlash for heckling performers at a Drag Queen Storytime Event, held for children in Brisbane on January 5.[53][54][55] The group consisting of 15-20 members chanted, "drag queens are not for kids."[56][57][58][59]

Kyle Rittenhouse

In December, 2021, McGain came under severe criticism over a photo he posted on November 27 on social media dressed as Kyle Rittenhouse, the then 17-year old teen who killed two Black Lives Matter protestors in August 2020.[60][61][62][63][64][65] McGain was holding a blaster gun, which supposedly bore resemblance to an assault riffle. The photo's caption read, "Kyle Rittenhouse on neighborhood watch duties in Brisbane’s south tonight," with the accompanying hashtag "#NotGuilty."[66][67][68][69][70]

McGain was heavily criticized for supposedly glorifying and commending Rittenhouse's actions.[71][72]

A federal government spokesman from the PM's office condemned the incident.[73][74][75][76] MP Laming's office initially declined to comment.[66][68]

References
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