What Is 'Calendargate'? The Intra-Rightwing Feud On X, Explained

Internet communities are often defined by conflict, and the conservative movement in the United States is no exception. Through tense comment threads and theatrical flame wars, people find both comrades and enemies. The latest extremely-online controversy, centered on Elon Musk's X, involves a debate over a calendar that shows a variety of conservative influencers in provocative poses.

Some people found the calendar inappropriate, while others defended it. Things escalated from there and now George Santos is involved. Let's break it down step by step.

Who Started Calendargate?

The calendar in question is the "Conservative Dad's Real Women of America 2024 Calendar," produced by Ultra Right Beer founder Seth Weathers. Ultra Right Beer started after some on the right chose to boycott Bud Light after the brand's partnership with Dylan Mulvaney. The brand launched off a viral video centering on Weathers strutting around a baseball field and some restrooms.

Ultra Right Beer approached a number of online conservative influencers and asked them to pose for the calendar. One of them, Ashely St. Clair, imitated Dylan Mulvaney's outfit for one of her Bud Light commercials (which was, when Mulvaney wore it, an homage to Audrey Hepburn).

The current debate started on Christmas Eve, when rightwing influencer Bryson Gray called the calendar "demonic." He specifically highlighted a photo that shows an influencer called Josie The Redheaded Libertarian posing in a kitchen where there's a cross hanging on the wall. Josie replied to this post, and that was the spark that launched the Discourse.

What Are The Sides In Calendargate?

On one side of Calendargate are people who say the calendar isn't good. Not all of them would go so far as to call it "demonic," some might just say they think it's in bad taste. These posters tend to come from the religious side of the right, and object in particular to the photo with the cross in it. They argue that selling calendars of attractive young women to older men (the calendar is marketed to "dads") is morally gross, and goes against the values of the conservative movement. Prominent voices on this side of Calendargate include Bryson Gray, but also a variety of female influencers who see the calendar as disempowering and objectifying.

The other side is made up of people who think the calendar is fine. Many of these posters come from a less explicitly religious side of the right. Many of the prominent members of this group met on December 27th in a Space on X hosted by Jack Posobiec.

The divide between a more Christian side of the conservative movement and a more secular one has been a long-running historical pattern in American conservatism. The two sides have for the past few decades been in coalition, but they're not always in agreement on every issue.

Why Do People Post About Calendargate?

There are a few explanations. For some, Calendargate is a question of belief: they don't think that this is how the conservative should present itself to the public, and are concerned with optics. There's also a debate going on over the position the movement should take on social issues.

For others the motivation might be more economic. Online arguments attract page views, interaction, and eyeballs. Many involved in Calendargate accused each other of "grifting" and continuing the argument for the sake of engagement. Both sides accuse the other of overreacting in order to gain clout.

There's arguably some discomfort about how tied many of the most prominent voices in the modern right are to social media as a source of income and a place of discussion. Influencer culture and politics can make strange bedfellows.

For the full history of Calendargate, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.