How Clementine Morrigan, Dr. Christine Marie Katas, and the NXIVM Cult are Priming Survivors of Abuse
Are we being primed by grifters and influencers like Clementine Morrigan, Dr. Christine Marie, and the NXIVM cult to be confused about critical race theory, identity politics, consent, and abolition? Are we being primed through social media to accept centrist versions of Black feminist theory? Are we being primed through social media to accept defanged versions of our movements?
Priming is using a stimulus like a word, image, or action to intentionally influence someone’s behaviour. For example, research has found that we can prime someone to walk more slowly by having them read words like cautious or leisurely — or we can prime someone to be less rude by having them read words like “patient, polite, and respectful.” Priming is when we expose someone to something that influences their behaviour later on — without the individual being aware that the stimulus guided their behaviour.
There are many different types of priming: positive and negative, perceptual and conceptual, semantic, associative, repititon, cultural, and more. Priming creates the building blocks and internal structures for influencing our beliefs and behaviours.
Clementine Morrigan is “a multidisciplinary, queer feminist artist based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has been writing all her life and producing zines for the past ten years.” Clementine has taken Montreal and the cancel culture discourse by storm on Instagram with their refusal to participate in what they call “The Nexus.” The Nexus is what Clementine and her partner Jay Manicon-Marquies (LeSoleil) calls the phenomenon of survivors asking for accountability from our abusers. Last year, during one of the largest global uprisings after the police murder of George Floyd, Clementine released a zine titled “Fuck the Police Means We Don’t Act Like Cops to Each Other” — comparing a culture created by Black activists fighting against the prison industrial complex to the very system that oppresses them on a global scale. This sentiment reeks of anti-Blackness.
One of Clementine’s main arguments against cancel culture is that it causes symptoms similar to Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, something many survivors of abuse experience. She backs this up by often citing a dissertation by Dr. Christine Marie titled “The Traumatic Impact of Media Humiliation, Misrepresentation and Victim-Shaming on Narrative Identity and Well-Being.”
Dr. Christine Marie has appeared on quite a few television shows including the show Dangerous Persuasions (an episode titled “prophet or predator”) and an episode of Sister Wives on TLC. She also appeared in a documentary about NXIVM, an American cult that engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor and racketeering, while claiming to be a multi-level marketing company. Based in Clifton Park, New York, a suburb of Albany, NXVIM claimed to offer personal and professional development seminars through its “Executive Success Programs” of large-group awareness training. The company has been widely described as a cult and was shown in court to have been a recruiting platform for a secret society called “DOS” in which women were branded and forced into sexual slavery.
Dr. Christine Marie is married to television producer and millionaire Tolga Katas. Dr. Christine claims to be the author of 19 books but only one can easily be found online: Turn Your Little Ones into Book of Mormon Whiz Kids. In 2018 she was featured as a speaker at the Sunstone Mormon Conference as one of the brightest minds in Mormon scholarship.
Publicly facing, Dr. Christine claims to have helped many women escape cult-like religions such as the FLDS. According to Dr. Christine Marie, her specialties include: Media, PR, Online Content, Branding, Transmedia Storytelling, Media Psychology, Positive Psychology, Trauma, Human Trafficking, and Women’s Issues. Her business website states that she works on Personal Branding or Image Repair — and even focuses on “Cancel Culture & Call-Outs.” It is stated on Prabook that Dr. Christine’s political party is Republican. Is Dr. Christine Marie using social media to “soft influence” leftism on social media?
Last week it was revealed on Lindsey Lockett’s instagram that Dr. Christine Marie held an Impromptu Photoshoot of Cancelled People.
Alan Wagner, a serial rapist who refuses to deplatform despite over a dozen women coming forward about his abuse, was also present at this photo shoot. To what extent does Dr. Christine Marie Katas support abusers like Alan Wagner?
How far is Clementine Morrigan willing to go to protect their partner Jay Manicom-Marquis who has also refused to be accountable for the abuse of multiple queer women and people of colour?
Lindsey Dietz Lockett took to Instagram live to insist that Alan is not a rapist despite the fact that Alan has admitted he is a rapist himself multiple times — documented by his survivors.
Clementine Morrigan and Molly Frances can both be found sympathising with Alan as well.
Lindsey’s latest instagram stories are a clear example of priming her audience to believe that survivors speaking out against abusers are the real predators, something Clementine has already done well with considering her following of over 70k.
Why is Lindsey using such sexually explicit language to speak about survivors of rape, one of whom she has publicly named? (Me.)
Lindsey has stated that she is a part of a think tank with Dr. Christine Marie, Alan Wagner, and the rest of the anti-cancel culture cult where they are organising to use state violence against survivors of sexual assault — despite much of the cult claiming to be abolitionists.
Anyone who is profiting off of anti-cancel culture rhetoric is dangerous. Their front-facing personas often do not match up with their actions. This is hurting our movements and specifically hurting disabled, queer, Black, Indigenous, and creators of colour. It is not a coincidence that white people and abusers are clinging to this rhetoric where people are finally being held accountable for racist, sexist, and ableist abuse.
These are the dying breaths of white supremacy, patriachy and capitalism. The ugly underbelly is exposed. Disaster capitalists, grifters, cult leaders, and abusers will grasp at any chance of social capital and drain every penny they can from these moments of global suffering and when it’s over, we won’t forget who you are.
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***Update August 22, 2023: Ongoing Harassment and Urgent Insights***
Amplifying the Harassment: An Unsettling Reality
Since writing this article, I have endured extreme online harassment from Clementine’s cult following. Clementine’s partner Jay and an account falsely portraying themselves as a healthcare worker, @the.wellness.therapist, have both armchair diagnosed me as schizophrenic and paranoid, despite receiving ongoing mental healthcare from qualified professionals for PTSD stemming from the ongoing cyberstalking and harassment. Both Jay and “Azadeh” have also accused me of faking my Indigeneity. The cult has a distinct pattern of targeting reconnecting Indigenous people.
Clementine’s Eery Admission of Tactics
Clementine has written in one of her Substack articles titled “You Don’t Have to Like Them but You Have to Love Them,” about the ease of employing calculated actions to harm others. She contemplates using burner accounts to spread slander and rumors, alluding to the ability to exact revenge on individuals. Astonishingly, this exact strategy has been carried out against me since naming her connection to the NXIVM cult. Here are the documented instances and a map of some of the cult members who have employed these harassment tactics against me (viewable on desktop only).
The Grim Trail of Evidence
The harassment campaigns I have endured are documented with alarming evidence. This ranges from the utilisation of multiple burner accounts adorned with blackface, to the creation of entire profiles dedicated to doxxing my Indigenous family and coercing me into suicidal thoughts. In this disturbing context, a crucial question surfaces: If Clementine stands by her principles, why does she not intervene as her cult following systematically harasses me? Moreover, the uncanny colour similarity between the profile picture of @the.wellness.therapist and the original Concordia University account @douconsideryourselfafeminist (along with similar behaviour and writing style) raises suspicions, considering the connection between Jay and @douconsideryourselfafeminist is what inspired me to dig deeper in the first place. Dr. Christine Marie also happens to use the same colour for her logos on Facebook and her website.
Unraveling Disturbing Connections: A Distinct Pattern
As further pieces fall into place, a disconcerting connection emerges: Jay Marquis-Manicom and the Instagram account @douconsideryourselfafeminist (“Sarah” from Montreal) are linked to the same Concordia University cohort. This revelation aligns eerily with the roots of “whistleblower” and Concordia alumni Sarah Edmonson, known for recruiting young women into the NXIVM cult, Concordia-based project Queering the Map which documents the experiences and locations of LGBTQIA+ people across the globe, and Marc-Andre Argentino who coined the term/tactic Pastel QAnon at Concordia. Additionally, my investigation reveals Clementine’s reliance on a dissertation authored by NXIVM’s marketing expert, Dr. Christine Marie, to substantiate her arguments against cancel culture. Clemetine regularly offers “Anti-Oppression & Pro-Solidarity training” at Concordia. The intricate connections continue to multiply.
A Complex Web of Manipulation: Azadeh Ghafari @the.wellness.therapist
@the.wellness.therapist claims to be Iranian psychotherapist, social worker, & researcher Azadeh Ghafari. She claims to work for UCLA Health and is featured in multiple books, articles, and podcasts about NXIVM, cults, conspiricies, and the alt-right. However, I was notified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that Azadeh Ghafari is not a public entity providing health and social services as she claims. I was also informed by UCLA that she is not employed there as she claims.
Unveiling Disturbing Agendas: Shielding Abusers
Beyond the realm of harassment and manipulation, a stark reality emerges: Clementine Morrigan’s actions serve as a diversion, shielding celebrities and powerful individuals who seek to evade accountability for their racism, ableism, and sexual abuse. This sinister tactic aims to silence marginalised voices, preventing them from voicing complaints against these wrongdoings.
Challenging the Manipulative Strategy
By delving into the intricate layers of manipulation, it becomes clear that these actions are not isolated incidents. They form part of a broader strategy aimed at protecting the interests of those who perpetuate racism, ableism, and abuse. The urgency to continue questioning, probing, and advocating for accountability remains undiminished.
As this unsettling journey unfolds, it’s imperative to remain vigilant against attempts to manipulate narratives and divert attention from crucial issues. By exposing the truth behind these calculated tactics, we stand a chance to disrupt the cycle of abuse and exploitation that threatens to persist unchecked.
