The current state of political division that America is experiencing marks one of the more controversial periods of time within our country’s recent history. Among the “hot topics” of these political controversies are the rights of minorites and LGBTQ people.

A recent controversy surrounding “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett has sparked political debates about race and LGBTQ rights.

The actor, who is black and openly gay, supposedly staged an attack in which he claimed he was assaulted in Chicago by white men wearing MAGA hats. His story described attacks such as being beaten and threatened with a noose, but mounting evidence points towards the fact that the entire story was fabricated, and his supposed “attackers” were really paid actors.

Two brothers, who knew Smollett, testified before a grand jury and claimed the actor had paid them to stage a false attack.

Smollett reportedly went straight home after the attack as opposed to calling the cops, which raised questions as to the validity of the attack.

If his assault was as brutal as he described, the logical next step would have been to call the authorities for help.

As investigations by Chicago police continued, however, no camera footage of the attack could be identified and Smollet was found to have redacted phone calls and texts on his phone during the time of the attack.

The actor claimed he was a victim of a violent hate crime due to his race and sexual orientation.

Some say even if the attack is false it raises a lot of important questions, leading celebrities and news networks alike to continue to support Smollett regardless of accusations of a fabricated attack.

I believe that if the attack was staged, it is a terrible crime that puts the lives of innocent people at risk, and encourages a behavior of lying that will create future problems for this country.

The problem of racism is one that has created problems for America since its founding. So, even though this conflict still exists today, making up attacks that never happened portrays a false sense of regression. This masks the truth that the United States has progressed significantly.

Smollett’s mention of his attackers support of a “MAGA country” also unnecessarily provokes those on the right, and unfairly attempts to paint a bad image of all Trump supporters.

Any victim of a hate crime must be taken seriously, but making one up causes division and conflict for no reason at all. There is a civil way to discuss charged political topics such as racism, but staging an actual attack takes away from the overall discussion.

If Smollett is found guilty of setting up the false attack, his true crime is that he has discredited actual victims of assault.