Incel online community (umbrella)

Evidence by BITE axis

Timeline

1. 2014+
   Incel online community crystallises
2. 2018-04
   Toronto van attack
3. 2021-08
   Plymouth shooting

Evidence matrix

Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.

Sources

• DOJ Minassian case search ↗
• UK Plymouth Davison inquest search ↗
• Men who hate women: The misogyny of involuntarily celibate men — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11661939 open ↗
• The Black Pill: New Technology and the Male Supremacy of Involuntarily Celibate Men — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8600582 open ↗
• The use and misuse of evolutionary psychology in online manosphere communities: The case of female mating strategies — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10600567 open ↗
• The Incel Phenomenon: Exploring Internal and External Issues Around Involuntary Celibates — https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-08/ran_cn_incel_phenomenon_20210803_en.pdf open ↗
• Texas Domestic Terrorism Threat Report — http://www.dps.texas.gov/director_staff/media_and_communications/2020/txTerrorThreatAssessment.pdf open ↗
• Hot Yoga Tallahassee: A Case Study of Misogynistic Extremism — https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2022-03/NTAC%20Case%20Study%20-%20Hot%20Yoga%20Tallahassee.pdf open ↗
• Involuntary Celibacy: A Review of Incel Ideology and Experiences with Dating, Rejection, and Associated Mental Health and Emotional Sequelae — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9780135 open ↗
• Predicting Harm Among Incels (Involuntary Celibates): The Roles of Mental Health, Ideological Belief and Social Networking — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates-the-roles-of-mental-health-ideological-belief-and-social-networking-accessible open ↗
• The Dual Pathways Hypothesis of Incel Harm: A Model of Harmful Attitudes and Beliefs Among Involuntary Celibates — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12162687 open ↗
• Incels' need mental health support rather than a counter terrorism intervention — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates/press-release-incels-need-mental-health-support-rather-than-a-counter-terrorism-intervention-the-worlds-largest-study-of-incels-finds-accessible open ↗
• Men who hate women: The misogyny of involuntarily celibate men — New Media & Society (2023) — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F14614448231176777 open ↗
• The Black Pill: New Technology and the Male Supremacy of Involuntarily Celibate Men — Men and Masculinities (2021) — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1097184X211017954 open ↗
• Understanding Digital Ethics (2019) — https://doi.org/10.4324%2F9781315282138 open ↗
• Toronto van attack: Facebook post may link suspect to misogynist 'incel' subculture — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/24/toronto-van-attack-facebook-post-may-link-suspect-with-incel-group open ↗
• ISIS Tactics Have Spread to Other Violent Actors — https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/04/toronto-van-incel/558836/ open ↗
• Violent misogyny found in 'incel' is a form of terrorism, says author — http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-april-26-2018-1.4636157/violent-misogyny-found-in-incel-is-a-form-of-terrorism-says-author-1.4636164 open ↗
• On Social Media's Fringes, Growing Extremism Targets Women — https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/09/world/americas/incels-toronto-attack.html open ↗
• The Toronto suspect apparently posted about an 'incel rebellion.' Here's what that means — https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/25/us/incel-rebellion-alek-minassian-toronto-attack-trnd/index.html open ↗
• Elliot Rodger: How misogynist killer became 'incel hero — https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43892189 open ↗
• One is the loneliest number: Involuntary celibacy (incel), mental health, and loneliness — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs12144-023-04275-z open ↗
• Involuntary Celibates (Incels) — Extremism and Radicalization in the Manosphere (2024) — https://doi.org/10.4324%2F9781032631080-7 open ↗
• Swallowing the Black Pill: Involuntary Celibates' (Incels) Anti Feminism within Digital Society — https://doi.org/10.5204%2Fijcjsd.2138 open ↗
• Assessing the Threat of Incel Violence — Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (2020) — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F1057610X.2020.1751459 open ↗
• Woman behind 'incel' says angry men hijacked her word 'as a weapon of war — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/25/woman-who-invented-incel-movement-interview-toronto-attack open ↗
• The woman who founded the 'incel' movement — https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45284455 open ↗
• Even though I'm not an incel, I'm still an involuntary celibate': A journey in and out of inceldom — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F10714421.2024.2383814 open ↗
• Femcel Discussions of Sex, Frustration, Power, and Revenge — Archives of Sexual Behavior (2024) — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10508-023-02796-z open ↗
• The Incel Rebellion: The Rise of the Manosphere and the Virtual War Against Women (2021) — https://doi.org/10.1108%2F9781839822544 open ↗
• Incels, 4chan and the Beta Uprising: making sense of one of the Internet's most-reviled subcultures — https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/10/07/incels-4chan-and-the-beta-uprising-making-sense-of-one-of-the-internets-most-reviled-subcultures/ open ↗
• Incel': Reddit bans misogynist men's group blaming women for their celibacy — https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/08/reddit-incel-involuntary-celibate-men-ban open ↗
• Reddit Bans 'Incel' Group for Inciting Violence Against Women — https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/technology/incels-reddit-banned.html open ↗
• Reddit Bans Nazi Groups and Others in Crackdown on Violent Content — https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/us/reddit-violence-policy.html open ↗
• Reddit bans 'involuntarily celibate' community — https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41926687 open ↗
• Hatred Against Women: The Dark World of Extremist Misogyny — https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/from-digital-hate-to-analog-violence-the-dark-world-of-extremist-misogyny-a-832ed3cb-21d1-4e84-8c28-089365e91a83 open ↗
• Weaponized Subordination: How Incels Discredit Themselves to Degrade Women — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F08912432221128545 open ↗
• Characteristics of Incel Forum Users: Social Network Analysis and Chronological Posting Patterns — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F1057610X.2023.2208892 open ↗
• Rise of the women haters: Inside the dark world of the British 'incels — https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/rise-women-haters-inside-dark-world-british-incels/ open ↗
• Incels Are Running An Online Suicide Forum That Was Blamed For A Young Woman's Death — https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/incels-suicide-forum-woman-killed-herself open ↗
• Online hatred of women in the Incels.me forum — Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict (2019) — https://doi.org/10.1075%2Fjlac.00026.jak open ↗
• The 'LeBron James of Incels' Swears He Has a Girlfriend Now — He Just Can't Prove It — https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/incel-civil-war-girlfriend-komesarj-1234724278/ open ↗
• The Ideology of Incels: Misogyny and Victimhood as Justification for Political Violence — Terrorism and Political Violence (2022) — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F09546553.2022.2129014 open ↗
• Where the Despairing Log On, and Learn Ways to Die — https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/12/09/us/where-the-despairing-log-on.html open ↗
• The online incel movement is getting more violent and extreme, report says — https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/incels-rape-murder-study/ open ↗
• Lawmakers Urge Tech Companies to 'Mitigate Harm' of Suicide Website — https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/21/technology/suicide-website-google.html open ↗
• Lawmakers Press Amazon on Sales of Chemical Used in Suicides — https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/technology/amazon-suicide-poison-preservative.html open ↗
• Kids are Dying. How Are These Sites Still Allowed? — https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/podcasts/the-daily/suicide-investigation.html open ↗
• From “Incel” to “Saint”: Analyzing the violent worldview behind the 2018 Toronto attack — Terrorism and Political Violence (2019) — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F09546553.2019.1638256 open ↗
• Masculinity Threat, “Incel” Traits, and Violent Fantasies Among Heterosexual Men in the United States — Feminist Criminology (2019) — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1557085119896415 open ↗
• Incel Beliefs and Support for Political Violence Among U.S. Males: The Mediating Effects of Masculinity Stress, Aggression, Outgroup Hate, and Illiberalism — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F00111287241310820 open ↗
• Blackpill Science: Involuntary Celibacy, Rational Technique, and Economic Existence under Neoliberalism — https://doi.org/10.3138%2Fcjc.2022-07-25 open ↗
• Just Be White (JBW)': Incels, Race and the Violence of Whiteness — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F08861099221144275 open ↗
• Unwanted celibacy is associated with misogynistic attitudes even after controlling for personality — https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.paid.2022.111860 open ↗
• Incels, Alek Minassian and the dangerous idea of being owed sex — https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/04/26/incel-rebellion-alek-minassian-sexual-entitlement-mens-rights-elliot-rodger/550635002/ open ↗
• Resisting rape culture in digital society — The Routledge International Handbook of Violence Studies (2018) — https://doi.org/10.4324%2F9781315270265-42 open ↗
• What's An 'Incel'? The Online Community Behind The Toronto Van Attack — https://www.npr.org/2018/04/29/606773813/whats-an-incel-the-online-community-behind-the-toronto-van-attack open ↗
• Why isn’t There More Incel Violence? — Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology (2023) — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs40750-023-00220-3 open ↗
• Mainstreaming the Blackpill: Understanding the Incel Community on TikTok — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10610-023-09559-5 open ↗
• Incels: Inside the World of Involuntary Celibates — https://archive.nyu.edu/bitstream/2451/63962/3/Incels_%20Inside%20the%20World%20of%20Involuntary%20Celibates%20-%20Alexandra%20Woodward.pdf open ↗
• The use and misuse of evolutionary psychology in online manosphere communities: The case of female mating strategies — Evolutionary Human Sciences (2023) — https://doi.org/10.1017%2Fehs.2023.22 open ↗
• Sex redistribution' and the means of reproduction — https://www.ft.com/content/05873a47-0327-372f-93bd-bf0c6e84b2fb open ↗
• Jordan Peterson, Custodian of the Patriarchy — https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/style/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life.html open ↗
• For many, sexless lifestyle is not a choice — http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwexa/news/archive/2001/01_0724-invcelrel.htm open ↗
• The 'alt-right' is fueled by toxic masculinity – and vice versa — https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/alt-right-fueled-toxic-masculinity-vice-versa-ncna989031 open ↗
• How Reddit Is Teaching Young Men to Hate Women — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gyj3yw/how-reddit-is-teaching-young-men-to-hate-women open ↗
• After Toronto attack, online misogynists praise suspect as 'new saint — https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-toronto-attack-online-misogynists-praise-suspect-new-saint-n868821 open ↗
• The misogynist incel movement is spreading. Should it be classified as a terror threat? — https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/mar/03/incel-movement-terror-threat-canada open ↗
• A man cited his virginity as reason he planned to kill 'as many girls' as he could, police say — https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2019/01/22/man-cited-his-virginity-reason-he-planned-kill-many-girls-he-could-police-say/ open ↗
• Westgate Shooting Suspect Was an 'Incel' Who Wanted to Kill Couples, Prosecutor Alleges — https://www.newsweek.com/westgate-gunman-identified-incel-intended-shoot-couples-prosecutor-says-1505837 open ↗
• A Canadian teenager has been charged with terrorism inspired by the online 'incel' movement. What is an 'incel? — https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/05/21/canadian-authorities-incel-terrorism-toronto-massage/5226407002/ open ↗
• How Elliot Rodger went from misfit mass murderer to 'saint' for group of misogynists — and suspected Toronto killer — http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-elliot-rodger-incel-20180426-story.html open ↗
• Man who used van to kill 10 pedestrians in Toronto guilty — https://apnews.com/article/world-news-toronto-alek-minassian-coronavirus-pandemic-15af231df8d4727d78c2456eeebef29a open ↗
• PUAhate' and 'ForeverAlone': inside Elliot Rodger's online life — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/30/elliot-rodger-puahate-forever-alone-reddit-forums open ↗
• Gabrielle Friel: Terror accused 'idolised' Californian spree killer — https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-55302122 open ↗
• Involuntary Celibacy: A Review of Incel Ideology and Experiences with Dating, Rejection, and Associated Mental Health and Emotional Sequelae — Current Psychiatry Reports (2022) — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11920-022-01382-9 open ↗
• Involuntary Celibates' Experiences of and Grievance over Sexual Exclusion and the Potential Threat of Violence Among Those Active in an Online Incel Forum — https://doi.org/10.5038%2F1944-0472.14.2.1910 open ↗
• Incel Ideology, Radicalization and Mental Health — The Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare (2022) — https://doi.org/10.21810%2Fjicw.v4i3.3817 open ↗
• Goodbye, My Friencels': An Analysis of Incel Suicide Posts — https://dc.swosu.edu/qc/vol11/iss1/1/ open ↗
• Incels, Violence and Mental Disorder: A Narrative Review With Recommendations for Best Practice in Risk Assessment and Clinical Intervention — https://doi.org/10.1192%2Fbja.2022.15 open ↗
• Five Things We Need to Learn About Incel Extremism: Issues, Challenges and Avenues for Fresh Research — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F1057610x.2023.2195067 open ↗
• “I Think Most of Society Hates Us”: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Interviews with Incels — Sex Roles (2021) — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11199-021-01250-5 open ↗
• Alphas, Betas, and Incels: Theorizing the Masculinities of the Manosphere — Men and Masculinities (2017) — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1097184x17706401 open ↗
• Sluts and soyboys: MGTOW and the production of misogynistic online harassment — New Media & Society (2019) — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1461444819887141 open ↗
• What Is an Incel? Explaining a Term Used by the Toronto Van Attack Suspect — https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/world/canada/incel-reddit-meaning-rebellion.html open ↗
• The Story of the Incel Is the Story of the 2010s — https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-is-an-incel-how-incel-culture-grew-2010s/ open ↗
• Elliot Rodger: How Hollywood tried and failed to save a mass killer — https://www.smh.com.au/world/elliot-rodger-how-hollywood-tried-and-failed-to-save-a-mass-killer-20140601-zru5n.html open ↗
• The Origins of Social Phobia — https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224826363 open ↗
• The Origins of Social Phobia — Behavior Modification (2000) — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0145445500241006 open ↗
• Anatomy and Aesthetics of the Labia Minora: The Ideal Vulva? — Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (2017) — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs00266-017-0831-1 open ↗
• The Red Pill, Unicorns and White Knights: Cultural Symbolism and Conceptual Metaphor in the Slang of Online Incel Communities — Second Language Learning and Teaching (2020) — https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-3-030-42734-4_4 open ↗
• Learn to Decode the Secret Language of the Incel Subculture — https://www.vice.com/en/article/learn-to-decode-the-secret-language-of-the-incel-subculture/ open ↗
• Mewing Is the Fringe Orthodontic Technique Taking Over YouTube — https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/d3medj/mewing-is-the-fringe-orthodontic-technique-taking-over-youtube open ↗
• What Swearing Off Sex Does to Your Brain — https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-abstinence-does-to-your-brain/ open ↗
• Inside the online world of 'incels,' the dark corner of the Internet linked to the Toronto suspect — https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2018/04/25/inside-the-online-world-of-incels-the-dark-corner-of-the-internet-linked-to-the-toronto-suspect open ↗
• How a masculine culture that favors sexual conquests gave us today's 'incels — https://theconversation.com/how-a-masculine-culture-that-favors-sexual-conquests-gave-us-todays-incels-97221 open ↗
• Raw hatred': why the 'incel' movement targets and terrorises women — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/25/raw-hatred-why-incel-movement-targets-terrorises-women open ↗
• She's Just Not That Into Me: Sexual Self-Concept Among Heterosexual Men Who Identify as Involuntary Celibates — https://doi.org/10.5590%2FJSBHS.2022.16.1.09 open ↗
• The Anatomy of Inceldom: An Analysis of Incels Through the Lens of Gender — https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/themis/vol9/iss1/3 open ↗
• The Anatomy of Inceldom: An Analysis of Incels Through the Lens of Gender — Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science (2021) — https://doi.org/10.31979%2FTHEMIS.2021.0903 open ↗
• 10.13140/RG.2.2.25268.22405 — https://doi.org/10.13140%2FRG.2.2.25268.22405 open ↗
• Taking the black pill: An empirical analysis of the “Incel”. — Psychology of Men & Masculinities (2021) — https://doi.org/10.1037%2Fmen0000328 open ↗
• Identifying Pathways to the Incel Community and Where to Intervene: A Qualitative Study with Former Incels — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11199-024-01478-x open ↗
• I'll always be a subhuman, I just lost the genetic lottery': Subaltern Identity-building in Online Incel Discourse and Ideology — https://doi.org/10.4000%2Fnuevomundo.95206 open ↗
• Incels' are not particularly right-wing or white, but they are extremely depressed, anxious, and lonely, according to new research — https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/news/incels-are-not-particularly-right-wing-or-white-but-they-are-extremely-depressed-anxious-and-lonely-according-to-new-research open ↗
• Levels of Well-Being Among Men Who Are Incel (Involuntarily Celibate) — Evolutionary Psychological Science (2022) — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs40806-022-00336-x open ↗
• The Dual Pathways Hypothesis of Incel Harm: A Model of Harmful Attitudes and Beliefs Among Involuntary Celibates — Archives of Sexual Behavior (2025) — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10508-025-03161-y open ↗
• Incel Activity on Social Media Linked to Local Mating Ecology — https://journals.sagepub.com/action/cookieAbsent open ↗
• Incel Activity on Social Media Linked to Local Mating Ecology — Psychological Science (2022) — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F09567976211036065 open ↗
• The Sense in Senseless Violence: Male Reproductive Strategy and the Modern Sexual Marketplace as Contributors to Violent Extremism — https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-023-00219-w open ↗
• The Sense in Senseless Violence: Male Reproductive Strategy and the Modern Sexual Marketplace as Contributors to Violent Extremism — Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology (2023) — https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs40750-023-00219-w open ↗
• New research sheds light on incel community's connection to mass violence — https://www.uri.edu/news/2024/01/new-research-sheds-light-on-incel-communitys-connection-to-mass-violence/ open ↗
• Femcels: The 'involuntarily celibate' women who say they are barred from sex and romance — https://english.elpais.com/society/2022-05-17/femcels-the-involuntarily-celibate-women-who-say-they-are-barred-from-sex-and-romance.html open ↗
• Reddit bans message board where men blame women for their celibacy — https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/09/reddit-bans-message-board-men-blame-women-celibacy open ↗
• Why do we only care about incels when they are men? — https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/19/why-only-care-incels-men-involuntary-celibacy open ↗
• I feel hurt that my life has ended up here': The women who are involuntary celibates — https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/18/i-feel-hurt-that-my-life-has-ended-up-here-the-women-who-are-involuntary-celibates open ↗
• What Do Female Incels Really Want? — https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/05/femcel-meaning-female-incel-reddit/629836 open ↗
• We Asked a Sex Therapist What It's Like to Help An Incel Get Laid — https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-to-help-an-incel-sex-therapist/ open ↗
• To Alleviate Stigma: How Incels Negotiate Masculinity Online — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1097184X241285447 open ↗
• Pennsylvania gym shooter described as quiet, studious — http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/07/pennsylvania.gym.shooting/index.html open ↗
• Nearly 10 Years Apart, Attacks On Women Have Eerie Similarities — https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/talalansari/la-fitness-tallahassee-yoga-shooter-incels-misogyny open ↗
• Before Brief, Deadly Spree, Trouble Since Age 8 — https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/02/us/elliot-rodger-killings-in-california-followed-years-of-withdrawal.html open ↗
• Elliot Rodger's father 'very sad' Toronto van suspect Alek Minassian referenced son — http://www.newsweek.com/elliot-rodger-toronto-alek-minassian-van-attack-hunger-games-peter-rodger-899955 open ↗
• Oregon Killer Described as Man of Few Words, Except on Topic of Guns — https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/us/chris-harper-mercer-umpqua-community-college-shooting.html open ↗
• Probe in college slayings peers into Web rants and possible religious rage — https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/probe-in-college-slayings-peers-into-web-rants-and-possible-religious-rage/2015/10/02/d250007a-68ea-11e5-8325-a42b5a459b1e_story.html open ↗
• Warning posted to anonymous forum 4chan before Oregon shooting — http://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/4chan-oregon-shooting-anonymous-warning-1.3262686 open ↗
• Social media paints picture of racist 'professional school shooter — https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/us/nikolas-cruz-florida-shooting-suspect/index.html open ↗
• Toronto van attack suspect faces more attempted murder charges — https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44072689 open ↗
• How the Toronto Van Attack Suspect Was Radicalized by Incels — https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/alek-minassian-toronto-van-attack-incels-891678/ open ↗
• Toronto van attack: Guilty verdict, but Canada still needs to tackle ideological violence — https://theconversation.com/toronto-van-attack-guilty-verdict-but-canada-still-needs-to-tackle-ideological-violence-156452 open ↗
• Tallahassee Yoga Shooter Was A Far-Right Misogynist Who Railed Against Women And Minorities Online — https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/tallahassee-yoga-shooter-incel-far-right-misogyny-video open ↗
• Virgin threatened to 'kill as many girls as I see' because he couldn't get a girlfriend — https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/christopher-cleary-arrested-virgin-girlfriend-facebook-post-incel-denver-utah-a8742156.html open ↗
• He pledged to kill 'as many girls as I see' in mass shooting. After second chances, he's going to prison — https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2019/05/24/he-pledged-kill-many-girls-i-see-mass-shooting-after-second-chances-hes-going-prison/ open ↗
• How Did the Dallas Courthouse Gunman Get Radicalized? — https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/dallas-courthouse-shooter-brian-clyde-radicalized/ open ↗
• A Thwarted Dallas Shooting goes Viral — https://www.latimes.com/opinion/enterthefray/la-ol-dallas-gunman-brian-isaack-clyde-video-federal-building-20190618-story.html open ↗
• Inspired by Dallas courthouse shooter, Air Force base circulates 'incel' warning signs — https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas/2019/06/22/air-force-base-prompted-dallas-courthouse-shooter-educates-personnel-recognizing-incel-warning-signs open ↗
• Faye Swetlik died from asphyxiation hours after abduction, coroner says — https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/18/us/faye-marie-swetlik-death-autopsy/index.html open ↗
• Toronto spa killer pleads guilty to murder in deadly sword attack, cites van attacker as 'inspiration — https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/incel-massage-parlour-guilty-1.6582534 open ↗
• Incel-inspired Toronto massage parlour murder was act of terror, judge rules — https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/incel-toronto-massage-killing-terrorism-1.6867177 open ↗
• Suspect in Arizona shooting wanted to target couples, prosecutor says — https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/us/westgate-arizona-shooting/index.html open ↗
• Man's hand blown off; note references violence against women — https://apnews.com/4aede80947dc6faead4c49a3ea15c840 open ↗
• Incel' teen held without bail on federal bomb threat charge — https://apnews.com/article/new-york-bomb-threats-arrests-manhattan-2080251d9390401f387cfff16f6ef6bd open ↗
• Incel' devotee in New York terrorized Manhattan diners with bomb hoax and pepper-sprayed several victims, feds say — https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/incel-bomb-hoax-manhattan/2021/04/14/022fe9e6-9d3c-11eb-b7a8-014b14aeb9e4_story.html open ↗
• Police Foiled An Ohio Incel's Plot To Kill Women In A Mass Shooting, Prosecutors Say — https://www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1019089834/police-foiled-an-ohio-incels-plot-to-kill-women-in-a-mass-shooting-prosecutors-s open ↗
• Plymouth shootings may be a sign 'incel' culture is spreading — https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/13/plymouth-shootings-may-be-a-sign-the-incel-culture-is-spreading open ↗
• Denver Shooting Suspect Lyndon McLeod Glorified Guns and Misogyny: 'War is Coming — https://www.newsweek.com/denver-shooter-lyndon-mcleod-guns-misogyny-social-media-1663930 open ↗
• Suspect in Denver Shootings Wrote Books Previewing Attacks — https://apnews.com/article/business-john-romero-denver-shootings-crime-7d7f178b14873c0d01c1223c0a55d67b open ↗
• What we know about the North Texas outlet mall gunman and his online posts — https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/08/us/mauricio-garcia-allen-texas-shooting/index.html open ↗
• İkbal Uzuner ve Ayşenur Halil'i vahşice öldüren Semih Çelik hakkında neler biliniyor? Olay günü neler yaşandı? — https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/cm24ymlz277o open ↗
• Discord: Neden erişim engeli getirildi, uygulama neden eleştiriliyor? — https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/cz6we6z232wo open ↗
• Student kills nine in Turkey's second school shooting in two days — https://www.reuters.com/world/least-one-killed-turkey-school-shooting-ntv-reports-2026-04-15/ open ↗
• The Redistribution of Sex — https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/opinion/incels-sex-robots-redistribution.html open ↗
• Redistributing Sex' Is a Toxic Conversation About Toxic People — https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-are-incels-redistributing-sex-new-york-times-ross-douthat/ open ↗
• Cloudflare: The "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" of the Internet — http://copyright.nova.edu/cloudflare/ open ↗
• The problem with mass shootings and the media — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44321469 open ↗
• No, girls and women don't 'provoke' mass murderers — https://www.salon.com/2018/05/21/no-girls-and-women-dont-provoke-mass-murderers/ open ↗
• A French Novelist Imagined Sexual Dystopia. Now It's Arrived — https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/books/review/michael-houellebecqs-sexual-distopia.html open ↗
• Involuntary celibacy is a genuine problem, but a 'right to sex' is not the answer — https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/20/involuntary-celibacy-incels-problem-right-to-sex-not-the-answer open ↗
• The Best Episodes from All 20 Years of 'Law & Order: SVU — https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-best-episodes-from-all-20-years-of-law-and-order-svu/ open ↗
• Adolescence and the irrational power of 'incel' ideas — https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/19/adolescence-and-the-irrational-power-of-incel-ideas open ↗
• Who are Incels? Recognizing the Violent Extremist Ideology of 'Incels — https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328081163_Who_are_Incels_Recognizing_the_Violent_Extremist_Ideology_of_'Incels' open ↗
• An Undercover Trip Into the Rageful Worlds of Incels and White Supremacists — https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/books/review-culture-warlords-talia-lavin.html open ↗
• Assessing the Threat of Incel Violence — Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (2020) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1080%2F1057610X.2020.1751459 open ↗
• An invitation to analytic abduction — https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590260121000096?via%3Dihub open ↗
• The Blackpill and the Suffering Apparatus: Science, Masculinity, and Race as Represented on Involuntary Celibate (Incel) Forums — https://anthropology.dartmouth.edu/sites/anthropology.prod/files/anthropology/wysiwyg/gallagher_thesis.pdf open ↗
• Los remordimientos de la mujer que fundó el movimiento Incel de "célibes involuntarios", vinculado a la muerte de varias personas en Canadá y EE.UU. — https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-45355326 open ↗
• Ideological Convergence in the Extreme Right — https://www.jstor.org/stable/26954256 open ↗
• Assessing the Threat of Incel Violence — https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2020.1751459 open ↗
• Incels: A new terror threat to the UK? — https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58207064 open ↗
• The White House — https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/ open ↗
• From “Incel” to “Saint”: Analyzing the violent worldview behind the 2018 Toronto attack — https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2019.1638256 open ↗
• From “Incel” to “Saint”: Analyzing the violent worldview behind the 2018 Toronto attack — Terrorism and Political Violence (2019) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1080%2F09546553.2019.1638256 open ↗
• Alphas, Betas, and Incels: Theorizing the Masculinities of the Manosphere — https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X17706401 open ↗
• Alphas, Betas, and Incels: Theorizing the Masculinities of the Manosphere — Men and Masculinities (2017) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F1097184X17706401 open ↗
• Sluts and soyboys: MGTOW and the production of misogynistic online harassment — https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819887141 open ↗
• Factbox: Canada attack suspect linked to celibates angry at women — https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-van-incel-factbox/factbox-canada-attack-suspect-linked-to-celibates-angry-at-women-idUSKBN1HV2VJ open ↗
• We Asked a Sex Therapist What It's Like to Help An Incel Get Laid — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/435g9p/how-to-help-an-incel-sex-therapist open ↗
• Learn to Decode the Secret Language of the Incel Subculture — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/7xmaze/learn-to-decode-the-secret-language-of-the-incel-subculture open ↗
• O que são os incels, o movimento sombrio retratado na aclamada série 'Adolescência — https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/cy4l5np5qe8o open ↗
• Inside the 'manosphere' that inspired Santa Barbara shooter Elliot Rodger — https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/05/27/inside-the-manosphere-that-inspired-santa-barbara-shooter-elliot-rodger/ open ↗
• O massacre da Califórnia foi anunciado por seu autor em um vídeo na Internet — https://brasil.elpais.com/brasil/2014/05/25/internacional/1401043694_312869.html open ↗
• Quem são os 'incels' – celibatários involuntários –, grupo do qual fazia parte o atropelador de Toronto — https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-43916758 open ↗
• Celibatário involuntário': o que se sabe sobre autor do pior ataque a tiros no Reino Unido em uma década — https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-58214609 open ↗
• O que aprender com Adolescência, o fenómeno Netflix do momento — https://www.publico.pt/2025/03/17/culturaipsilon/noticia/aprender-adolescencia-fenomeno-netflix-momento-2126287 open ↗
• Netflix's Adolescence makes UK TV ratings history — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62kyg00q71o open ↗
• Como é a vida de um incel — https://www.vice.com/pt_br/article/7xqw3g/como-e-a-vida-de-um-incel open ↗
• A tristeza infinita dos incels: um retrato da juventude em crise no Brasil — https://www.vice.com/pt_br/article/j5y8q3/a-tristeza-infinita-dos-incels-um-retrato-da-juventude-em-crise-no-brasil open ↗
• Incels, Compulsory Sexuality, and Fascist Masculinity — Feminist Formations (2020) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/ff.2020.0044 open ↗
• lire en ligne — https://muse.jhu.edu/article/777134 open ↗
• 10.13140/RG.2.2.27697.61288 — https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27697.61288 open ↗
• The Mating Psychology of Incels (Involuntary Celibates): Misfortunes, Misperceptions, and Misrepresentations — The Journal of Sex Research (2023) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2248096 open ↗
• lire en ligne — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37676789 open ↗
• Surfing for sex: Studying involuntary celibacy using the internet — Sexuality and Culture (2001) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12119-001-1028-x open ↗
• lire en ligne — https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-001-1028-x open ↗
• Involuntary celibacy: A life course analysis — The Journal of Sex Research (2001) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224490109552083 open ↗
• lire en ligne — http://cda.morris.umn.edu/~meeklesr/celibacy.html open ↗
• Celibacy — Encyclopedia of Family Studies (2016) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781119085621.wbefs470 open ↗
• The Origins of Social Phobia — Behavior Modification (2000) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0145445500241006 open ↗
• lire en ligne — https://www.salon.com/2018/05/12/angry-young-white-men-the-incel-rebellion-and-an-age-of-worldwide-reaction/ open ↗
• The association between uneven sex ratios and violence: Evidence from 6 Asian countries — PLOS ONE (2018) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197516 open ↗
• lire en ligne — https://www.lemonde.fr/videos/video/2019/12/06/il-y-a-trente-ans-au-quebec-le-premier-feminicide-de-masse-revendique_6021919_1669088.html open ↗
• lire en ligne — https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/20/us/westgate-arizona-shooting/index.html open ↗
• Was ist ein "Incel"? — https://www.tagesschau.de/faktenfinder/incel-101.html open ↗
• washingtonpost.com — https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/local/yoga-shooting-incel-attack-fueled-by-male-supremacy/ open ↗
• ‘If i cannot have it, i will do everything i can to destroy it.' the canonization of Elliot Rodger: ‘Incel’ masculinities, secular sainthood, and justifications of ideological violence — Social Identi — https://doi.org/10.1080/13504630.2020.1787132 open ↗
• tandfonline.com — https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504630.2020.1787132 open ↗
• Rechtsextrem und Sexist. — https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2020-02/hass-frauen-rechtsterrorismus-motive-taeter-hanau-feminismus/komplettansicht open ↗
• tandfonline.com — https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1057610X.2020.1751459 open ↗
• Confronting Incel: exploring possible policy responses to misogynistic violent extremism — Australian Journal of Political Science (2020) — https://doi.org/10.1080/10361146.2020.1747393 open ↗
• tandfonline.com — https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10361146.2020.1747393 open ↗
• Extreme sex-negativity: An examination of helplessness, hopelessness, and misattribution of blame among “Incel” multiple homicide offenders — Journal of Positive Sexuality (2020) — https://doi.org/10.51681/1.613 open ↗
• Incel Ideology, Radicalization and Mental Health — The Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare (2022) — https://doi.org/10.21810/jicw.v4i3.3817 open ↗
• Incels, violence and mental disorder: a narrative review with recommendations for best practice in risk assessment and clinical intervention — BJPsych Advances (2022) — https://doi.org/10.1192/bja.2022.15 open ↗
• cambridge.org — https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-advances/article/incels-violence-and-mental-disorder-a-narrative-review-with-recommendations-for-best-practice-in-risk-assessment-and-clinical-intervention/6A934637D21AEE4C1D90FAF5FB63D769 open ↗
• Why incels are a 'real and present threat’ for Canadians. — https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/incel-threat-canadians-fifth-estate-1.4992184 open ↗
• Online hatred of women in the Incels.me forum — Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict (2019) — https://doi.org/10.1075/jlac.00026.jak open ↗
• YouTube’s algorithms recommending ‘incel’, ‘manosphere’ videos. — https://www.smh.com.au/technology/youtube-s-algorithms-recommending-incel-manosphere-videos-20220426-p5ag3q.html open ↗
• Blackpill Science: Involuntary Celibacy, Rational Technique, and Economic Existence under Neoliberalism — Canadian Journal of Communication (2022) — https://dx.doi.org/10.3138%2Fcjc.2022-07-25 open ↗
• Weaponized Subordination: How Incels Discredit Themselves to Degrade Women — Gender & Society (2022) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F08912432221128545 open ↗
• Men who hate women: The misogyny of involuntarily celibate men — New Media & Society (2023) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F14614448231176777 open ↗
• Online hatred of women in the Incels.me forum — Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict (2019) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1075%2Fjlac.00026.jak open ↗
• The Ideology of Incels: Misogyny and Victimhood as Justification for Political Violence — Terrorism and Political Violence (2022) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1080%2F09546553.2022.2129014 open ↗
• Why isn’t There More Incel Violence? — Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology (2023) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs40750-023-00220-3 open ↗
• Masculinity Threat, “Incel” Traits, and Violent Fantasies Among Heterosexual Men in the United States — Feminist Criminology (2019) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F1557085119896415 open ↗
• Five Things We Need to Learn About Incel Extremism: Issues, Challenges and Avenues for Fresh Research — Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (2023) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1080%2F1057610x.2023.2195067 open ↗
• “Involuntary Celibacy: A Review of Incel Ideology and Experiences with Dating, Rejection, and Associated Mental Health and Emotional Sequelae” — https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11920-022-01382-9 open ↗
• Involuntary Celibacy: A Review of Incel Ideology and Experiences with Dating, Rejection, and Associated Mental Health and Emotional Sequelae — Current Psychiatry Reports (2022) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11920-022-01382-9 open ↗
• “The use and misuse of evolutionary psychology in online manosphere communities: The case of female mating strategies” — https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10600567/ open ↗
• The use and misuse of evolutionary psychology in online manosphere communities: The case of female mating strategies — Evolutionary Human Sciences (2023) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1017%2Fehs.2023.22 open ↗
• “'Sex redistribution' and the means of reproduction” — https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2018/05/08/1525779677000/-Sex-redistribution--and-the-means-of-reproduction/ open ↗
• Sluts and soyboys: MGTOW and the production of misogynistic online harassment — New Media & Society (2019) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F1461444819887141 open ↗
• “Self-hating 'incel' men are the new jihadists” — https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/self-hating-incel-men-are-the-new-jihadis-5rz37h9s9 open ↗
• Who are the 'incels' and how do they relate to Toronto van attack? — https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/25/what-is-incel-movement-toronto-van-attack-suspect open ↗
• From 'Incel' to 'Saint': Analyzing the violent worldview behind the 2018 Toronto attack — https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09546553.2019.1638256 open ↗

We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.

Change history

Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.

1. 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Political cadre.
2. 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.

Relevant hubs

Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.

• Start here
  Pick the reading path that matches your situation.
• Patterns
  Documented control patterns with linked profiles.
• Online groups
  Political and ideological coercion often operates via online communities.
• Families
  How families and close friends can engage with high-control members.
• Recovery
  If you have left or are preparing to leave.

Frequently asked questions