Boomtown for Hoaxers

A Michigan man is accused of burning down his own home.

Oh look, another alleged hate-crime hoax. News broke this week that Nikki Joly, a transgender gay-rights activist in Jackson, Mich., has been charged with burning down his own home, seemingly for the purpose of presenting himself as the victim of anti-gay savagery.

In 2017, when Mr. Joly’s residence went up in flames, killing five pets but, curiously, not its occupant, the FBI began investigating it as a hate crime. Mr. Joly had recently been named Citizen of the Year by a local newspaper for establishing a gay-pride festival...