Posted on Apr 20, 2022
False online accusations of 'grooming' against LGBTQ people are spiking, experts say
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Online harassment of LGBTQ people has spiked in recent months amid a wave of legislation at the state level to limit classroom instruction of LGBTQ issues, according to experts, social media data and young LGBTQ people.
The measures, which critics have called “Don’t Say Gay” bills, have helped spark a larger culture war that has amplified the stereotyped and baseless claims that LGBTQ people are sympathetic to child predators — accusations that have a long history in the U.S.
The most prominent slurs center on accusations that LGBTQ people and their allies are pedophiles, using the word “grooming,” which the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children defines as when “someone builds a relationship, trust, and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.”
The measures, which critics have called “Don’t Say Gay” bills, have helped spark a larger culture war that has amplified the stereotyped and baseless claims that LGBTQ people are sympathetic to child predators — accusations that have a long history in the U.S.
The most prominent slurs center on accusations that LGBTQ people and their allies are pedophiles, using the word “grooming,” which the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children defines as when “someone builds a relationship, trust, and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.”
False online accusations of 'grooming' against LGBTQ people are spiking, experts say
Posted from nbcnews.com
Internet
LGBTQ+
Social Media
Culture
American History
Posted 2 y ago
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Those who vehemently oppose those who demonstrate variance in their sexual orientation, thrive on this drama and feed on their hatred for some others.
Per my clinical research, The Catholic Church is the epicenter for pedophiles who persistently sexually assault pre and post adolescents. And it is quite rare for the offenders to be indicted let alone incarcerated.
Rich
Per my clinical research, The Catholic Church is the epicenter for pedophiles who persistently sexually assault pre and post adolescents. And it is quite rare for the offenders to be indicted let alone incarcerated.
Rich
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SSG Robert Perrotto
no one is excusing the Catholic Church from this, and the Catholic Church has faced public outcry long before this issue arose. I agree with you that clergy should be indicted and incarcerated for these crimes.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."We’re starting to see politicians and political staff using this term, not in the way that is beneficial to discuss things like the real concerns about sexual abuse, but as a way to demean and silence debate about LGBTQ people and their needs,” Pick said.
Some conservative LGBTQ people say the word “groomer” is being used to target the community. Charles T. Moran, the president of the Log Cabin Republicans, which represents LGBTQ conservatives, called the term “subtle subterfuge that gays are pedophiles.”
“The left goes, ‘You’re a bigot,’ and the right goes, ‘You’re a groomer,’” Moran said. “I will take flak from people that this is reinforcing a trope that is not beneficial for anybody who’s gay in public life. Pedophiles exist at a much higher proportion in the straight community than the gay community, but it is always a shtick our critics will go back to.”
..."We’re starting to see politicians and political staff using this term, not in the way that is beneficial to discuss things like the real concerns about sexual abuse, but as a way to demean and silence debate about LGBTQ people and their needs,” Pick said.
Some conservative LGBTQ people say the word “groomer” is being used to target the community. Charles T. Moran, the president of the Log Cabin Republicans, which represents LGBTQ conservatives, called the term “subtle subterfuge that gays are pedophiles.”
“The left goes, ‘You’re a bigot,’ and the right goes, ‘You’re a groomer,’” Moran said. “I will take flak from people that this is reinforcing a trope that is not beneficial for anybody who’s gay in public life. Pedophiles exist at a much higher proportion in the straight community than the gay community, but it is always a shtick our critics will go back to.”
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"Groomer" is not an inappropriate term for someone who feels the need to talk to other people's five-year-olds about sex.
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SSG Robert Perrotto
Careful, you might get called a homophobe, transphobe, bigot, fascist, and white supremacist.
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