False online accusations of 'grooming' against LGBTQ people are spiking, experts say

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.”