Back when Democrats were freaking out about the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was on the table, conservatives started calling these teachers introducing sexuality into their kindergarten classes “groomers.” And it struck a nerve. Word went out in the media that “groomer” was an anti-LGBTQIA+ slur that insinuated gay and trans people were pedophiles. This editor keeps this tweet on hand because it so well defines groomer:
Don’t make me tap the sign pic.twitter.com/Qu3ON6t4I2
— Joseph (@Hockeyjunkie88) April 6, 2022
We especially like that “isolating them from their family” line because so many teachers featured by Libs of TikTok say things like, “I’m your parents now,” or “I’m your mother.” Parents aren’t enlightened like they are and thus become the enemy from which they need to shield “their” kids.
This thread was going around earlier this week, exposing the neo-Nazi roots of the “groomer” slur, now known on social media as the G-word.
I don’t know if this has been made clear yet, so here we go:
The ‘groomer’ panic is intimately tied to explicitly neo-Nazi ideology.
Let me explain.
— Tim Squirrell (@timsquirrell) July 28, 2022
Neo-Nazis believe that Jews are destroying the white race. One way they are doing this is to encourage a single global culture which erases the distinctions between ethnic groups & cultures. This is global homogenisation, or ‘globohomo’.
— Tim Squirrell (@timsquirrell) July 28, 2022
The double entendre isn’t a coincidence. Globohomo also includes the belief that Jews are encouraging white people to adopt queer identities as a way of reducing the white birth rate and encouraging “degenerate” behaviour that will undermine civilisation.
— Tim Squirrell (@timsquirrell) July 28, 2022
A crucial element of this is the belief that queer identities can be “encouraged”, or that people can be manipulated into becoming gay or trans. In other words, that they can be “groomed”.
— Tim Squirrell (@timsquirrell) July 28, 2022
We guess Abigail Shrier is full of it when she notes the explosion of young girls who claim to be transgender. There must be something in the water for so many more transgender babies being born.
The very existence of LGBTQ+ people is seen as encouraging more people to become queer. That’s why being an openly gay teacher in the US, or a drag queen reading to kids, is seen as grooming. They make the kids gay by being gay around them.
— Tim Squirrell (@timsquirrell) July 28, 2022
The expansion of the definition of ‘grooming’ is also not an accident. It conflates the attempts by actual paedophiles to abuse children with the mere existence of queer people in public spaces.
— Tim Squirrell (@timsquirrell) July 28, 2022
The end goal of the groomer panic, for the neo-Nazis driving UK protests, is to make it impossible to be safely and openly queer in public, and eventually to roll back LGBTQ+ rights. You cannot separate that from the broader movement. The narrative is entwined with fascism.
— Tim Squirrell (@timsquirrell) July 28, 2022
“Fascism.” Or — hear us out — maybe the end goal of the groomer panic is to stop adults from grooming kids. Here’s another thread, this one from Dr. Strangetweet, that acts as a nice counter.
If you’re defending grooming, you’re not the good guy.
— Dr Strangetweet or How I Learned to Love the RT (@lone_rides) July 28, 2022
It doesn’t matter if it’s Nazis, Jews, Baptists, Democrats, Communists, Republicans, Asians, anarchists, libertarians…
If you’re using “they are against grooming” as a defense of grooming, you’re the bad guy.
— Dr Strangetweet or How I Learned to Love the RT (@lone_rides) July 28, 2022
“But it’s not grooming!”
Yes it is. You’ve just accepted grooming as an approved behavior.
— Dr Strangetweet or How I Learned to Love the RT (@lone_rides) July 28, 2022
“Look at this group over here that you side with! They groom kids too! Shut up!”
See, that’s why I say you’re defending grooming.
If they’re grooming and abusing kids, they’re evil, even if we agree on somethings
I don’t look for excuses as to why it’s acceptable. Why do you?
— Dr Strangetweet or How I Learned to Love the RT (@lone_rides) July 28, 2022
The Southern Baptist church apparently has some groomers and abusers in their churches.
The Catholic Church had some groomers and abusers in their churches.
They should be removed and never allowed back and anyone “hiding” them should go to jail too.
— Dr Strangetweet or How I Learned to Love the RT (@lone_rides) July 28, 2022
Apparently there are groomers and abusers in schools.
“THAT’S NOT HAPPENING!”
And that’s why you’re called groomers.
— Dr Strangetweet or How I Learned to Love the RT (@lone_rides) July 28, 2022
If you can’t look at your side and admit the truth, then you’re a groomer.
No buts. No Whatabouts.
We’ve heard about the Catholic Church. We’ve heard about the Southern Baptists.
It’s time for you to tell us about the teachers.
— Dr Strangetweet or How I Learned to Love the RT (@lone_rides) July 28, 2022
Why? The teachers themselves can’t shut up about it.
Extreme masculinity (machismo) and patriarchy are inherent components of fascism — any divergence or challenge to that belief must be eradicated.
— Hist_Pro2022 (@hist_pro2022) July 28, 2022
Hmm … an eye-opening MSNBC opinion piece recently blew the lid off the true white supremacist nature of home fitness.
*Grown man twerks in a thong in front of 7 year olds*
Conservative: This is highly inappropriate.
Leftists: pic.twitter.com/3YBSVrGlCF
— blank (@TheLocalGod) July 30, 2022
The content of this thread is a classic example of demagogic disinformation.
— Aurelian of Rome ☪️ (@AurelianofRome) July 29, 2022
I don’t know if this has been made clear yet, so here we go:
The ‘groomer’ panic is intimately tied to explicit representations of gender dysphoria and sexuality to small children.
It needs no further explanation. https://t.co/Nw35g8YxZ6
— Mike Partyka (@MichaelJPartyka) July 29, 2022
No. We just don’t want our kids to be oversexualized at young ages.
— pippi (@Pippi505) July 28, 2022
Dude leave the kids alone please and thank you.
— Sven Manning (@manning_sven) July 28, 2022
I think it’s pretty simple. I don’t want anyone talking to my children about their sexuality. Not sure why that’s so controversial.
— Bert 🍔 (@bertthefarmer) July 28, 2022
It really is a simple idea
— kryptok8ted (@Kryptok8ted) July 28, 2022
This has definitely been an effective strategy to fight the right-wingers for the last 7 years. Let’s see if it works this time.
— Damin Toell (@damintoell) July 29, 2022
Even the Parental Rights in Education law calls for “age-appropriate” sex education. Why is that concept so threatening?
Ok recruiter pic.twitter.com/ul3mqJbRop
— James Lindsay, America’s top Christian nationalist (@ConceptualJames) July 28, 2022
Related:
Media Matters says Twitter should follow Reddit’s lead and ban anti-LGBTQ ‘groomer’ smear https://t.co/duA9YBGcpA
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 21, 2022
