Anti-gay rhetoric and opposition to LGBTQ rights was among its tenets, and it was influential with Republican politicians.
and Pat Robertson began to coalesce around a social movement called the Moral Majority. In the 1970s, conservative Christian leaders like televangelists Jerry Falwell, Sr. Recent History: When ‘Groomers’ Were ‘Recruiters’
And it has led to real threats, including a foiled plot by a white nationalist group in Idaho to violently disrupt a Pride event.Īs acute as this may be, the current campaign labeling LGBTQ people as “groomers” is just recycling old tropes, according to historians we spoke with. Thus, as June marked Pride in the U.S., an annual commemoration of the history, culture, and progress toward social equality of the LGBTQ community, Pride events in 2022 were marred by hate and threats of violence, as “right-wing politicians and preachers have openly called for killing LGBTQ people,” per the Washington Post. In political campaigns, legislation, and rhetoric, some far-right political figures have labeled the LGBTQ community as “ groomers” - along with anyone who opposes anti-LGBTQ measures - or child predators. in the spring and summer of 2022 was being driven by a hateful “groomers” smear campaign with echoes in history, both recent and old. A wave of homophobia that was sweeping the U.S.
