A spokesperson for DeSantis, Christina Pushaw, tweeted last month that the legislation “would be more accurately described as an Anti-Grooming Bill.”
The loaded term, which is widely used to describe child sexual abusers who are priming their victims, enrages LGBTQ advocates and allies who say that it is painting teachers and advocates as pedophiles. They suggest that it feeds into a false stereotype that LGBTQ people prey on children.
“It’s not only infuriating, but alarming, that the right has chosen to score political points by misusing the term groomer,” said Deb Hauser, president of the sexual education organization Advocates for Youth.
“This vile and false rhetoric has been used against LGBTQ people for decades; now it’s being used to smear anyone who supports our community and any political opponent,” a GLAAD spokesperson said in a statement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The bill that liberals inaccurately call “Don’t Say Gay” would be more accurately described as an Anti-Grooming Bill.</p>— Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1499886619259777029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" >March 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The loaded term, which is widely used to describe child sexual abusers who are priming their victims, enrages LGBTQ advocates and allies who say that it is painting teachers and advocates as pedophiles. They suggest that it feeds into a false stereotype that LGBTQ people prey on children.
“It’s not only infuriating, but alarming, that the right has chosen to score political points by misusing the term groomer,” said Deb Hauser, president of the sexual education organization Advocates for Youth.
“This vile and false rhetoric has been used against LGBTQ people for decades; now it’s being used to smear anyone who supports our community and any political opponent,” a GLAAD spokesperson said in a statement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The bill that liberals inaccurately call “Don’t Say Gay” would be more accurately described as an Anti-Grooming Bill.</p>— Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1499886619259777029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" >March 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
