Why the "groomer" smear is terrible for LGBTQ mental health

One of the most damaging ideas about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people is that their sexual orientation is a perversion. In recent years, that stereotype faded in pop culture and politics as large swaths of the public embraced progress toward equality, such as the Supreme Court's decision to legalized same-sex marriage.

People may experience less psychological distress when stigma and discrimination are removed.

We have arrived at a terrifying moment, yet with progress comes backlash. Conservative policies designed to deny healthcare and participation in school sports have become a target for the LGBTQ youth.

Some advocates of these policies use extreme rhetoric to call out those who support them as "groomers" and "perversion", resurrecting the painful stereotype of perversion. Frank Bruni, a columnist for the New York Times, recently said that gay people were treated as predator. By embracing a term that describes the manipulation of a child for sexual abuse, conservative activists demonize the LGBTQ people. The strategy plays into the mainstreaming of a far-right conspiracy theory that a group of liberal pedophiles run the world.

Fox News has featured the Libs of TikTok on multiple occasions, which it views as evidence of efforts to teach children to be gay. In just a few months, thegroomer's attack became socially and politically permissible on the right.

Hateful accusations and discriminatory policies are not new to the LGBTQ community. TheTrevor Project, a nonprofit that provides crisis resources to LGBTQ youth, has seen a rise in contacts from callers and texters worried about bills targeting children like them in Texas, Florida, and Alabama. The organization is hearing from youth in other states who are worried that their lawmakers will come for them next.

Two-thirds of the young people who were surveyed said the debates over state laws limiting the rights of trans people had negatively impacted their mental health. Eighty five percent of all the youth surveyed were trans and nonbinary. Stress, anxiety, depression, and suicidal feelings can be caused by fear of discrimination.

Sam Ames, director of advocacy and government affairs for TheTrevor Project, recalls what it was like to be trans and queer while watching debates over California's ban on same-sex marriage.

Ames says that to watch your own identity on a screen be used as the boogeyman has an impact.

Legislators should consider bills like requiring school districts to adopt model suicide-prevention policies and mandating the inclusion of LGBTQ history in classroom curriculum to protect the health and well-being of LGBTQ youth. Ames believes that both measures could improve mental health and reduce suicidal feelings for the LGBTQ youth who are already at heightened risk for anxiety, depression, and suicide. These proposals are not likely to be accepted by conservatives who have made trans youth a wedge issue in order to draw a fervent base to the polls in the upcoming elections.

There is no policy that can fully mitigate the damage of hate speech. Last year, the libs of TikTok account labeled The Trevor Project a grooming organization, just one indication of its extreme views.

Some advocates of grooming language say they are against violence, but tell the public that LGBTQ people and their allies are child molesters. In 2016 a man showed up at a Washington, D.C. pizzeria looking for a child sex ring that was featured in far-right conspiracy theories. It is intended to undermine the ability of caring adults to publicly support youth who are coming to understand their sexual orientation and gender identity. More than 20 million adults and children in the U.S. will be adversely affected by this message.

Ames is worried that some children will be at risk of suicide if justice is not done for the LGBTQ people. Many factors lead to suicide, but LGBTQ youth who feel accepted by at least one adult are less likely to attempt suicide. There are warning signs of suicide among youth that include hopelessness, losing interest in the future, and having a plan to die.

The youth are telling us that when they watch the debates, they are more sad or angry or scared than they are.

If you would like to talk to someone about your suicidal thoughts, The Trevor Project can be reached 24/7. The Crisis Text Line is free of charge. To be connected to a crisis counselor, text CRISIS to 741741. You can call the help line from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. You can email info@nami.org. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. There is a list of international resources.