‘Gays Against Groomers’ founder appears on Fox News after being banned by Twitter (Fox News)
The founder of “Gays Against Groomers” has appeared on Fox News to criticise Twitter after the group was briefly banned from the social media platform for “hateful conduct”.
The group – whose account has now been reinstated – claims to be fighting against “indoctrinating and sexualising children”, which it says includes “drag queen story hours, drag shows involving children, the transitioning and medicalisation of minors, and gender theory being taught in the classroom.”
Its use of the word “groomer” to conflate queer identities with paedophilia is against Twitter’s hate speech policy, after the social media platform banned the word in July.
After the page was briefly suspended by Twitter, the group’s founder, Jaimee Michell, spoke to Tucker Carlson of Fox News to state that she and the group are “trying to protect children”.
She said the group’s Twitter page had been banned “three times in three months”.
She added: “In any moral society it [sexualising children] would be criminalised, what we see happening, and it should be criminalised… but that doesn’t seem to matter.
“The vast majority of our community [the LGBTQ+ community] stands so strongly against this.”
But evidence from a recent US study suggests that isn’t the case.
Here is the full clip of our appearance on @TuckerCarlson! What a massive win for our community and for all of the children being subjected to the evils of Woke Inc. We are coming for you all, and will not stop until this madness is ended.
We’re just warming up. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/jKvnC9BKgI
— Gays Against Broomers 🚫🧹 (@againstgrmrs) August 20, 2022
In April 2022, a study found that the majority of US voters oppose using the word “groomer” – which has been described by an anti-hate group as “dangerous” – to describe LGBTQ+ inclusive teachers and parents.
The Data for Progress poll surveyed 1,155 likely voters and asked them about the spread of anti-LGBT+ legislation across the US.
While associating LGBTQ+ identity with paedophilia is no new issue, the recent surge in its use has been found to be linked to a push-back against LGBTQ+ education in schools, and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
The Data for Progress poll noted: “Some groups have been describing teachers and parents who oppose banning discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in schools as ‘groomers’ – a term used to describe someone who gets close to and builds trust with a child or young person with the intent of sexually abusing them.”
Respondents were asked whether they agreed that “teachers and parents that support discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in school” were “groomers”, and a majority of 55 per cent said they did not.
The political divide was clear, however, with just 15 per cent of likely Democrat voters supporting the “groomer” slur, and 45 per cent for likely Republican voters.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, said of the rising use of “groomer” online: “After decades of hard-won progress, the recent surge in violence and anti-LGBTQ+ hate serve as a reminder of how fragile that progress might be, and that there remain determined and capable opponents.”
PinkNews has contacted Gays Against Groomers for comment.