- Some conservatives have begun using words like “grooming” often associated with child sex abuse.
- Such rhetoric hurts the LGBTQ people, particularly gay men who have long been accused of predatory behavior.
- Careless use of words connected to child sex abuse diminishes the experience of survivors, advocates say.
Grooming, a term associated with adults who sexually abuse children, has become an attack word in today’s battle over anti-LGBTQ legislation and is spilling out into the broader culture wars.
The term, coined in the 1980s, describes a process used to gain access to a potential victim, coerce them to agree to the abuse and reduce the risk of being caught, according to RAINN, a national anti-sexual violence organization.
