Funny how Deathsentence and his ilk have nothing to say about groomers who are pastors and youth pastors in their talabangelical churches. Whenever these evil religious leaders get caught, their political supporters just sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened.
This is the time for the radical left to flex their muscles and take back the narrative. Barring that, those of us with basic common sense should start "Save Equality" campaigns to combat grooming misinformation. Lying liar Cawthorn has given us the ammunition to paint the cult subsceptible gop as deviants themselves...
Here's an essay I just wrote that speaks to the danger of HB 1557, if you've got a moment:
With Christian nationalists passing their legislative agenda in Tallahassee at a frenetic pace, it is clear they are now fully in charge of Florida’s Republican Party. One of the biggest targets for this movement are gay and transgender Americans, as they seek to eliminate LGBT people from schools. Florida’s HB 1557 “Parental Rights in Education” bill is just one example of a larger problem - Christian nationalists are determined to weave their narrow belief systems into all aspects of the fabric of our society. This should scare all Americans who reject the idea of living under a Christian theocracy.
Governor Ron DeSantis and Republican legislators in Tallahassee are using their Christian nationalist instincts to redirect the culture of Florida schools. Last year the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) took its anti-bullying webpage offline, after a right-wing publication questioned the inclusion of resources geared towards stopping anti-LGBT bullying. When it reappeared, all links to anti-LGBT bullying resources were gone. The message to gay and trans young people was clear - Florida’s DOE is no longer interested in your well-being and safety in our schools.
Governor DeSantis signed HB 1557 at Classical Preparatory School in Spring Hill on March 28, surrounded by about two dozen mostly grade-school children, some holding signs that said, “PROTECT CHILDREN/SUPPORT PARENTS,” as if these kids needed protection from learning LGBT people exist. In his speech, DeSantis expressed outrage that, “in Connecticut, kindergarten students are being taught about being transgender as part of social justice standards.” Imagine, a state policy that says members of the LGBT community deserve social justice - oh, the horror!
HB 1557 prohibits Florida teachers from initiating any discussion of gay and trans issues through grade three or in a manner not “age appropriate” and “developmentally appropriate.” Its purposefully vague language is designed to intimidate teachers into silence on all discussion of LGBT people, families or history, at any grade level. The law also gives Christian nationalist parents full control of its implementation, through the threat of legal action against school districts that don’t comply.
Tallahassee’s Christian nationalists insist any teacher mentioning a student’s two moms or two dads “sexualizes” students, whereas discussion of a mom and dad does not. It’s deja vu from the 1990’s when I hear “leave these issues for later” or “let kids be kids.” This assumes that: a) learning about LGBT people diminishes childhood; and b) there are no LGBT kids in Florida schools desperate for positive messages of their humanity. Both assumptions are wrong, and Christian nationalists know this. Their real goal is to bring our society back to 1950 when LGBT people were forced “to know their place,” and stay invisible and lonely in the agony of a closeted life.
DeSantis’s press secretary, Cristina Pushaw, went so far as to dust off an old anti-gay libel, writing that opposing HB 1557 “means you are probably a groomer,” using a term describing pedophiles who build trust with children to initiate sexual relationships. Of course, in a normal state and in normal times, she would have immediately been fired from her job for this outrageous defamation. But in DeSantis’s Tallahassee, Christian nationalism rules.
DeSantis claims opponents of HB 1557 are being dishonest about this bill, as he himself deftly avoids any mention of the bill’s “sexual orientation” portion to focus exclusively on “gender identity,” with his tough talk that “we are not going to allow them to inject transgenderism into Kindergarten.” DeSantis sees transgender students as an easier target to whip up fear and hatred. Fewer Floridians understand the complexities of a person’s gender identity being different from their biological sex, even as the American Medical Association classifies trans or a nonbinary gender “as normal variations of human identity and expression.”
Republican Christian nationalist hatred encourages bullying and other dangerous outcomes. Banning books that speak to them and any discussion of their lives, sends a clear message to LGBT kids that they are unmentionable, and a message to bullies to “go for it!” While HB 1557 is designed to eradicate school recognition of LGBT people, if combined with a lack of support at home, gay and trans young people sometimes internalize the soul crushing message that they also deserve eradication from this world.
Florida’s assault on LGBT young people - banning teacher lead discussions of a minority group from schools is an assault - is ugly and must be stopped. I was once a gay kid in public schools, and I know that even as they struggle to stay grounded in this hostile environment, gay and trans students are watching this debate, and feeling more unsafe and unspeakable pain. I call on all people of goodwill, Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists…help end this cruel war being waged by Christian nationalists against Florida’s LGBT children. Gay and trans youth, like all young people, deserve recognition and support. They don’t deserve to be emotionally eviscerated by the heartless lawmakers in Tallahassee.
"Groomer"? You mean like what DeathSentence does to his own kids? He's an inveterate liar and pathologically narcissistic sociopath, pure and simple, and he's turning his own kids into the same thing. With the help of his Groomer Wife. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1YP_zZJFXs
Apr 5, 2022·edited Apr 5, 2022Liked by Michelangelo Signorile
This will tie back to Briggs2.0: if Mrs Smith can come in on Monday and talk about the veggies she and her husband bought at the farmers market that weekend, who knows a veggie that begins with A? Can't Mr Jones, in the classroom next door, ask the kids which veggie his husband picked out that begins with B?
It's only fair, right?
Or is it actually grooming? Because then Billy, usually quiet and in the back of the class, stands and says proudly, Mr Jones, my Dads and I went to the market and saw you and your husband with your baby stroller!
That's not fair.
It's GROOMING. And it mustn't be permitted in the classroom.
So we mustn't have LGBT teachers. Anywhere near our kids. Sorry, you're out of the profession you love and away from the kids who love, trust and respect you. Briggs2.0.
Sure, I'm exaggerating. So was Margaret Atwood. Did you know the Oklahoma legislature just sent a bill to the governor banning abortion? With a $100,000 penalty and 10 years in prison for doctor/violators? The governor will sign it.
Apr 5, 2022·edited Apr 5, 2022Liked by Michelangelo Signorile
I used to be called a 'breeder' because both of my children are gay. Now, I guess I'm a groomer, too. Good for me! The GOP isn't fit to lick the feet of LGBT.
What a deranged excuse for a political party! Their platform is based on debasing others: women, black people and LGBT. All the GOP had to do to gain voters was make hatred and discrimination and violence popular, a very sad statement on our society.
Mike, your point is well taken. Additionally, the smear is a multifaceted campaign against ALL the "others" that GOP officially hate. The treatment of KBJ, who may become Chief Justice, is reminiscent of the treatment of Louis Brandeis 100 years ago. "Radical support" is code for "uppity Black people." That she remained composed when being attack by those knuckle dragging GOP senators (Cruz, Hawley, the loon from TN, etc.), speaks volumes. They WANTED her to snap back so they could then label her an angry Black lady. *SIGH!* SO, the "Groomer smear" is part of a LARGER, Fascist agenda. They do have a list of the "non-humans," and if they get even more power, Queers, Blacks, Browns, ALL women, etc. are going to get clobbered by AFFIRMATIVE public policy. The attacks on Griswald (right to contraception), tipped their hands. They WANT the US to be Gilead. So, if you care about the USA, now is the time to be in frequent and consistent contact with ALL of your elected representatives. Reach out, donate if you can afford to, and challenge those who are wishy-washy. This is not the 1990s, but a time of global Fascism. Putin has bought and paid for select GOP members and one media organization (Fox). We must be ever vigilant.
it also lessens the impact of the word for actual groomers. Like my stepdad. It's insulting to all victims.
Wel yeah everybody knows Big Gay hands out toaster ovens for each successful conversion.
Funny how Deathsentence and his ilk have nothing to say about groomers who are pastors and youth pastors in their talabangelical churches. Whenever these evil religious leaders get caught, their political supporters just sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened.
This is the time for the radical left to flex their muscles and take back the narrative. Barring that, those of us with basic common sense should start "Save Equality" campaigns to combat grooming misinformation. Lying liar Cawthorn has given us the ammunition to paint the cult subsceptible gop as deviants themselves...
Here's an essay I just wrote that speaks to the danger of HB 1557, if you've got a moment:
With Christian nationalists passing their legislative agenda in Tallahassee at a frenetic pace, it is clear they are now fully in charge of Florida’s Republican Party. One of the biggest targets for this movement are gay and transgender Americans, as they seek to eliminate LGBT people from schools. Florida’s HB 1557 “Parental Rights in Education” bill is just one example of a larger problem - Christian nationalists are determined to weave their narrow belief systems into all aspects of the fabric of our society. This should scare all Americans who reject the idea of living under a Christian theocracy.
Governor Ron DeSantis and Republican legislators in Tallahassee are using their Christian nationalist instincts to redirect the culture of Florida schools. Last year the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) took its anti-bullying webpage offline, after a right-wing publication questioned the inclusion of resources geared towards stopping anti-LGBT bullying. When it reappeared, all links to anti-LGBT bullying resources were gone. The message to gay and trans young people was clear - Florida’s DOE is no longer interested in your well-being and safety in our schools.
Governor DeSantis signed HB 1557 at Classical Preparatory School in Spring Hill on March 28, surrounded by about two dozen mostly grade-school children, some holding signs that said, “PROTECT CHILDREN/SUPPORT PARENTS,” as if these kids needed protection from learning LGBT people exist. In his speech, DeSantis expressed outrage that, “in Connecticut, kindergarten students are being taught about being transgender as part of social justice standards.” Imagine, a state policy that says members of the LGBT community deserve social justice - oh, the horror!
HB 1557 prohibits Florida teachers from initiating any discussion of gay and trans issues through grade three or in a manner not “age appropriate” and “developmentally appropriate.” Its purposefully vague language is designed to intimidate teachers into silence on all discussion of LGBT people, families or history, at any grade level. The law also gives Christian nationalist parents full control of its implementation, through the threat of legal action against school districts that don’t comply.
Tallahassee’s Christian nationalists insist any teacher mentioning a student’s two moms or two dads “sexualizes” students, whereas discussion of a mom and dad does not. It’s deja vu from the 1990’s when I hear “leave these issues for later” or “let kids be kids.” This assumes that: a) learning about LGBT people diminishes childhood; and b) there are no LGBT kids in Florida schools desperate for positive messages of their humanity. Both assumptions are wrong, and Christian nationalists know this. Their real goal is to bring our society back to 1950 when LGBT people were forced “to know their place,” and stay invisible and lonely in the agony of a closeted life.
DeSantis’s press secretary, Cristina Pushaw, went so far as to dust off an old anti-gay libel, writing that opposing HB 1557 “means you are probably a groomer,” using a term describing pedophiles who build trust with children to initiate sexual relationships. Of course, in a normal state and in normal times, she would have immediately been fired from her job for this outrageous defamation. But in DeSantis’s Tallahassee, Christian nationalism rules.
DeSantis claims opponents of HB 1557 are being dishonest about this bill, as he himself deftly avoids any mention of the bill’s “sexual orientation” portion to focus exclusively on “gender identity,” with his tough talk that “we are not going to allow them to inject transgenderism into Kindergarten.” DeSantis sees transgender students as an easier target to whip up fear and hatred. Fewer Floridians understand the complexities of a person’s gender identity being different from their biological sex, even as the American Medical Association classifies trans or a nonbinary gender “as normal variations of human identity and expression.”
Republican Christian nationalist hatred encourages bullying and other dangerous outcomes. Banning books that speak to them and any discussion of their lives, sends a clear message to LGBT kids that they are unmentionable, and a message to bullies to “go for it!” While HB 1557 is designed to eradicate school recognition of LGBT people, if combined with a lack of support at home, gay and trans young people sometimes internalize the soul crushing message that they also deserve eradication from this world.
Florida’s assault on LGBT young people - banning teacher lead discussions of a minority group from schools is an assault - is ugly and must be stopped. I was once a gay kid in public schools, and I know that even as they struggle to stay grounded in this hostile environment, gay and trans students are watching this debate, and feeling more unsafe and unspeakable pain. I call on all people of goodwill, Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists…help end this cruel war being waged by Christian nationalists against Florida’s LGBT children. Gay and trans youth, like all young people, deserve recognition and support. They don’t deserve to be emotionally eviscerated by the heartless lawmakers in Tallahassee.
"Groomer"? You mean like what DeathSentence does to his own kids? He's an inveterate liar and pathologically narcissistic sociopath, pure and simple, and he's turning his own kids into the same thing. With the help of his Groomer Wife. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1YP_zZJFXs
This will tie back to Briggs2.0: if Mrs Smith can come in on Monday and talk about the veggies she and her husband bought at the farmers market that weekend, who knows a veggie that begins with A? Can't Mr Jones, in the classroom next door, ask the kids which veggie his husband picked out that begins with B?
It's only fair, right?
Or is it actually grooming? Because then Billy, usually quiet and in the back of the class, stands and says proudly, Mr Jones, my Dads and I went to the market and saw you and your husband with your baby stroller!
That's not fair.
It's GROOMING. And it mustn't be permitted in the classroom.
So we mustn't have LGBT teachers. Anywhere near our kids. Sorry, you're out of the profession you love and away from the kids who love, trust and respect you. Briggs2.0.
Sure, I'm exaggerating. So was Margaret Atwood. Did you know the Oklahoma legislature just sent a bill to the governor banning abortion? With a $100,000 penalty and 10 years in prison for doctor/violators? The governor will sign it.
I used to be called a 'breeder' because both of my children are gay. Now, I guess I'm a groomer, too. Good for me! The GOP isn't fit to lick the feet of LGBT.
What a deranged excuse for a political party! Their platform is based on debasing others: women, black people and LGBT. All the GOP had to do to gain voters was make hatred and discrimination and violence popular, a very sad statement on our society.
Mike, your point is well taken. Additionally, the smear is a multifaceted campaign against ALL the "others" that GOP officially hate. The treatment of KBJ, who may become Chief Justice, is reminiscent of the treatment of Louis Brandeis 100 years ago. "Radical support" is code for "uppity Black people." That she remained composed when being attack by those knuckle dragging GOP senators (Cruz, Hawley, the loon from TN, etc.), speaks volumes. They WANTED her to snap back so they could then label her an angry Black lady. *SIGH!* SO, the "Groomer smear" is part of a LARGER, Fascist agenda. They do have a list of the "non-humans," and if they get even more power, Queers, Blacks, Browns, ALL women, etc. are going to get clobbered by AFFIRMATIVE public policy. The attacks on Griswald (right to contraception), tipped their hands. They WANT the US to be Gilead. So, if you care about the USA, now is the time to be in frequent and consistent contact with ALL of your elected representatives. Reach out, donate if you can afford to, and challenge those who are wishy-washy. This is not the 1990s, but a time of global Fascism. Putin has bought and paid for select GOP members and one media organization (Fox). We must be ever vigilant.
Its maddening , vile and IS their platform. It makes me crazy that there is not enough of a pushback from the left to these lies and this hatred