To Groom or Not to Groom? Right-wing Pundits Attempt to Redefine 'Don't Say Gay' Bill with Ugly Term
The Washington Post recently wrote that those behind Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill are aware that the words matter, which is why the Left's branding the bill with such a simple and directed message has left them in branding hell.
The official title, the Post observes, is the "Parental Rights in Education Bill" — a piece of legislation that limits wThe Post notes. " 'Don't Say Gay' makes the argument that the bill seems concerned mostly with the rights of parents who are squeamish about gay people."
This has led to an effort by supporters to give it a new moniker: "The bill that liberals inaccurately call 'Don't Say Gay' would be more accurately described as an Anti-Grooming Bill,"�tweeted Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last week. "If you're against the Anti-Grooming bill you are probably a groomer or at least you don't denounce the grooming of 4-8 year old children."
She doubled down in a second tweet.
"Lot to unpack here," the Post continues, "but let's start with terminology: 'Grooming,' as defined by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), is 'manipulative behaviors�that the abuser uses to gain access to a potential victim, coerce them to agree to the abuse, and reduce the risk of being caught.' As examples, RAINN lists adults encouraging children to keep secrets, or escalating nonsexual contact, like hugging or wrestling into sexual contact.
"Grooming does not have anything to do with sexual orientation or gender identity," the Post article points out. "It's�molesters�who groom, regardless of whether they're gay or straight."
The bill, HB 1557, is headed to Governor Ron DeSantis's desk for signage. Its sponsor — Sen. Dennis Baxley, a Republican from Ocala — "thought it was appropriate to legislate against his discomfort with what he called a 'real trend change' in society," the Miami Herald reported.
"My son's a psychiatrist and I said, 'Why is everybody now all about coming out when you're in school?' " Baxley told his fellow senators. "And there really is a dynamic of concern of how much of this are genuine-type of experiences and how many of them are just kids trying on different kinds of things.
"If kids are too comfortable experimenting with their sexuality, it must be because they know too much, the thinking seems to be," the Miami Herald article said. "Blame those deviant teachers for turning our kids gay through what Baxley called 'social engineering.' "
"So my question is, simply, are we encouraging this or eliminating it by putting emphasis on it?" Baxley said.
"LGBTQ advocates warn that the law would make classrooms unsafe spaces for children who are LGBTQ or whose family members are LGBTQ. Such children often already face increased rates of stigma and isolation," Time Magazine wrote in reporting on the controversy.
"The legislation could also impact how teachers provide instruction on a day-to-day basis. At a Senate hearing on Feb. 8, Republican Sen. Travis Hutson gave the example of a math problem that includes the details that 'Sally has two moms or Johnny has two dads.' Republican State Sen. Dennis Baxley, who sponsors the bill in the Senate, said that is 'exactly' what the bill aims to prevent."