NYC council members shame GOP councilor for her disgusting comments about LGBTQ people

An out Democratic politician called out a colleague who has been referring to LGBTQ people as “groomers,” which is a term associated with child sex abuse.

“Enough. Enough of that word,” said New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher (D). “Enough of this rhetoric.”

Related: Gymnast abused by team doctor comes out swinging at rightwing claims of LGBTQ “grooming”

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For the past several months, rightwingers have been using the term “groomer” to describe LGBTQ people and people who are supportive of them.

“Grooming” is a set of manipulative behaviors sexual predators use to gain access to potential victims, coerce them to agree to the abuse, and reduce the risk of getting caught, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The process usually involves training the victims to keep secrets from adults they trust and desensitizing them to sexual discussions and touching.

New York City Council Member Vickie Paladino (R) has been using the term “groomer” to refer to LGBTQ people to insinuate that LGBTQ people interacting with children is a form of pedophilia.

Paladino tweeted a long rant this past Monday about Drag Queen Story Hour, where she called the performances “child grooming and sexualization” and “unacceptable and grotesque.” Some pictures included in her rant showed the queens fully dressed – with turtle necks even – reading children’s books.

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“Progressives may have no problem with child grooming and sexualization, but I do,” Paladino wrote. “This will not happen on my watch. Kids deserve a quality education free from political manipulation and sexual content.”

Another out council member, Chi Ossé (D), also spoke up, saying that Paladino can oppose Drag Queen Story Hour without child molestation accusations.

“To insinuate that these performers are groomers, during the month of Pride at that, is wildly homophobic and bigoted,” he wrote.

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He also called her out for liking tweets of people calling him a groomer because he’s queer.

Bottcher had apparently also had enough of Paladino’s homophobia.

“I cannot think of a more nauseating term than the term ‘groomer,'” Bottcher said at a council meeting yesterday. “That’s what child molesters do. They cultivate trust with someone they’re about to victimize.”

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The term ‘groomer’ is absolutely nauseating. ‘Grooming’ is what child molesters and sexual predators do. And the term was used repeatedly by Council Member Vicky Paladino to describe my community. @VickieforNYC, we need you to acknowledge this is wrong & tell others to stop also. pic.twitter.com/pXxhY59COq

— Erik Bottcher (@ebottcher) June 16, 2022

I am quoted in this article, and I will reiterate: Any school in my district participating in 'drag queen' degeneracy risks losing their funding.

Adult drag performers have NO BUSINESS in our schools, and they will not be in my district. Period. https://t.co/rCKuvYNW0K

— Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) June 13, 2022

Progressives may have no problem with child grooming and sexualization, but I do. This will not happen on my watch. Kids deserve a quality education free from political manipulation and sexual content. And that's what the kids in District 19 will get.

— Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) June 13, 2022

Vickie, if you and your constituents don’t want @DQSHtweets in your schools, that’s totally fine! To insinuate that these performers are groomers, during the month of Pride at that, is wildly homophobic and bigoted.

No Council Member should be able to spread this kind of hate. https://t.co/TmfbvIRSXG pic.twitter.com/I8Jk3xueuZ

— Chi Ossé (@OsseChi) June 15, 2022

My colleague in the City Council, @VickieforNYC, is actively ‘liking’ the comments of people calling me a groomer, under my tweet in support of Drag Queen Story Hour…in the month of Pride. pic.twitter.com/FwA7HLwO7K

— Chi Ossé (@OsseChi) June 16, 2022

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