Share This Tweet With Anyone Who Accuses You of Being a “Groomer” Because You’re Queer

A tweet posted by a gay history lover on X (formerly known as Twitter) has gone viral.

Sacha Coward is based in the UK. He has noted the rise in the use of the term “groomer” about LGBTQ+ people — especially those who care about young people learning that LGBTQ+ folks exist.

Coward’s tweet reminded people that all the messages he received when younger—from parents, the media, school, and the rest of society—encouraged him to be heterosexual. He still turned out to be gay.

Despite this, some people still seem to think you can turn someone queer just by talking to them about LGBTQ+ subject matters. This, of course, is nonsense.

Coward’s tweet has had over 62k likes at the time of writing. Many agreed with the message.

Parents: straight
Grandparents: straight
Siblings: straight
Aunts & Uncles: straight
Cousins: straight

If anything, I should be straight. I grew up around nothing but heterosexuality. But, I’m a “groomer.” 🤦🏻‍♂️

— Kyle Mong (@KyleMong) August 12, 2023

The same goes with trans people. I was yelled at by doctors that I was making things up, I lost most of my friends, part of my family harasses me to detransition. Why would any one choose that for themselves if they were not actually trans?

— Jeanne Darveau 🏳️‍⚧️ (@JeanneDarveau) August 12, 2023

Growing up in a small, rural town, my strategy for survival was hiding. The overwhelming message was “if you let anyone know you are gay, your life will be ruined”. I won’t speak for a young person coming out in 2023 but this reflects what my reality was.

— Wes Lambert (@MockingMovies) August 12, 2023

The tweet did receive some pushback from others, who we presume are straight. They claimed the person must have grown up decades ago if that was their experience.

Related:

“Grooming” Is Now an Alarmingly Common Anti-LGBTQ Slur, Thanks to the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill

A new report has found that the term “grooming” has exploded as an anti-LGBTQ slur, with its usage rising as high as 400% on social media.

The rise in the use of the term groomer in relation to LGBTQ+ people has snowballed in the last couple of years as lawmakers introduce restrictive legislation to control what can be taught in schools. They appear to believe that simply informing kids that LGBTQ+ folk exist might “corrupt” them.

Just yesterday, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene again employed the word. She posted a long rant, following Donald Trump’s latest indictment, about the things one is supposedly not allowed to say. “Children are being groomed to believe gender lies” was among her list of things you can’t say anymore.

Fellow far-right Rep. Lauren Boebert is also fond of the term.

Sacha Coward is a history-lover who is currently working on a book, Queer As Folklore: The Hidden Queer History of Myths and Monsters.  If you’re not already following him on X, he often highlights hidden or forgotten LGBTQ+ stories from the past.