(U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert/Screenshot C-SPAN2)
The announcement last week by streaming platform Discovery+ that actress and celebrity host Tyra Banks is the executive producer for a new show on the platform showcasing the world of teenage drag shows generated a negative attack on Twitter by Colorado Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert.
Boebert retweeted an anti-LGBTQ tweet from “Libs of TikTok,” an account run by New York real estate agent Chaya Raichik that is responsible for setting off the latest round of anti-LGBTQ attacks on social media using the accusation of LGBTQ people grooming minors.
Siri, define grooming. https://t.co/FeZ6GxedP0
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) April 29, 2022
Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz first revealed Raichik’s connection to the account two weeks ago. The account has attracted more than 845,000 followers — including podcaster Joe Rogan and former “The View” co-host Meghan McCain — by posting TikTok videos to expose extreme examples of what she labels “wokeness.” Raichik also has figured prominently in right wing circles that have sought to redefine LGBTQ equality rights as “grooming” young people.
Use of the word grooming is highly denigrating as it implies that the LGBTQ community is targeted on the potential abuse of minor children and is a long held believe by many in the so-called Christian right and self-defined family values groups that LGBTQ people “recruit” children.
“Grooming” is defined by experts in the fields of medicine and law enforcement as a set of manipulative behaviors sexual predators use to gain access to potential victims, to coerce them to agree to the abuse, and to reduce the risk of getting caught, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. The process usually involves training the victims to keep secrets from adults they trust and desensitizing them to sexual discussions and touching.
Boebert and Raichik aren’t the latest high profile radical right-wing personalities to use the term. After Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw used the anti-LGBTQ slander to defend Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill on March 4, right-wing media and figures used similar attacks to defend the legislation, accusing LGBTQ people of “grooming” children to be LGBTQ or to engage in sexual activity.
“Generation Drag” is a series that follows five teens and their families as they anticipate their biggest drag performance at Dragutante, a drag show designed as a platform for LGBTQ teens to express themselves. Discovery+ will drop all six episodes of the series on June 1, industry trade magazine Deadline reported.
“I have such admiration and respect for these teens. They are bravely navigating coming into their own in a world that can be very challenging and not always accepting. What is so beautiful is seeing their parents and siblings supporting them,” said Banks. “These teens’ laser-focused tenacity inspires my team and me and we are honored to share their stories. I can’t wait for these popping personalities to show their fierceness to the world.”
