The Groomer Rumor Mill: LADIES, STAY SAFE pt. 2
How did human trafficking conspiracy theories give rise to a politicized pedo panic targeting teachers, trans kids and drag queens? Researchers Daniela Peterka-Benton and Bond Benton connect the dots between QAnon's obsession with saving the children, the 2022 revival of anti-LGBTQ "groomer" rhetoric and Disney's recurring role in American culture wars. Cristen also discovers the surprising source of childhood rumors about subliminal s-e-x in "The Lion King".
This is part 2 of a miniseries.
guests:
Daniela Peterka-Benton is the Director of the Global Center on Human Trafficking at Montclair State University and an Associate Professor in the Department of Justice Studies. Her primary areas of research are online mis- and disinformation in the context of far-right narratives and conspiracies, with a special focus on the cooptation of human trafficking by the far right.
Bond Benton is an Associate Professor in Communications and Media at Montclair State University. He’s an expert on social media, popular culture and online hate groups/extremism.
sources:
Associated Press. ‘Grooming’: The buzzword in LGBTQ school debate, including in Florida. Tampa Bay Times. Mar 29, 2022.
Benton, Bond et al. A Preview of Post Amnesty Twitter: Analysis of “Groomer” on Twitter After the Colorado Springs Shooting. Montclair State University Digital Commons. School of Communication and Media. Nov 2022.
Bloom, Mia and Moskalenko, Sophia. QAnon, Women, and the American Culture Wars. Social Research. Fall 2022.
Breland, Ali. Why Are Right-Wing Conspiracies So Obsessed With Pedophilia? Mother Jones. July 2019.
Carlin, John. WASHINGTON -- Rightist Group Attacks `Lion King'. SF Gate. Sep 10, 1995.
Cassisa, Susanna Leigh. Groomer rumor : the trope of the queer child predator in German and American popular media (1869–2024). Dissertation. 2024.
Dickinson, Tom. Elon Musk Drove Massive Spike in Pizzagate Content, Research Shows. Rolling Stone. Dec 7, 2023.
Drennan, Ari. Outlets like The New Yorker keep giving Chris Rufo a platform to spread dangerous propaganda about LGBTQ people. Media Matters for America. Jun 2022.
Eugene, Nadya. Grooming: an expert explains what it is and how to identify it. The Conversation. May 2022.
GLAAD. Groomer: Definition, Meaning, and Origin in Anti-LGBTQ Hate. GLAAD Guide to Anti-LGBTQ Online Hate and Disinformation.
Gingerich, Mia and Campbell, Jason. Grifter Gays: How conspiracy theorists and right-wing operatives created Gays Against Groomers. Media Matters for America. Feb 2023.
Goforth, Claire. A political memes subreddit kicked off an internet-wide call to get baseless 'groomer' claims classified as hate speech. Daily Dot. July 20, 2022.
Goforth, Claire. Proud Boys Disrupt Drag Queen Story Hour After Libs Of TikTok Tweet. Daily Dot. Jun 2022.
Lanning, Kenneth. The Evolution of Grooming: Concept and Term. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Dec 2017.
McClatchey, Emma. How UI grad Liz Crokin became one of QAnon's biggest influencers. Little Village. May 2021.
Mount, Beatrice and Tirrell, Alyssa. A non-exhaustive list of everything and everyone the right accused of grooming. Media Matters for America. Jan 2023.
Myerson, Allen R. Southern Baptist Convention Calls for Boycott of Disney. The New York Times. Jun 19, 1997.
Peterka-Benton, Daniela; Benton, Bond; and Penney, Joel. From conspiracy to normalcy: The mainstreaming of QAnon in “Disney grooming” messages online. Montclair State University Digital Commons. 2024.
Truesdell, Jeff. How Gay Day pushed Disney out of the closet. Orlando Weekly. May 2000.
National Education Association. What You Need to Know about Florida's “Don't Say Gay” and “Don't Say They” Laws, Book Bans, and Other Curricula Restrictions.
Wiggins, Christopher. Gays Against Groomers Is Not a Grassroots Organization: Report. Advocate. Feb 2023.
