The GOP's 'Groomer' Panic Is A Green Light For Fascists To Attack LGTBQ People

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:

Christopher Mathias
@letsgomathias
My latest: new details about the GOP’s participation in making Coeur D’Alene Pride a target.

Patriot Front needs to be understood as a part of the militant wing of the Republican Party’s revanchist campaign to erase trans people from public life.
https://huffpost.com/entry/groomer-panic-idaho-white-supremacists-lgbtq_n_62acc960e4b06594c1d6348b…?

huffpost.com
The GOP's 'Groomer' Panic Is A Green Light For Fascists To Attack LGTBQ People
Details that emerged after the arrest of 31 white supremacists in Coeur D'Alene show how GOP rhetoric is signaling extremists to attack LGBTQ people.
4:56 AM · Jun 18, 2022

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/groomer-panic-idaho-white-supremacists-lgbtq_n_62acc960e4b06594c1d6348b

At a Republican fundraiser in Stateline, Idaho, a local GOP official named Dan Bell was excited to introduce the next speaker.

“He’s definitely not OK with trans or any of that gay shit,” Bell, youth chair of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, said into the microphone as the crowd laughed. “Please give it up for Dave Reilly!”

Reilly took the stage that day, April 16, to cheers. “A big round of applause for our Sheriff Norris, who keeps us safe!” Reilly said, pointing to Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris in the crowd, according to video footage obtained by HuffPost. Reilly is a white nationalist who recently moved to Idaho and aims to take over the state political system from the ground up.

In the crowd with the sheriff was a mix of fellow white nationalists, along with Proud Boys, militiamen and a far-right bike gang. Over the ensuing two months, what bound this group together was a deep ire toward LGBTQ people and a desire to stop a Pride event in nearby Coeur D’Alene on June 11.

With the blessing of local Republican officials and using the same rhetoric as many GOP politicians nationwide, this far-right coalition churned out propaganda falsely labeling Pride as a haven for “groomers” and “pedophiles.” Participants also issued warnings to would-be Pride attendees: We’ll be there to confront you, and we’ll be armed.

*snip*

[CurtEastPoint]

1. this thing Reilly is running for Gov of Idaho. WTF is with these people up there?

?

[AntiFascist]

2. What about the grooming of young fascists?

Most of those guys are in their 20s and I understand that Mussolini's "Doctrine of Fascism" is required reading.

[jmowreader]

3. Dan Bell and Dave Reilly...

...were the ringleaders in KCRCC's plan to take over the Kootenai County Democratic Party. It was Brent Regan (KCRCC chair)'s idea to put Reilly in as chair of the Kootenai Democratic Party if they had succeeded.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

4. Exactly what I was warning of when the "Groomer" shit started...

Stochastic terrorism. A green light to "take matters into our own hands" and resort to "vigilante justice" because... they're grooming our kids! Of course, we aren't. We aren't grooming shit. We're just trying to live our lives in peace and safety, while Nazi filth like Dan Bell and Dave Reilly want to terrorize and kill us.

Of course, these sons of bitches don't care about real groomers - like Groomer Gaetz. Or Tronald Dump. Or the entire QOP, trying to groom young people into becoming good little Hitler Youth. But that's okay. IOKIYAR.

Fucking bigoted Nazi assholes. And yeah, the end-game of all of this is to get us killed. "No Sharia Law!" my ass.