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☆ Cast as Criminals, America’s Librarians Rally to Their Own Defense
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Elizabeth Williamson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

During 12 years as a youth librarian in northern Idaho, Denise Neujahr read to and befriended children of many backgrounds. Members of a local church waved signs with images of hellfire and used a bullhorn to shout Bible verses and accusations about sin and pedophile “groomers” in the library. Parents had to escort the teens inside that night, and the library beefed up security. But the next month police arrested a protester outside the doors who was carrying a knife and a loaded gun. youth and their parents, said she was told the group’s funding was in danger.

Persons: Denise Neujahr, ”, groomers, Ms, Neujahr, L.G.B.T.Q Locations: Idaho

Learn moreBusiness Insider Reviews has been covering the best pet products for more than five years. AdvertisementWhat types of pet products we coverFood: After hundreds of hours of interviews and research, we carefully selected the best cat foods and best dog foods. We also put dozens of litters to the test for our guides to the best cat litters and natural cat litter. Veterinarians and professional groomers also helped us narrow down the best dog toothpastes, dog dental chews, cat dental products, dog shampoos, and cat shampoos. Her article on pet anxiety in Pet Sitting Magazine was also nominated for The PSI Professional Pet Care Award.

Persons: We've, Ollie, we've, groomers, shampoos, Lisa Sabatini, Lisa, basset, JoAnna Pendergrass, JoAnna, Emory University's, Janelle Leeson, Janelle, Dodo, Shoshi Parks, Shoshi, Phoebe, Christy Caplan, Christy, Sherman, Walter, You'll, Jackie Brown, Jackie, Dr, Julie Liu, Liu, — Organizations: Health, Animal Association, Association of American, Business, Wall Street, JPen Communications, Virginia - Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Emory, Emory University's Yerkes, Primate Research, Insurance, Rover, Shop, USA, Freelance, Shoshi Parks, NPR, Smithsonian, Atlas Obscura, Portland Community College, Dog Writers Association of America, Animal Wellness, Product, Pet Health, Service Locations: Virginia, Shoshi, Oregon, Austin , Texas, Austin

☆ A mysterious respiratory illness that infects dogs is spreading across the US. Here's how to protect your pooch, and what to do if you think they have it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementA mysterious respiratory illness is spreading between dogs across the US, and veterinarians aren't sure what's causing it. AdvertisementHere's what to look out for in your pooch, and how to do your best to protect your dog against infection. How to protect your pupIt's best to avoid areas with high dog traffic while this sickness is spreading. Advertisement"I think we've all learned more than we ever wanted to know about respiratory disease and how it passes over the last few years. What to do if you think your dog got infectedMcKnight recommends taking your dog to the vet to get a workup done if you think they may have symptoms.

Persons: —, aren't, Sorin McKnight, McKnight, hasn't, Dr, Silene St, Bernard, Andrea Cantu, MIGUEL MEDINA, St.Bernard, Supitnan Pimpisarn, St Organizations: Service, Veterinary Medical Center, University of New, Laboratory, Hubbard Center for Genome Studies, NBC, Oregon Department of Agriculture, American Veterinary Medical Association, Getty, Associated Press, St Locations: Texas, Silene, Oregon, Colorado , New Hampshire, Massachusetts, AFP

☆ House Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned with disgraced reality TV Star Josh Duggar, one of several accused sex offenders connected to his 'mentor' Tony Perkins
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Jacqueline Sweet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned with now-disgraced reality TV star Josh Duggar years ago in Louisiana. Johnson called Duggar, now in prison for child pornography, a "friend" when the two campaigned for now-U.S. According to the Washington Post, "Perkins goes way back with the Duggar family." According to the Washington Post, Perkins was close to Duggar's father Jim Bob Duggar , who served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003. Calls and emails to Perkins and Duggar family lawyers were not immediately returned.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Josh Duggar, Johnson, Tony Perkins, Bill Cassidy, —, Duggar, Perkins, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, Sen, Santorum, Raj Shah, Shah, Josh, Duggar's, Jim Bob Duggar, InTouch, Jim Bob, Paul, Pressler's, Pressler, Wesley Goodman, Perkins acolyte, Goodman, Donald Trump, Paul Pressler Organizations: Family Research, Service, Louisiana Republican, Business, Washington Post, GOP, Pennsylvania Republican, Washington , D.C, FRC, InTouch, Paul Pressler School of Law, Louisiana College, Pressler, Southern Baptist Convention, Council for National Policy, The Washington Spectator Locations: Louisiana, U.S, Washington ,, Shreveport, Arkansas, Ohio

☆ Lauren Boebert's fondling incident may have violated Colorado's public indecency law, but an attorney said she probably won't be charged
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Lauren Boebert's public fondling incident may have violated Colorado public indecency laws. But a local defense attorney told Insider that it's unlikely she would face charges. Boebert was caught on camera appearing to grope her date during a theatre production of "Beetlejuice." Colorado's public indecency law states that "a lewd fondling or caress of the body of another person" isn't allowed in a public place or where a member of the public might view it. She also said that she won't be going on future dates with the man from the theatre.

Persons: Lauren Boebert's, Boebert, 9News, —, isn't, Matthew Martin, Martin Organizations: Service, Buell Theatre, Police, Boebert, District, Newsweek Locations: Colorado, Wall, Silicon, Denver

☆ New video appears to show GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has accused the left of 'grooming' children, being fondled by her date during 'Beetlejuice' performance recommended for kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Lauren Boebert was kicked out of a musical theater performance of "Beetlejuice" last weekend. New video appears to show her being groped by her date during the show, which is geared toward kids 10 and up. Boebert has repeatedly said Democrats are "grooming" children with pro-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. "Four months ago, Lauren Boebert called for a boycott of North Face because the outdoor apparel company featured a drag queen in a harmless, non-sexual advertisement because she believes drag queens are a public sexual nuisance (they are not). Rep. Lauren Boebert vaping, left, and a Broadway performance of "Beetlejuice," right, in a composite image.

Persons: Lauren Boebert, Boebert, 9News, Chris Evans, Charlotte Clymer, Lauren Boebert vaping, Jayson Boebert, I've Organizations: Service, Colorado, GOP, Broadway League, Denvers Arts, The Denver Center, Performing Arts, Denver Arts Locations: Wall, Silicon, North, Colorado

☆ Cody Rigsby Needs Dessert. And Cheetos. And Drag Queens.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Kathryn Shattuck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

5Pop Star DebatesAs a gay man, I think that a big part of our culture is having our favorite pop star. I love a healthy debate over who’s the best singer, who has the best concert, who has the best dress. They bring us a lot of joy, a lot of laughter, a lot of camp, a lot of comedy. But I feel like drag right now is being used as a political thing to divide and distract people. So it’s [expletive] that people are trying to demonize drag queens as groomers and pedophiles and something that’s wrong.

Organizations: Madison, New York Locations: New York City

☆ One in two pet owners say their furry friend is equal to a human family member, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

One in two owners say pets are just as important as human members of their family, a survey found. The US pet industry will be worth $200 billion a year by the end of the decade, Bloomberg forecasts. One in two pet owners think their furry friends are as much a part of their family as a human, according to a new survey. The online research surveyed the views of just under 3,000 pet owners in April. It found women were more likely to consider their pets equal to a human family member (57%) than men (43%).

Persons: groomers, Kristen Hawley, tartare, filet mignon, I'd Organizations: Bloomberg, Pew Research Center Locations: Francisco's, San Francisco

☆ A video shared by DeSantis' campaign showing his disdain for Pride is another piece of his 'extremely homophobic' campaign, law instructor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Governor Ron DeSantis' campaign shared a video highlighting his anti-LGBTQ+ bills. An expert told Insider the video is a "culmination" of DeSantis' "extremely homophobic" campaign. "They know exactly what they're doing," Caraballo told Insider. The organization previously threw its support at DeSantis when he signed his "Don't Say Gay" law. The DeSantis campaign and Pushaw did not respond to a list of questions sent by Insider.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Patrick Bateman, Trump, DeSantis, Christina Pushaw —, Alejandra Caraballo, Harvard Law School's, Caraballo, there's, Groomers, Pushaw Organizations: Service, Miss, Republican, Trump, Harvard Law, Clinic, Transgender Legal Defense, Education Fund, Republicans, Trans, ADL, GLAAD Locations: Wall, Silicon, Chad, —, DeSantis

☆ Pro-DeSantis super PAC attacks Florida journalist for posting photo from his Disney cruise: 'You're bought and paid for by the groomers and Trump'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Taylor Berman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Florida Politics publisher Peter Schorsch posted a photo from a Disney cruise on Friday and tagged Ron DeSantis. A pro-DeSantis PAC quote tweeted the photo and accused Schorsch of being bribed by "groomers" and Trump. Today, a super PAC aligned with DeSantis attacked a Florida journalist for posting a photo from a Disney cruise. "We get it, you're bought and paid for by the groomers and Trump," Never Back Down tweeted at FloridaPolitics.com publisher Peter Schorsch, who had posted a photo from a Disney cruise he was on with his family. The person who initially posted the photo shared by Trump accused DeSantis of using alcohol for "grooming" high school girls.

Persons: Peter Schorsch, Ron DeSantis, Schorsch, DeSantis, —, Taryn Fenske, Anchorman's Ron Burgundy, kows, Jeff Roe, Roe, Matt Wolking, Peter, Chris Jankowski, Trump Organizations: Disney, Trump, Service, Florida Governor, GOP, ABC, Washington Post, Coalition, New York Times, Times, Harvard Law, The New York Times, Darlington School Locations: Florida, Mar, Georgia

At his grooming salon in San Diego, anything is possible: Bernedoodles become giraffes and poodles become Pokémon. Feitosa, a native of São Paulo, Brazil, opened Gabriel Feitosa Grooming Salon in 2018, capitalizing on a $1.3 billion global pet grooming market. As a dog grooming artist, Feitosa combines traditional grooming techniques with unique designs, and uses vegan, pet-friendly dyes. Finding career inspiration while running an errandFeitosa's dog grooming career began when he was 12. He left high school right before graduating to pursue dog grooming as his full-time career, working at the salon and teaching dog grooming at a vocational school based on his real-world learnings.

Persons: Gabriel Feitosa, poodles, Feitosa, São Paulo, Tasia Jensen, it's Organizations: CNBC Locations: San Diego, São Paulo, Brazil, TikTok, São, Sacramento, Calif

☆ Fox News leaned in on anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, saying the Pride flag promotes 'grooming and pedophilia'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A story headline on Fox News suggested the Progress Pride flag promotes "grooming and pedophilia." Fox News faced fierce backlash this week after it linked a new version of the Pride flag to "grooming and pedophilia," the latest anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from the conservative media giant. "White House flew controversial new transgender flag that promotes grooming and pedophilia, say critics," read a now-deleted Fox News tweet and the headline on a story posted on Wednesday. Fox News is straight up saying the pride flag promotes 'grooming and pedophilia.' Meanwhile, Fox News' parent company used the Progress Pride flag design on its logo last year in a "Corporate Social Responsibility Report."

Persons: Jaimee Michell, —, Alejandra Caraballo, Benjamin Siemon, Siemon, Ari Drennen, Greg Gutfeld Organizations: Fox News, White, House, Fox, GLAAD, Target, Media Matters, Twitter

☆ LGBTQ community celebrates Pride in the face of online and offline attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Christina Anagnostopoulos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Parents and pro-LGBT counter protesters face off outside of an elementary school over a Pride Day assembly in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 2, 2023. REUTERS/David SwansonJune 11 (Reuters) - Millions of LGBTQ Americans are taking part in this year’s Pride celebrations against a backdrop of increasing attacks, both online and offline. LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD has already recorded eight instances of 2023 Pride events that had to modify their plans due to threats of violence by June 1, said spokesperson Angela Dallara. Online, slurs like “groomer” – a trope that LGBTQ people are “child groomers” or pedophiles – have traveled from the fringe into mainstream discourse. “An event, like the ‘Don’t Say Gay bill,’ can increase the online chatter.

Persons: David Swanson, Jay Ulfelder, Jen Kuhn, Angela Dallara, Ron DeSantis’s, groomers ”, –, Ilan Meyer, Joel Day, Kimberly Balsam, Brigitte Bandit, she’s, “ They’re, I’m, ”, we’re, Pride, Christina Anagnostopoulos, Claudia Parsons Organizations: Pride, REUTERS, Reuters, Harvard University, GLAAD, FBI, ACLU, Republican, Center, UCLA, Princeton University, Palo Alto University, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Columbus , Ohio, Florida, Glendale , California, Austin , Texas, New York City

☆ Opinion | The Right Is All Wrong About Masculinity
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( David French | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

On my recent visit to Kyiv, I was struck by the restraint and courage of the men and women I met. In its words, the right claims to uphold traditional masculinity; in its deeds, the story is very different. Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem “If—” is one of the purest distillations of restraint as a traditional manly virtue. Stoicism carried to excess can become a dangerous form of emotional repression, a stifling of necessary feelings. Instead, the new right chooses to shriek about “groomers” on Twitter.

CNN —From statehouses to the presidential campaign trail, Republicans are escalating their political attacks on transgender people – a reflection of what they see as a cultural fight their base is eager to wage. And in recent days, those attacks have turned into new forms of mockery and political retribution, as Republicans seek to turn transgender rights into a flashpoint by seizing on social media controversies and exercising their rule-making power in statehouses where they hold large majorities. “A lot of young trans people are worried that their medication is going to get pulled,” she said of legislation targeting health insurance coverage for gender-affirming care. Transgender rights activists protest outside the House chamber at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City on February 6, 2023. That is not a transgender person,” Haley said of Mulvaney as the crowd nodded.

☆ A Republican lawmaker asked a lesbian colleague if she was a 'pedophile' during a debate over an equity and inclusion bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Republican lawmaker asked a lesbian colleague if she was a "pedophile" on Friday. The comment was made during a Rhode Island State House hearing on an equity and inclusion bill. During the hearing, Rep. Robert Quattrocchi, a Republican, raised his concerns that the bill was "very, very broad." "First, I want to point out that pedophile is not a sexual orientation," Kislak responded, adding that it was "really offensive." Kislak said that the interaction was an "example" of why the House needed to be discussing equity.

☆ Blackface, booze, and blurred lines at the $2 billion tech firm Rokt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Jack Newsham | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

A cropped version of an image shared with Rokt employees at the 2020 meeting. Buchanan told Insider. "We think it's important that we stand up and fight it," he told Insider when asked about that message. In an email, Viles told Insider that he hasn't had any day-to-day involvement with Rokt since 2020, when he did some contract work. Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesOne employee told Insider they were encouraged to post the photos and proclaim 2023 to be Rokt's "best year yet."

☆ How a photo of DeSantis allegedly partying with high schoolers enflamed a bitter rivalry between Trump and the Florida governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Donald Trump launched a new attack on rumored 2024 rival Ron DeSantis. He shared an old picture that allegedly shows DeSantis partying with school pupils. "Here is Ron DeSanctimonious grooming high school girls with alcohol as a teacher," a caption on the user's post reads. In a New York Times article in 2022, former pupils at the school recalled DeSantis partying with seniors. The post Trump shared alludes to a far-right campaign to stoke opposition to LGBTQ education in classrooms by smearing teachers as "groomers", or pedophiles.

☆ The Proud Boys crashed my story hour: A drag king recounts a joyful but 'terrifying' showdown at a NYC library
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Proud Boys protested Drag Story Hours on 18 occasions across the US last year, new data shows. 'Oliver H,' a NYC drag king, read to 50 kids during 2022's 'terrifying' but joyful final protest. Outside the library, some three-dozen Proud Boys, neo-Nazis, and religious activists were shouting "groomer!" Drag performer Oliver H prepares for Drag Story Hour at Queens Public Library in Jackson Heights on December 29, 2022. See Insider's interactive US map of what happened each of the 53 times the Proud Boys joined or led anti-LGBTQ+ protests last year.

☆ Anti-LGBTQ+ protests are at an all-time high. A Proud Boys war on drag is a big reason why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Once a week on average in 2022, Proud Boys joined or led anti-LGBTQ+ protests held across the US. Proud Boys joined in seven anti-LGBTQ+ protests in September, 10 in October and 6 in November. In December, they protested at 13 anti-LGBTQ+ protests, more than in any other month last year, ACLED data shows. And the group's anti-LGBTQ+ push is continuing, said Kaufman, who tracks the Proud Boys' estimated 119 chapters in 46 states. Proud Boys are turning up these days at nearly half of all anti-LGBTQ+ activity across the country, she told Insider.

☆ Drag queens take on Tennessee bill seeking to restrict their performances
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Andrew Davis | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

At 5 Points Diner & Bar in Nashville, Tenn., drag performer Veronika Electronika can often be seen strutting between brunch tables. The measure, known as Senate Bill 3, was introduced by Tennessee Republican Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson in November. Tennessee has proposed 31 anti-LGBTQ bills this year, the most of any state, according to Freedom for All Americans. “We tip our servers, we tip our bartenders, we tip our hair stylists, and we tip our drag queens,” she said. As for Veronika, she said she’s determined to rally enough opposition to scuttle Tennessee’s drag bill before it becomes state law.

Two people were arrested at a New York City Council member's apartment building Monday after opponents of a drag reading event targeted it with messages the politician called “pure hate, unmasked,” officials said. A group had targeted the public reading event geared toward neurodiverse children at a library in Chelsea on Saturday, NBC New York reported. Our resolve is strengthened.”Earlier Monday, the hallways inside the building that houses Bottcher’s council district office were also vandalized, police said. Right-wing figures and influencers have targeted drag events, sometimes with incendiary rhetoric about “groomers." Bottcher, who was elected to represent District 3 in 2021 and took office in January, said after Saturday's event that reading helps children grow, and he thanked the drag reading event organizers.

☆ Fact Check-U.S. Rep. Katie Porter did not say pedophilia was an ‘identity’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Comments by California Representative Katie Porter during a congressional hearing on anti-LGBTQ violence on Dec. 14 have been misrepresented online. A congressional hearing on Wednesday by the U.S. House Oversight Committee explored anti-LGBTQ violence following the deadly shooting at the Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last month where five people were killed and another 22 wounded. Porter did not say that pedophilia is an identity.”VERDICTFalse. This video does not show Rep. Katie Porter saying that pedophilia is an identity. Full footage of her remarks at a congressional hearing on Dec. 14 shows she was condemning content online that labels members of the LGBTQ+ community as “groomers” or “pedophiles.”This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

☆ Colorado shooting prompts top drag queens to tour with armed guards and metal detectors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Matt-Lavietes-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Matt Lavietes | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Curtis Brown“We’re trying to smile and make people happy for the holidays, and in the back of our heads we’re thinking, ‘I hope I don’t get shot,’” said Jinkx Monsoon, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season five and “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season seven. For months, many right-wing lawmakers, media personalities and activists have accused LGBTQ people — and drag performers in particular — of “grooming,” “indoctrinating” and “sexualizing” children. Latrice Royale, who has appeared on both “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” reasoned that the backlash is due to the greater visibility of drag brought on by the global success of the RuPaul-led competition shows, which have spinoffs in at least 16 other countries. Drag performers who have hosted events that have catered to children, such as Drag Story Hours at public libraries or family-friendly drag brunches, have particularly drawn the ire of conservative protesters. Them.”BenDeLaCreme, who appeared on the sixth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the third season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” shared a similar sentiment.

Some right-wing media figures and influencers have doubled down on the use of inflammatory rhetoric against the LGBTQ community in the wake of Saturday night’s shooting at a Colorado gay club that killed five. “We shouldn’t tolerate pedophiles grooming kids,” Pool tweeted. At least one Republican politician also targeted LGBTQ people on social media in the wake of the shooting. Ellis said leaders in the LGBTQ community have “seen a dramatic uptick” in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. “This is priming some very violent people to do shocking acts of violence, and this is all being pushed on social media and on Fox News, on Tucker Carlson.”

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