In the House vote Wednesday on the Respect for Child Survivors Act, 28 Republicans said no to the legislation that aims to address the FBI’s mishandling of child sex abuse cases.
The bipartisan bill was introduced in the House of Representatives in the wake of the investigation of Larry Nassar, the longtime doctor for the U.S. women’s national gymnastics team. Multiple reports of Nassar’s sexual abuse of children and young women on the team were ignored for years. Through this legislation, the FBI would be required to use multidisciplinary teams of trained professionals in investigations of sexual abuse to address the problems of poorly conducted interviews and the re-traumatizing of survivors.
Nassar was convicted in federal and state trials in 2017 and 2018 and is serving 60 years in federal prison before he begins his state prison sentences.
Despite opposition from the GOP lawmakers, the bill passed in the House on a vote of 385 to 28. But many are calling attention to the hypocrisy of the Republicans who voted no.
Among the Republicans who opposed the bill were Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (Colo). Both embrace far-right views and have previously made anti-LGBTQ comments equating queer adults to predators, labeling them as “groomers” — a right-wing rhetorical smear that has been used to discredit the LGBTQIA+ community in discussions about civil rights.
In November, Greene called openly gay California state Sen. Scott Wiener (D) a “communist groomer” in response to a tweet he posted about how her rhetoric promotes anti-LGBTQ violence. Boebert has also perpetuated anti-LGBTQ fearmongering, such as her comments labeling drag queens and transgender people as “groomers.”
According to a report by the Human Rights Campaign, references to pedophiles and “grooming” in relation to the LGBTQIA+ community grew by 400% on social media after Florida approved its so-called Don’t Say Gay bill barring teachers from talking about LGBTQ people and issues in classrooms. This bill was among numerous attacks against the LGBTQ community this year, including state measures to stop gender-affirming medical care.
The right-wing talking points have been blamed for inciting hate crimes and violence across the nation, including the devastating mass shooting at a gay club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last month in which five people were killed and 25 were injured.