Journalist says that 188 Republican and Christian leaders have accused of sexually abusing kids this year (so far)

While the far right falsely paint drag queens and other members of the LGBTQ community as 'groomers,' journalist Evan Hurst has identified 188 Christian and Republicans leaders who have been accused of child abuse this year (so far).

Editor's note - This post is not meant to generalize about Republicans or Christian leaders. However, let's be real here. While sites like Libs of TikTok and the rest of the far-right social media jackals have spent an excessively large amount of time painting drag queens, trans people, and the rest of the LGBTQ community as child groomers, children have been getting targeted and sexually abused. But by Republicans and Christian church leaders, i.e. the two groups who have echoed and amplified the lie that LGBTQ people are sexually grooming kids. It's a case of sad and extreme irony.

From Daniel Villareal of LGBTQNation

Anti-LGBTQ+ conservatives have long crowed about how queer adults, drag queens, and their allies have been “grooming” and “sexualizing” children for abuse. Notably, these concern-trolls ignore all the child abuse scandals regularly coming out of the Republican party and the Christian church. 

 But journalist Evan Hurst — managing editor of the catty and left-leaning political website, Wonkette — has been keeping an ongoing list of Christian and Republican leaders who have been caught, accused, sued, or convicted for abusing and/or exploiting kids. Hurst has identified 188 Christian and Republican leaders this year, so far, stating, “If MAGA is so upset about Epstein, they should hear about Baptists!” 

 Hurst’s lists — which can be viewed here, here, and here — all link to local reports of church and GOP leaders being accused of abusing kids. His most recent update, published on Halloween, featured 49 new names of accused child abusers and pedophiles. 

 In fact, Hurst is having such a hard time keeping up with updates that he has asked for donors and subscribers to aid in his continuing efforts. 

“Conservative Christian leaders are such prolific groomers and abusers of kids, the news is so full of these stories, they are published in such a rapid-fire manner, that if you let it go ANY MORE THAN A MONTH, then it will take you hours and hours and hours and days and weeks to compile an update,” Hurst wrote in his most recent update.

Feel free to read the full article and contribute to Evan's efforts.