Sam Smith called a ‘groomer’ and ‘paedophile’ while walking through a New York park
Sam Smith was hit with hecklers branding them ‘demonic’ after their Grammys performance (@ImMeme0/Twitter)
Sam Smith was abused and harassed as they innocently walked through a New York park on a sunny day, with hateful onlookers calling them “evil”, a “groomer” and a “paedophile” simply for existing.
It comes after their performance at the Grammy Awards earlier this month, which saw them sing their hit “Unholy” while dressed in red latex and devil horns, surrounded by horror-movie inspired dancers, pyrotechnics and Kim Petras dancing in a cage
Right-wing pundits described the spectacle as “satanic” and claimed represented “the state of the demonic Left”.
The real-life effects of hateful trolls attacking queer people online was clear to see in harrowing footage of Smith being abused, which circulated on Twitter on Wednesday (15 February).
In the video, a woman is seen yelling at the non-binary star in broad daylight as they casually walk down the street, ranting: “You belong in hell… Sam Smith belongs in hell… you demonic, twisted, sick b*****d.
“Leave the kids alone you sick f**ker… Sam Smith is a paedophile. Grooming the kids. You sick motherf**ker, Sam Smith. You’re evil.”
Another bystander calls Sam Smith a “groomer”, a disgusting slur which equates LGBTQ+ people to “predators”.
Fans of non-binary musician Sam Smith not only lent their support on Twitter over the harassment video, but also decried the woman’s slurs equating them to a “paedophile”.
“How online ‘grooming’ rhetoric leads to real world abuse and endangerment of LGBT+ people,” one Twitter user said.
Another said: “People have mixed views on Sam Smith, but this behaviour toward them is not acceptable.
“What is it with homophobes and transphobes that immediately makes them link it to paedophilia? The two are not linked.
“This rhetoric is dangerous and harmful and damaging to the LGBTQ+ community.”
One user took aim at the heckler, saying: “I’m happy knowing that I’ll never be this miserable in my life.”
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” won the award for best pop duo/group performance at the Grammy Awards in February, marking Smith’s first Grammy since 2015, and Petras’ first award overall.
The Grammy made Petras the first trans woman to win the award in their category; upon accepting it, Smith graciously gave Petras the spotlight for the speech, in which she thanked “transgender legends before [her] who’ve kicked these doors open”.
Despite the pair’s groundbreaking win, however, TMZ reported that at least 18 official complaints had been filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) due to the Satan-inspired performance.
Right-wing politicians and commentators from Ted Cruz to Piers Morgan to Morrissey got heated over the performance. However the pair brushed it off gracefully, with Petras simply tweeting: “Omg I’m a t****y with a Grammy.”
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