NEWS

Groomers, Gays, and Gender Ideology: Why the Anti-LGBTQIA+ Legislative Backlash is a Moral Panic and Why Criminologists Should Care

June 16th, 2025



We draw attention to the English-language article “Groomers, Gays, and Gender Ideology: Why the Anti-LGBTQIA+ Legislative Backlash is a Moral Panic and Why Criminologists Should Care” by Max Osborne, published in Punishment & Society on May 26, 2025. 

The article examines the surge in legislative proposals introduced in the United States targeting the LGBTQIA+ community and highlights the limited attention criminology has paid to the growing criminalization and violence against queer and trans individuals. The author proposes a new research agenda that incorporates the concept of “moral panic” to more effectively analyze contemporary forms of harm and victimization experienced by the LGBTQIA+ community. 

The article is available at the following link