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Sam Smith Heckled Near Central Park, Called 'Groomer' by Homophobes
Sam Smith Heckled Near Central Park, Called 'Groomer' by Homophobes
The British pop singer was just trying to enjoy a stroll along Central Park when an afternoon constitutional turned into a hateful incident.
Days after their epic appearance alongside Kim Petras at the Grammy awards and their fifth Grammy win for “Unholy,” Sam Smith was verbally assaulted while enjoying a walk along Central Park in New York City.
A video of the encounter has been circulating online.
As they walk along the sidewalk near what appears to be the Central Park Zoo, a group of people shouts homophobic and transphobic insults at the British pop star.
“You belong in hell! Sam Smith belongs in hell! You demonic, twisted, sick bastard,” a woman screeched at the musician, who identifies as nonbinary, in a video posted on social media. “Leave the kids alone, you sick f-----r! Sam Smith is a pedophile! You sick motherf----r, Sam Smith! You’re evil!”
\u201cSam Smith gets called \u201cdemonic, bastard and pedophile\u201d in the streets of New York by an elderly woman, following their Grammy performance. \n\n\u201d— Pop Base (@Pop Base) 1676526802
At the end of the 30-second clip, one individual is also heard calling Smith a “groomer,” a false and hateful slur often used by far-right activists who claim LGBTQ+ people are indoctrinating kids to sexually abuse them before another person mentions the Illuminati.
The woman who screamed at Smith is far-right conspiracy theorist Marie Kiernan, who has recently been targeting Drag Queen Story Hour events as she reportedly did before accosting Smith.
“Unholy” debuted in September and quickly rose to the top of the charts.
Republicans have been aghast at Smith and Petras’ Grammy performance, where the two were dressed in red latex and devil horns.
Petras, the first out transgender woman to win a Grammy for best pop duo or group performance, and Smith have been the targets of harassment by right-wing trolls since.
Conservatives denounced the performance as evil and "satanic."
