News that a transgender former Democratic lawmaker is facing charges of collusion with a daycare worker to obtain child pornography prompted an avalanche of conservative condemnation.
Stacie Marie Laughton, 39, of Nashua, New Hampshire, was arrested and charged with one count of child sexual exploitation and aiding and abetting on June 22, according to the US Attorney’s Office in Boston. Federal prosecutors say Laughton showed several people photos of naked children as young as three that she received from her “intimate partner” who worked at a day care center.
The arrest sparked widespread backlash from Republicans on social media over the weekend, where people criticized the Democratic Party for its support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Laughton, a Democrat, resigned from the New Hampshire House of Representatives in December after she was accused of stalking her former partner Lindsey Groves. The Associated Press reports. Groves is facing charges for allegedly taking nude photos of children for Laughton and sending them to the former lawmaker, according to federal prosecutors.
news week communicated via email Sunday with representatives of the US Attorney’s Office in Boston. No defense attorney was listed for Laughton in court records at the time of publication.
NASHUA POLICE DEPARTMENT
On June 20, Nashua police responded to a report that Laughton allegedly showed at least three people four images of what appeared to be child pornography, according to the affidavit shared online by the US Attorney’s Office.
Groves, 38, of Hudson, New Hampshire, was also charged in June with child sexual exploitation and distribution of child pornography after she allegedly admitted sending the pornographic images to Laughton, according to a report. online statement from the United States Attorney’s Office. Groves confessed to taking nude photos of several of the children in her care at the Creative Minds Early Learning Center in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, and texting the photos to Laughton, federal prosecutors said.
Investigators discovered more than 10,000 text messages exchanged between Laughton and Groves in less than a month, according to the affidavit. The messages, from May 10 to June 16, included a graphic discussion of having sex with underage girls and “at least four sexually explicit images of children” who appear to be between the ages of 3 and 5, prosecutors said.
The affidavit included several disturbing and graphic excerpts from text exchanges allegedly between Laughton and Groves, showing the couple discussing Laughton, who identifies as a woman but is biologically male, sexually abusing “girls” Groves worked with at the daycare center where she said she was employed for approximately six years.
Laughton’s arrest sparked a wave of criticism on social media, with conservatives lashing out at Democrats for their support for trans rights, including efforts to allow transgender people to use bathrooms or locker rooms that match their gender identities.
Right-wing commentator Steve Bannon heavy on on Saturday, blaming Democrats for “destroying” the county in a post on the GETTR social media platform where he shared a link to a Daily Mail article about Laughton’s arrest.
“Groomer Party @ Work Destroying America,” the former political adviser said.
People expressed their outrage over the case on other social media platforms, including Twitter.
“The face of a ‘trans’ Democrat official, who was just arrested for child pornography and exploitation,” Fishing_Huuker tweeted.
The face of a ‘trans’ Democratic official, who has just been arrested for exploitation and child pornography. I could have told you this after taking a look at the sick bastard… pic.twitter.com/fnfefPnl9k
— Brüce Island (Pu/to)🇺🇸 (@Fishing_Huuker) July 21, 2023
Twitter user Bruce Fenton said on saturday that the Democrats “failed the victims,” saying that “the entire ideology of the Democrats is completely broken.”
Trans-Democratic state representative Stacie Laughton was convicted of stalking and assaulting women. She is now accused of crimes of child sexual abuse of children up to three years of age.
We fail the victims.
Democrats celebrated him because he’s pretending to be a woman… pic.twitter.com/6YNQ4Y0cEZ
—Bruce Fenton (@brucefenton) July 22, 2023
Another Twitter user criticized Democrats in New Hampshire for voting multiple times for Laughton, who was first elected to the state legislature in 2012 and again in 2020.
“#Trans activist Stacie Marie Laughton was elected multiple times as a New Hampshire state legislator by Democratic voters.” MrAndyNgo tweeted. “Laughton has now been federally charged with aiding and abetting the sexual exploitation of children ages 3 to 5 at a day care center.”
#Trans Activist Stacie Marie Laughton was elected multiple times as a New Hampshire state legislator by Democratic voters. Laughton has now been federally charged with aiding and abetting the sexual exploitation of children ages 3 to 5 at a day care center. https://t.co/GD4FpPMvkq
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 19, 2023
One person said that anyone who has voted for Laughton should be “banned” from voting.
“Democrats actually voted for this,” jammiewf he said on Twitter. “Anyone who voted yes should be banned from voting again.”