Groomed is the correct word. My father was a pedophile, I know what grooming looks like, saw it first hand. I was not interested in whatever he had going on so he beat me instead and made me a domestic slave, yeah I know what that shit's all about.
All the gay and trans people I have encountered were some of the coolest people I've ever met.
I was once working as a cashier at a small town grocery on a very busy evening and a person in transition, male to female, came in with their counselor to make a purchase. I saw them come in and was able to see some of the reactions, especially from fellow employees. I was relieved when they ended up in my line, I was going to get them through it when they got up to me.
When it was their turn, the person in transition was pretty tall so everyone could see them, they were kind of nervous with all the stares but I was only focused on making them feel okay. I smiled but it turned out to be more of a sly smile because by this point it was like a joke on everyone else and the two got it. So we had a very comfortable interaction, apparently everyone was watching to see how I, tough take no shit 2na, was gonna handle it. I treated them with dignity and a smile and they were relieved that they found the one out of four cashiers who was going to be human about it.
Afterward a few of my fellow employees approached me to ask how I could interact with this person with a straight face. I told them it was because I didn't see anything to laugh at. After that, the night manager, who had witnessed the whole thing, approached me to tell me she was thankful I was the adult in the room and related to me that she grew up in another country and gays & transgender people were not persecuted there, she had an open mind about it. We liked each other a lot more after that.
The thing is, like any other person who isn't like you is still a person with feelings and needs and probably would like friendship and at the very least, respect.
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