HOMOSEXUALITY AND CHILD SEXUAL MOLESTATION
Political Correctness Alert
Caution. Some of the text in the following essay may not be considered
politically correct. Read at your own risk.
Definitions of Terms
This topic contains a minefield of poorly defined terms. Misunderstandings
are certain to happen unless we carefully adhere to a single list of
definitions. Within this essay, we assign the following meanings to words:
* Gay: a male homosexual
* Homosexual: A person who is sexually attracted only to others of the same
gender.
* Lesbian: a female homosexual
* Pedophile: In the past, this meant an adult who is sexually attracted to
children - whether he acted on this desire or not. However, the term is
now generally used to describe an adult who sexually abuses children; a
child molester.
* Sexual Orientation: This relates to the gender of persons that one is
sexually attracted to. Persons with a:
* heterosexual orientation are attracted solely to members of the
opposite gender;
* homosexual orientation are attracted solely to members of the same
gender;
* bisexual orientation are attracted to persons of both genders (not
necessarily to an equal degree)
Public Perception
Probably the majority of adults in North America incorrectly believe that
there is a high degree of pedophilia within the adult homosexual community.
Such activity had been legally permitted in ancient times. Within the Roman
Empire of the 1st century CE, many boys or young men (called "catamites")
were kept as under-aged prostitutes by older men. They were usually slaves. A
number of passages in the Christian Scriptures seem to refer to this
practice. However, when the books of Romans, 1 Corinthians and Jude were
translated into English, the original meaning was lost. Translators changed
the text to direct condemnation against all homosexual activity and all
extra-marital and pre-marital sexual behavior.
Belief that gays frequently abuse children is believed to be responsible for
widespread opposition to gay teachers in the public school system. An article
(1) found that in 1977, only 27% of adult Americans would want to allow gays
to be teachers in elementary schools. This has risen to 41% in 1992.
The Reality of Pedophilia
We get often caught in a semantic conflict when discussing the sexual abuse
and molestation of children. Depending upon our exact definitions of terms,
it can be shown:
* that homosexual abuse of children is widespread, and
* that abuse of boys by gays is rare, and
* that the abuse of girls by lesbians is rarer still.
If we define the phrase "homosexual abuse of children" in the first statement
to mean adults molesting and abusing children of the same sex, then this
statement is true: Child sexual abuse is widespread. It is perpetrated by
males in the vast majority of cases. And a substantial minority of their
victims are boys. Data relating to men abusing boys is hungrily pounced upon
by opponents to equal rights for homosexuals, who often use it against both
gays and lesbians in civil rights battles. But it is not homosexuals, as the
term is generally understood, who are responsible for the abuse. It is rather
pedophiles who are attracted to children, and have decided to abuse them.
However, if we define the phrase "abuse of boys by gays", and "abuse of girls
by lesbians" to mean adult persons with a homosexual orientation abusing
children of the same sex, then these statements 2 and 3 above are also true.
Gays and lesbians rarely abuse children.
The fact behind these conflicting statements is that most pedophiles are not
homosexuals! Or to put it another way, most homosexual molestation is not
done by homosexuals.
Studies on the Nature of Pedophilia
It is necessary to delve into the sexual interest and focus of child abusers
in order to understand pedophilia. Unfortunately, this is too rarely done. An
excellent, brief essay on this topic can be found in Gregory M. Herek's web
page.(2)
Sexual orientation is normally thought of in terms of an adult's sexual
attraction to other adults, whether to members of the same gender, opposite
gender or both genders. When we think of the term "lesbian" we normally
visualize one or more women who have been sexually involved with other women.
But there are adults who do not fit this definition. They have never
developed a sexual orientation towards other adults. Rather, they are
sexually attracted to children. And often the gender of the child victim is
immaterial. One researcher calls such people fixated child molesters an adult
who is solely attracted to children. They also define the term regressed
child molester as an adult who has developed a sexual orientation towards
other adults, and is also attracted to children.
Reference (2) cites a study of 175 male adults who had been convicted in
Massachusetts of child sexual assault. They found that none of them were
homosexuals; all of them would fit the description of a fixated child
molester. Another researcher studied sexually abused children seen in a
hospital. Only 2 perpetrators (less than 1% of the total) were attracted to
same-sex adults.
Reference 2 includes a reference to a survey of literature of child sexual
abuse by Paul Cameron in 1985. Cameron's conclusion was that (on a per-capita
basis) homosexuals were more liable to abuse children than bisexuals, and
that bisexuals were more apt to abuse than heterosexuals. The fatal flaw in
this survey was that the articles that Cameron studied assumed that in any
case where a male adult abused a male child, then the perpetrator was, by his
definition, a homosexual.
Example of Misinformation on Pederasty
A report by Focus on the Family (3) attempts to disseminate a Christian
interpretation of homosexuality in a manner that appears to be scientific and
objective. Their section Pedophilia and Age of Consent Laws includes
statements such as:
* "Studies indicate that around 35 percent of pedophiles are homosexuals"
* "...a child molester is 17 times more likely to be homosexual than
heterosexual"
* "...whereas heterosexual pedophiles commit an average of 20 acts of child
molestation, for homosexuals the number is 150."
* "Thus, in terms of the likelihood and the extent of child sexual
molestation, homosexuals, as a group, represent a serious threat."
They cite three reports (3,4,5) to support their assertions. They make two
very serious errors in this section of their report:
* they assume that all males who molest boys are homosexuals. This is not
true; they are generally pedophiles with no sexual attraction to other
adults. And many if not most are sexually attracted to both boys and
girls."
* they assume that all homosexuals are males. They find something negative
that they feel they can say about male homosexuals and extend it to all
homosexuals; lesbians included. This is a common tactic among
anti-homosexual groups. It is also seen very commonly in discussions of
AIDS. Such groups will typically condemn gays for levels of HIV
infections which are higher than among heterosexuals; they ignore the
fact that HIV infections among lesbians are lower than among
heterosexuals.
References
* D. Colasanto, "Gay rights support has grown since 1982, Gallup poll
finds", San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco CA, 1989-OCT-25, Page A21
* Web page on various aspects of homosexuality by researcher Gregory M.
Herek at:
http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_molestation.html
* Larry Burtoft, "Setting the record Straight: What Research Really Says
About the Social Consequences of Homosexuality", Focus on the Family,
Colorado Springs, CO, (1994), Page 64-67
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