An Opinion
December 5th, 2007
For many years, anti-gay activists have strived to convince the American public that gay people are inclined to molest children. They create fraudulent “statistics” that define every man that molests a male child as “homosexual”, even though this man may be married to a woman, have also molested many female children, and have no interest whatsoever in adult men.
It is true that some gay men are predators, as are some heterosexual men. But there is no clear evidence that gay men are any more likely to molest children than straight men.
Nonetheless, parents and other good intentioned people can fall victim to this anti-gay propaganda. And, seeking to protect innocent and vulnerable children, they can be swayed to take anti-gay actions that do not in any way benefit children. Often these actions can result in quite the opposite, direct harm to kids.
Take, for example, the Boy Scouts’ policy of excluding gay scouts and leaders. I believe that this policy, while it may feel to some parents as though it is a protection, actually places children in greater harm.
It does this in two ways. First it provides a false sense of security. Parents may believe that no one is going to be sexually interested in their children because there are no gay men involved. And any unusual behavior or undue attachment may be overlooked.
Second, those kids who are experiencing same sex attractions have no roll models or confidants with whom they can talk. They are left at the mercies of whomever is willing to listen. And this is a pedophile’s dream.
Sadly, the harm of this anti-gay policy is illustrated today.
In 1997, the city of Berkeley stated that it could not subsidize organizations that exclude residents based on sexual orientation or religion. Leader Eugene Evans led the charge – all the way to the Supreme Court – to fight for free berthing. The Sea Scouts did not win their battle, but Evans did become a darling of anti-gay activists. And surely parents felt safer knowing that their children were sailing with a man who was an anti-homosexual warrior.
But now Evans has been arrested for molesting at least four of the boys under his charge.
This sad example makes clear two things. First, identifying as gay or as anti-gay are not indications of pedophile tendencies or behavior. Parents should not fear gay men more not place greater trust in anti-gay activists. Second, policies that exclude gay men and women add no further level of protection and may, indeed, serve to lower a parent’s guard.
Unfortunately, there will still be those who are willing to sacrifice the innocence or protection of children to advance their anti-gay goals.
Hat tip Pam’s House Blend
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BEN IN OAKLAND
December 5th, 2007
All I can say is WOW!!! Yet another one!!
And wasn’t one of their chief anti-gay guys arrested or convicted last year for child-molesting?
This is starting to give your everyday, garden variety, honest bigots a bad name.
a. mcewen
December 5th, 2007
the sad thing is that the freepers are insisting that this man is gay and are also conveniently ignoring his 1997 actions
Samantha Davis
December 5th, 2007
What is the picture of that is accompanying the article? It’s too small for me to make out and it looks like an ad for the Sea Scouts that depicts a scout taking a whiz in a urinal.
Suricou Raven
December 6th, 2007
The whole contriversy is an artificially created scare, and an exercise in circular reasoning:
We must keep homosexuals out of the scouts because they endanger children!
Homosexuals endanger children! Even the Scouts agree!
Benton
December 6th, 2007
There is such a knee-jerk reaction to gays working with children. When I told the senior pastor is previously worked with, (before I “chose” to leave the ministry)his first reaction was, “You can’t take the kids on a trip to Texas, what will the parents say?” I looked at him, and restraining my anger, said,”How long have you known me? And besides, I like MEN, not boys.” A child safety advocate said that in actuality, the senior pastor fits the molester profile better, (married, kids, access to children) than I did(unmarried). People take the “wife and kids” thing as a reason to let down their guard.
William
December 6th, 2007
Timothy,
How right you are. A strident homophobic campaign is, I believe, not an altogether uncommon way of providing a smokescreen for illegal sexual activity with children or adolescents.
grantdale
December 6th, 2007
It’s not just that “They are left at the mercies of whomever is willing to listen.”
In an anti-gay environment, such questioning and listening will be furtive; and therefore open to the greatest possibility for manipulation and abuse.
When you think about it, no sensible parent would set about having their straight children develop their sexuality in such circumstances: devoid of accurate information, and alone.
It is worth noting that the BSA did not raise, let alone rely, on this stereotype during the Dale case.
(at least, they didn’t officially in Court : plenty of BSA people were more than willing to hurl that stereotype about with wild abandon… outside Court)
Despite – perhaps because – the BSA bans all openly gay and bisexual men… they still need deal with several hundred cases of molestation each year. How come?
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