To bolster that claim, Focus On the Family recently issued one of their “reports” by Jeff Johnston, who is touted as the “gender issues analyst” at Focus On the Family (his degree and qualifications are never mentioned). That report, “Childhood Sexual Abuse and Male Homosexuality,” is further intended to reinforce the claim that most gay men have experienced some form of sexual abuse in their childhoods, and that this is the reason they became gay. To back up his claims, he cites the book, Unequal Opportunity: Health Disparities Affecting Gay and Bisexual Men in the United States, edited by Richard J. Wolitsk, Ron Stall and Ronald O. Valdiserri. That book contains a large number of research papers on various topics related to men’s health, including child sexual abuse. Johnston claims:

In a chapter titled, “Childhood Sexual Abuse Experienced by Gay and Bisexual Men: Understanding the Disparities and Interventions to Help Eliminate Them,” from the book Unequal Opportunity, researchers analyze and report on data from 17 different studies from the past 15 years. They find the rates of childhood sexual abuse (which they abbreviate as CSA) for men who have sex with men range from 11.8% to 37.0%, and note that “the best-designed studies tend to converge on CSA prevalence of 15% to 25%.”

The authors in Unequal Opportunity are reluctant to say that childhood sexual abuse is one of the factors that leads to or contributes to the development of homosexuality, but they do speculate,

The fact that most childhood abusers of MSM were males suggests either an etiological link between CSA and adult sexual orientation, or the existence of childhood characteristics that are related to adult sexual orientation in men that increase vulnerability, or both.”

And later, they say that these early sexual experiences “can be considered a form of sexual learning, even if that learning is involuntary and the results dysfunctional.” They continue, “Sexual orientation and gender identity can be particularly confusing for men who experienced arousal during the abuse, and MSM who experienced abuse may continue to be aroused by circumstances that mirror the abusive situation.

Grove City College professor Warren Throckmorton contacted Ron Stall and Ron Valdiserri and asked them to comment on the Focus On the Family report. They responded with a statement condemning the report as “inaccurate and, in our opinion, a distortion of the scientific literature.” They go on:

Most basically, the Focus on the Family characterization of the literature on childhood sexual abuse among gay men represents a misunderstanding of scientific approaches to distinguishing between correlation and causation. The book chapter in question reports that gay men are more likely to report childhood sexual abuse by men than are heterosexual men. This correlation does not mean that the reported abuse caused the adult sexual orientation. If that were the case, then the fact that some heterosexual men report sexual abuse by women means that sexual abuse by women “causes” heterosexuality in men. It is also worth noting that the argument that childhood sexual abuse causes homosexuality in gay men is undermined by the fact that the vast majority of gay men are not sexually abused as children.

…[W]e want to state clearly that the published research does not support the claim that the development of a homosexual orientation is caused by childhood sexual abuse. Furthermore, adult homosexual orientation is no longer considered a pathology or a maladjustment. We urge those who are interested in trying to better understand some of these complex issues from a scientific perspective to read the discussions in our book, as well as the scientific literature on childhood sexual abuse, and not rely on second-hand interpretations.

You can see Stall and Valdiserri’s full statement at Dr. Throckmorton’s web site.

Update: What kind of qualifications does it take to be a “gender issues analyst” at Focus On the Family? Well in Jeff Johnston’s case, all you have to be is an English major! (PDF: 168 KB/1 page) He has also served on the board of directors of Exodus International and PFOX.

Today, Boltz is back with a new single and video, courtesy of Soulforce.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can also download the single here.

Nicolosi showed up (late) to the APA Task Force on Gender Identity, Gender Variance, and Intersex Conditions session. He asked the panel what they would tell parents who were concerned about their gender variant children, a “70% predictor of homosexuality.” Randall Ehrbar, a member of the task force, acknowledged it was a controversial topic and that the members didn’t all agree. Then Nicolosi said he was able to cure those children and plugged A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality. Following the audible groans from the audience, someone mentioned another book that people might find helpful, The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals.Nicolosi left soon afterwards. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen him at any of the other LGBT sessions, but there are two days of the convention left…

During the discussion, the pontiff indicated that he recognized the distinction between homosexuality and pedophilia:

Apparently drawing a distinction between priests with homosexual tendencies and those inclined to molest children, the Pontiff said “I would not speak at this moment about homosexuality, but pedophilia which is another thing. And we would absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry.”

This would be welcome news, but the rest of the church appears not to have gotten the memo. In response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal, the Congregation for Catholic Education in 2005 issued instructions barring gay men entering holy orders unless they had “overcome” for at least three years. This led to a virtual witch hunt within many seminaries, while priests faced increasing stigmatization within their dioceses. Meanwhile, abuse victim advocates accuse the pope of protecting nineteen bishops who they say have been “credibly accused of abusing children.”

You can learn more about the fals link between homosexuality and child sexual abuse in our report, “Testing the Premise: Are Gays a Threat To Our Children?”

Justin is currently running as an openly gay city council candidate for the city of Plano, a Dallas suburb. The Dallas Voice covered the historic race of Plano’s first ever gay candidate. That soon led to anonymous attack emails being sent to Collin County commissioners and other political activists accusing him of being a child molester. That led an unnamed commissioner to call a hearing to determine Nichol’s fate.

Many anti-gay extremists claim that gays are far more likely to sexually abuse children on average. This despite evidence to the contrary. In Nichols’ case, there has not been any allegations brought forward whatsoever — no accusers, no arraignment, charges, no arrest, no trial. And yet Nichols will have to stand before the Commissioners Court and defend his job.

Update: Justin’s hearing before the Commission was canceled. But it doesn’t mean he’s off the hook:

While Mr. Nichols has requested that any discussions related to his job take place in public, the panel has the option of meeting in private about pending litigation, county officials said. The case of Mr. Nichols, who said he has retained legal counsel, could fit that description.

Also, the county had scheduled a job evaluation with Justin on Tuesday, but they canceled the appointment that morning.

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

Senator Obama’s campaign has planned an “Embrace the Change” gospel concert tour to consist of three dates in South Carolina featuring five acts, one of whom is Donnie McClurkin according to the New York Times. (Yes, the tour is named “Embrace the Change” which XGW also finds worth noting.)

Several years ago the Washington Post noted McClurkin’s public statements on his own sexual history and views on gay conversion:

McClurkin wrote on a Christian Web site in 2002 that he struggled with homosexuality after he was molested by male relatives when he was 8 and 13. “I’ve been through this and have experienced God’s power to change my lifestyle,” he wrote. “I am delivered and I know God can deliver others, too.”

Via AmericaBlog

Craig Faunch and Ian Wathey of Wakefield, England were one of the first gay couples to be approved to serve as foster parents in the U.K., taking in 18 children in only 15 months. And right away, there were problems:

With no previous convictions, they came across as respectable men who simply wanted to help boys with a variety of problems.

In reality, they were paedophiles, who repeatedly abused the children in their care.

Even when the mother of two of the children reported her suspicions to the council, officials accepted the men’s explanations and did nothing.

Instead of banning children from staying with Faunch and Wathey, they sent youngsters with more serious problems to them. Between them, the couple abused four boys aged between eight and 14.

In a scathing report published yesterday, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council was condemned for treating the men as “trophy carers”.

…

“It was clear that a number of staff were afraid of being thought homophobic.

“The fear of being discriminatory led them to fail to discriminate between the appropriate and the abusive.”

Good Lord, where to begin? There are scumbags in every walk of life; gays aren’t immune to that phenomenon. I’ve said many times that there is no connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse. But that certainly doesn’t mean that there aren’t pedophiles who are also gay. It happens, proportionally about as often as straights abuse kids.

That’s why investigating credible allegations of inappropriate behavior with underage children is not homophobic; it’s exercising proper responsibility. The idea that conducting an investigation might be “homophobic” is ludicrous, whether we’re talking about foster parents or Senators.

Sure, we’ve seen where anti-gay hysteria has led to wrongful convictions, and yes, those investigations and prosecutions were driven by homophobia. But it’s pretty easy to avoid that: conduct a proper investigation which doesn’t make assumptions based on the alleged perpetrator’s sexuality. That’s really not difficult to do.

Investigators should not let personal assumptions convict someone without sufficient evidence, nor should fear of being branded “homophobic” deter an investigation and risk leaving vulnerable children exposed. It’s no more homophobic to investigate credible claims of sexual abuse by gays than it is heterophobic to investigate straights. But refusing to investigate out of fear of being labeled homophobic is both patronizing and cowardly, and it implies that they are afraid that if they look too closely they may provide evidence that there is something to the stereotype.

But guess what? Just because it’s a stereotype doesn’t mean it can’t be true in particular instances. There really are Whites who can’t jump and Appalachians who can’t read. And in this case, trying to avoid a stereotype ended up being criminally negligent. Just ask the kids who were put into Faunch’s and Wathey’s care after the first complaints surfaced.

Let’s be clear: It is not gay bashing or homophobic to investigate allegations of child sexual abuse — or any other serious claims of wrongdoing for that matter. So let’s put an end to that excuse, shall we?

Although LaBarbera’s hyperventilations are too ludicrous for rational people to take seriously, accusations like these can have a chilling effect, especially where much-needed charity, and educational, and mentoring work is concerned.

A new survey in the U.K. shows that many British charities are having trouble recruiting men to work with children, out of fear of being labeled a pedophile:

In all, 13% of the men questioned said they would not choose to volunteer to work with children due to fear of being perceived as a paedophile.

… The NCH’s chief executive, Clare Tickell, said: “Many children, especially boys, are desperately in need of a male mentor, which is why we urgently need men to come forward despite any fears they may have about public perception. We work hard to ensure volunteers are checked by the police, trained and monitored, which we hope encourages men to come forward and helps assuage the public’s concern.”

If 13% of men in general are reluctant to volunteer, there’s every reason to believe that gay men are likely to be more so. The “blood libel” of gay pedophilia continues to harm not just gay and lesbian adults, but children themselves who can benefit from positive male role models. For more information about the false link between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, please see our report, “Testing the Premise: Are Gays a Threat to Our Children?”

Click here to view the embedded video.

The “money-quote”, as they say, is here:

I have an issue with James Dobson, because if he picked up my book In A Different Voice and just read the beginning, the introduction, he would read a sentence I wrote saying that “a different voice” I describe is identified not by gender but by theme, and its association with women and empirical observation that admits exceptions. And in my book I write about men speaking about care and about women about fairness… And it’s such a simplification and really a caricature of my work, and I just think it’s not in the spirit of science… and for someone who represents morality and family , its disrespectful…

Dr. Gilligan reiterates later in the video that there are no grounds whatsoever in her research on which Dr. Dobson can attack Mary Cheney and Heather Poe’s decision to have a baby. She also discusses how people have responded to her speaking out:

This morning, I got emails from such a range of people … basically just saying “good for you for speaking out.” And I think that a lot of people have been frustrated that there isn’t more response to this kind of distorted use of science in the media. It’s not the first time, by any means.

I feel that same frustration. As a scientist, I have always worked with the operative axiom that good science happens when you let the data lead the way. The worst mark of a scientist is one who will fudge the data to fit a hypothesis. Fudging data is what causes rockets to explode in mid-flight, or drugs to cure diseases which instead kill through unintended side-effects. Fudging data gave tobacco companies cover when others suspected a link between smoking and cancer. Fudged data has been accused of bringing about any number of failed national policies and destroyed lives. And fudging data has long been a tool for those who marginalize others who cannot defend themselves.

We expect scientists to act with integrity in dealing with research, and we expect moral leaders to speak morally. I find the abuse of science to be unspeakably outrageous, both in its motivations and in its consequences. And I find moral leaders’ easy distortions and falsehoods to be utterly antithetical to their very status as moral leaders.

Kudos to Dr. Gilligan for speaking out so visibly and forcefully. And many thanks to Wayne Besen for bringing this to everyone’s attention.

See also:

Dr. Kyle Pruett Speaks Out Against Dr. James Dobson — On Video
A Third Researcher Condemns Dobson
Dr. Gilligan Speaks Out Against Dr. James Dobson — On Video
Dobson Doesn’t Know When To Quit
James Dobson Misrepresents Research In Time Magazine