I ♥ F K

Where does the truth lie?

Homosexuality and paedophilia: to some people, those two words have a very strong connection. Ask anyone after reading a newspaper report about a young boy being sexually molested by a man and chances are they will say that the perpetrator or assailant is homosexual – it seems that in almost any case of sexual abuse involving men and young boys it is automatically assumed that the man will be a homosexual. This public perception has evolved over many years to the point where it is almost impossible to distinguish myth from fact. Establishing the truth has not been helped by a sustained campaign by right wing Christian activists, who have attempted to demonise homosexuality. Linking paedophilia with homosexuality has been one of the ways the fundamentalists have used to discredit the homosexual community. Where does the truth lie? Are homosexuals more likely to be paedophiles?

The anti-gay Christian movement has gone to considerable lengths to establish a connection between homosexuality and paedophilia, forming groups and publishing numerous research papers to back up its claims. One such paper written by Timothy Dailey and Peter Sprigg (2004), for the US-based Family Research Council, pulled no punches, claiming that homosexuals are over-represented in child sex offences. “Individuals from the one to three per cent of the population that is sexually attracted to the same sex are committing up to a one-third of the sex crimes against children”, they said. They went on to conclude that there was clear evidence “that homosexual men molest boys at rates grossly disproportionate to the rates at which heterosexual men molest girls”. Dailey and Sprigg further argued that part of gay culture was for older homosexual men to have sexual activities with boys aged between 16 and 19, sometimes younger than 16. They suggested there was “a disturbing historical connection between paedophilia and the gay rights movement, and that paedophile themes were often found in gay literature and other media.” (Dailey & Sprigg, 2004).

However, this view fails to take into consideration the fact that paedophilic themes can be found in all types of literature, not just gay. While it is true that promiscuous sexual activities are arguably part of the gay culture, does that mean those homosexual men are more prone than heterosexual men to sexually molest boys under the legal age? Some say that is just nonsense – biased, emotional, religious rhetoric. One of the most outspoken critics, independent researcher, Mark E. Pietrzyk (2006), said that Dailey and Sprigg had “seriously distorted” the research, and skewed the findings for their own purposes. Pietrzyk points to research by Dr. A Nicholas Groth, who has treated more then 3000 child molesters. Groth (2004) demonstrated that while paedophiles tend to select boys more often than girls it had nothing to do with homosexuality. Groth also suggested that paedophiles target children because “in some ways they want to remain children themselves … they see the boy as a projected representation of themselves. They feel themselves to be more child than adult, more boys than men, and therefore find themselves more comfortable (especially sexually) in the company of children” (Groth, 2004). In other words, paedophilia is itself a sexual orientation just as homosexuality is a sexual orientation. Pietrzyk also pointed to research by Dr. Kurt Freund and Dr. Gene Abel who supported that view, concluding that whether the victim is male or female doesn’t matter to paedophiles, who instead seek “the qualities of children such as, small stature, hairlessness, and an innocent trusting disposition” (Freund, 1989); furthermore, the actual percentage of molesters who are homosexual is about 7 per cent, close to the total percentage of homosexuals in the overall population, which is estimated to be around 5 per cent (Freund, 1989) (Abel, 1987) .

Some difficulties remain in separating homosexuality from paedophilia, particularly in the context of groups such as the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) whose slogan is “sexual freedom for all”. Their very existence reinforces in the public’s mind that there is a connection between homosexuality and paedophilia. NAMBLA argues that the age of consent should be abolished and that sexual relationships between adults and boys should be allowed, claiming in their literature “there is no age at which a person becomes capable of consenting to sex. The age of sexual consent is just one of many ways in which adults impose their system of control on children”. While groups like NAMBLA have made the situation worse by linking homosexuality with young boys, there is evidence that public perception is changing, especially as homosexuality is becoming a more accepted lifestyle. For example, when a UK magistrate, Byron Butler, publically expressed his view this year that gay men were more likely to interfere sexually with young people, his comments caused such controversy that he was forced to stand down (Salkeld, 2009).

Current thinking further erodes the views of Christian conservatives. Psychologist, Mary Ann Borg Cunen (2004) says the public is often guilty of making dangerous assumptions based on fear and misunderstanding. She argues to link homosexuality and paedophilia together makes no sense, as “homosexuals are attracted to members of their own gender, paedophiles are attracted to children” (Cunen, 2004). Cunen concluded it is “dangerous, damaging and incorrect” to link the two sexual behaviours, saying that “[a]ssuming that homosexuals seek to sexually abuse adolescents or children is the same as assuming that heterosexuals do so. Yes, some heterosexual (and homosexuals) have paedophilic or ephebophilic inclinations. But most do not” (Cunen, 2004). She said that neither group (homo or heterosexuals) is much more prone than the other to seek out sexual relations with minors. This view is backed up by psychologist James M. Cantor (2002), from the centre for addiction and mental health in Toronto, who agreed in a 2001 essay that paedophilia is of itself a sexual orientation, that there is no such thing as a gay paedophile or a straight paedophile, that one is either homosexual or a paedophile – not both. Cantor said the concepts of homosexuality and paedophilia are not remotely related, claiming, “there is no scientific evidence linking gay identity and paedophilia. There is no evidence that gay men are more likely to be attracted to or to molest underage boys” (Cantor, 2002). Cantor further suggested that depictions of homosexuals as paedophiles as promoted by many Christian right groups were simply fallacious arguments.

A possible motivation for Christian fundamentalists’ apparent fondness for portraying all homosexuals as potential child molesters is because it supports their view that homosexuals present a significant threat to a “decent society”. Whatever their motives may be, there is a body of evidence that shows they have misused research to support their contention. Certainly some people who currently identify as homosexuals may in fact be paedophiles, but there is no evidence or basis to support the view that homosexuality predisposes an individual to paedophilic behaviour. Paedophiles come from a range of backgrounds and sexualities, including heterosexuality. The reason paedophiles come from a range of backgrounds is that paedophilia has been shown to be a mental cognitive disorder. While homosexuality was also once considered a disease or a mental disorder, this was disproved as long ago in the 1950s (American Psychological Association, 2009). Homosexuality is not a condition to be cured. However, paedophiles do need counselling and support to overcome their inclinations and protect children from irreparable harm. While it is true there is a section of the gay community who are infatuated with young boys (as evidenced by NAMBLA), the existence of such groups and individuals is not evidence that homosexuals are more inclined towards paedophilia. The majority of homosexuals are responsible, law-abiding individuals, who are as much disgusted by the actions of paedophiles as the rest of society. Even if you accept the notion that male homosexuals are over-represented in the child sexual abuse statistics, no evidence exists that exclusively links homosexuality with paedophilia, or suggests that because you are homosexual you have an inbuilt desire to seek out and have sex with children.

Some parallels can be drawn in this argument with the early hysteria over AIDS being solely “a gay disease” – a curse inflicted on homosexuals because of what some called their deviant behaviour. The homosexuality-paedophilia “link” is an easy one to make, and reinforces stereotypes, fear, and prejudice against homosexuals. But just as AIDS is not solely a “gay disease”, neither is paedophilia. Nevertheless, countering such sustained and vigorous campaigns linking the two is a difficult task because of the strong emotions attached to the subject. Many people will continue to hold the view that there is a link, no matter what the evidence is to the contrary. Like fear about AIDS, the truth may take many years or decades to be accepted.

Written by Fan’diyaaru Kakuni, Monday, 15 June 2009

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Reference:

Pietrzyk, M. E. (2006). Homosexuality and child sexual abuse: Science, Religion, and the Slippery Slope. Retrieved May 25, 2009 from www.internationalorder.org/scandal_reponse.html

Dailey, T & Sprigg, P (2004). Getting it Straight: What the research shows about homosexuality. Family Research Council. Retrieved May 25, 2009 from http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF08L40.pdf

Salkeld, L (2009). Magistrate quits after telling Steps singer Ian Watkins ‘gays are paedophiles’ in documentary. The Daily Mail. Retrieved May 25, 2009 from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1172065/magistrate-quits-claiming-gays-paedophiles-TV-documentary.html

Cantor, J. M. (2002). Male Homosexuality, Science, and Pedophilia. Retrieved May 25, 2009 from http://individual.utoronto.ca/james_cantor/index_files/blog1.html

Cunen, M. A. B. (2004). The Love that now dares speak its name. (FIRST magazine, Malta Independent on Sunday). Retrieved May 25, 2009 from www.gaymalta.com/press/TMIS19-09-04.html

NAMBLA (2009).

Freund, K, Watson, R, and Rienzo, D (1989). Heterosexuality, Homosexuality, and Erotic Age Preference. The Journal of Sex Research 26, 115.

Abel, G (1987). Self-Reported Sex Crimes of Nonincarcerated Paraphiliacs. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2 (March): 3-25.

American Psychological Association (2009).

Groth, A. N. (1979), Men Who Rape: The Psychology of the Offender. New York: Plenum Press.

I ♥ F K

Ask

Day 20 - Maureen or Joanne? (Or your favorite LGBTQ show or queer-positive show).

Day 19 - Butch or Femme?

Where does the truth lie?

“I never said that” - Mother