Posted on 06/25/2004 7:32:18 AM PDT by scripter
"God made Adam and Eve...not Adam and Steve."
No doubt the issue is complicated. When I hear someone say they have a hard time believing homosexuals choose their lifestyle, it reminds me how complicated the issue is. Although some homosexuals have made a conscience choice to engage in homosexual behavior, most do not. I say some because we have quotes from homosexuals stating they purposely chose the lifestyle, and we have lesbians stating they need more lesbians and they try to recruit heterosexual women.
As you continue reading articles on the subject you'll see homosexuals engaging in homosexual behavior not by conscience choice, but because it's encouraged, they come to believe it's who they are and they tend to have certain traits or gifts others do not have.
If a young girl approached a man and started playing with him, would you say she chose to do that or is it what she's been taught and she sees nothing wrong with it? It's a sign of molestation. It's an illness. There are common themes in homosexuality.
scriptor: Acually it's less than 50%. Some better studies were done - you may find this article very intersting: The Importance of Twin Studies.
Thank you so much for bringing me up to date!
The one thing that continues to baffle me is why a young adult that hasn't been exposed to the bad behavior, that hasn't been abused, that's had the best environment, that hasn't had any of the behavioral reason to be gay would be gay anyway. The answer for me is that he wouldn't. Yet many do and are.
So, my only conclusion is that there has to be something other than behavior or environment in this equation. That puts it back into the realm of traits or tendencies inherited at birth...at least it does for me.
Like I said in my very first post, until someone can answer that basic question, I will continue to believe that there is something other than strictly behavior and environment that causes homosexuality.
Thanks for the links.
dave
I certainly wouldn't say many. Some, yes, but we have to look at it on a case-by-case basis. Some just rebel.
We have to stay consistent, and part of staying consistent is coming to grips with the thousands that have left the homosexual lifestyle. Some of which are freepers.
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/narth/1995papers/tabin.html
"Herzog's patients were all children of single mothers..."
That is what is concealed in sexual identity disorder research (AKA "gender identity," etc.) the most. They shy away from initiating any such research, because they well know what the reports would have to say. To do so would be to run afoul of much that is politically correct in academia and to also run afoul of huge government programs designed by NOW to break the family (VAWA, CHild Support Act, etc.). It is very much an environmental/learning cause, albeit only one cause.
Here are some compassionate resources that might be helpful.
How Might Homosexuality Develop?
Putting the Pieces Together
http://www.narth.com/docs/pieces.html
More...
Is Homosexuality Genetic?
http://www.narth.com/menus/born.html
National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality
http://www.narth.com/
One of the most compelling arguments for me would be the following on male siblings:
If one was homosexual then the chance of their sibling being homosexual was:
Fifty two percent for their identical twin, who shared 100% of the same genes. This result was essentially identical to the separated identical twin studies described below. It shows that if one identical male twin is gay, then the other twin will probably also be gay -- whether raised in the same family or raised by different families.
Twenty-two percent for their non-identical twin; they share half of the same genes
About 10% for adopted or non-twin brothers; they share none to half of the same genes.
Now, let me pose the same question to you that I've posed to others on this thread:
Why would a young adult that hasn't been exposed to the bad behavior, that hasn't been abused, that's had the best environment, that hasn't had any of the behavioral reasons to be gay, be gay anyway?
"What about the people born with 2 organs..."
People who are born truly physically sexually ambiguous are rare in the extreme. I looked into research reports on that, once (many hours getting through the huge amounts of homosexual/transexual advocacy junk science), and found that the number was something like one in 65,000.
Indeed..
but overcoming one's desires or inner tendencies by behavioral modification is not the same topic as "what causes homosexuality", is it?
Traits are a no-brainer and are discussed in the NARTH article you read.
Again, because thousands have left the homosexual lifestyle, this only lends support to the environmental factor and takes away from any genetic argument.
Whenever the subject of homosexual issues come up I always ask "What does it have to do with anal sex?" Because after all, isn't that the whole issue?
The twin studies you cite from were bad research and a link to better research that gave completely different results can be found in post 95.
I believe I understand your position and I believe you understand mine.
FRegards
dave
52% doesn't get it, especially when both were raised in the same household.
It shows that if one identical male twin is gay, then the other twin will probably also be gay -- whether raised in the same family or raised by different families.
Raised by different families is hardly controlling. A portion of those families could certainly produce the same causes to turn a child to homosexual identity crisis, especially if it is a "foster home" of the kind used by child welfare agencies.
But the percentages are indicative. I've seen much smaller percentages from different studies. But it should be much higher if genetically caused. Interestingly enough, the sibling studies are the foremost presented evidence that homosexuality is not genetic.
Actually, the overwhelming evidence is that after, at the very least, 400 generations, we have about the same amount of homosexuality with us today. Homosexuals tend to avoid heterosexual contact and so don't reproduce, except minimally.
Genetically, less than 400 generations, even if some homosexuals overcame their aversion and reproduced, is plenty of time to wipe the practice from the human race.
But, from the foundation of the controversy, homosexuality is antithetical to the very paradigm of mammalian architecture on Earth. The only instances of "homosexual" behavior in animals is when the animals in question are in a highly stressful and atypical environment, or they "practice", much like a dog humping your leg.
I just can't see the overwhelmingness of it, unless it is what one wants to believe. Is that what you want to believe?
I thought I understood your position. I've been repeating things from the article in post 14: How Might Homosexuality Develop? Putting the Pieces Together. After a cursory read of the article you said:
Indeed. It's yet another nail in the genetic coffin. What's interesting is that after pointing this out, many refuse to acknowledge what it really means to their argument. There are probably many reasons for this. Some are die-hard pro-homosexual sympathizers. For others it hasn't yet sunk in yet. For others, well, who knows.
overcoming one's desires or inner tendencies by behavioral modification is not the same topic as "what causes homosexuality", is it?
Actually, it is. And it's covered in the article linked to in post 14.
I found one article on it. There are more articles, just not enough time to find 'em:
Using black America: The homosexual lobby's turn
While looking for report info on homosexuality and childhood development, I'll post other links relevant to the more whole topic found along the way.
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS02E3&f=BK03F01
Family Research Council
Issue No.: 247
Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse
By Timothy J. Dailey, Ph. D.
Scandals involving the sexual abuse of under-age boys by homosexual priests
have rocked the Roman Catholic Church. At the same time, defenders of
homosexuality argue that youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts should
be forced to include homosexuals among their adult leaders. Similarly, the
Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a homosexual activist
organization that targets schools, has spearheaded the formation of
"Gay-Straight Alliances" among students. GLSEN encourages homosexual
teachers - even in the youngest grades - to be open about their sexuality,
as a way of providing role models to "gay" students. In addition, laws or
policies banning employment discrimination based on "sexual orientation"
usually make no exception for those who work with
children or youth.
Many parents have become concerned that children may be molested,
encouraged to become sexually active, or even "recruited" into adopting a
homosexual identity and lifestyle. Gay activists dismiss such concerns - in
part, by strenuously insisting that there is no connection between
homosexuality and the sexual abuse of children.
However, despite efforts by homosexual activists to distance the gay
lifestyle from pedophilia, there remains a disturbing connection between
the two. This is because, by definition, male homosexuals are sexually
attracted to other males. While many homosexuals may not seek young sexual
partners, the evidence indicates that disproportionate numbers of gay men
seek adolescent males or boys as sexual partners. In this paper we will
consider the following evidence linking homosexuality to pedophilia:
- Pedophiles are invariably males: Almost all sex crimes against children
are committed by men.
- Significant numbers of victims are males: Up to one-third of all sex
crimes against children are committed against boys (as opposed to girls).
- The 10 percent fallacy: Studies indicate that, contrary to the inaccurate
but widely accepted claims of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, homosexuals
comprise between 1 to 3 percent of the population.
- Homosexuals are overrepresented in child sex offenses: Individuals from
the 1 to 3 percent of the population that is sexually attracted to the same
sex are committing up to one-third of the sex crimes against children.
- Some homosexual activists defend the historic connection between
homosexuality and pedophilia: Such activists consider the defense of
"boy-lovers" to be a legitimate gay rights issue.
- Pedophile themes abound in homosexual literary culture: Gay fiction as
well as serious academic treatises promote "intergenerational intimacy."
MALE HOMOSEXUALS COMMIT A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF CHILD SEX ABUSE
CASES
Homosexual apologists admit that some homosexuals sexually molest
children, but they deny that homosexuals are more likely to commit
such offenses. After all, they argue, the majority of child
molestation cases are heterosexual in nature. While this is correct
in terms of absolute numbers, this argument ignores the fact that
homosexuals comprise only a very small percentage of the population.
The evidence indicates that homosexual men molest boys at rates grossly
disproportionate to the rates at which heterosexual men molest girls. To
demonstrate this it is necessary to connect several statistics related to
the problem of child sex abuse: 1) men are almost always the perpetrator;
2) up to one-third or more of child sex abuse cases are committed against
boys; 3) less than three percent of the population are homosexuals. Thus, a
tiny percentage of the population (homosexual men), commit one-third or
more of the cases of child sexual molestation.
Men Account for Almost All Sexual Abuse of Children Cases
[This 'result' may in fact be due to gross denial, under-reporting and an
unwillingness for courts and society to believe and to convict re female
abuse and violence. LJ]
- An essay on adult sex offenders in the book Sexual Offending Against
Children reported:"It is widely believed that the vast majority of sexual
abuse is perpetrated by males and that female sex offenders only account
for a tiny proportion of offences. Indeed, with 3,000 adult male sex
offenders in prison in England and Wales at any one time, the corresponding
figure for female sex offenders is 12!"[1]
- Kee MacFarlane, et al., writing in Sexual Abuse of Young Children:
Evaluation and Treatment report:"The large majority of sexual perpetrators
appear to be males (Herman and Hirschman, 1981; Lindholm and Willey, 1983)."[2]
- A report by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
states: "In both clinical and non-clinical samples, the vast majority of
offenders are male."[3]
- A study in the Journal of Sex Research states that "pedophilia does not
exist, or is extremely rare, in women."[4]
A Significant Percentage of Child Sexual Abuse Victims are Boys
- According to the Journal of Child Psychiatry: "It was commonly believed
fifteen years ago that girls were abused in excess of boys in a ratio of
about 9 to 1, but contemporary studies now indicate
that the ratio of girls to boys abused has narrowed remarkably. ... The
majority of community studies suggest a ... ratio ... in the order of 2 to
4 girls to 1 boy."[5] Another study found that "some authors now believe
that boys may be sexually abused as commonly as girls (Groth, 1978;
O'Brien, 1980)."[6]
- A study of 457 male sex offenders against children in Journal of Sex and
Marital Therapy found that "approximately one-third of these sexual
offenders directed their sexual activity against males."[7]
Sexual Abuse of Boys is Underreported
The actual percentage of child sexual abuse victims who are boys very
likely exceeds the above estimates. Many researchers echo the view of the
Journal of Child Psychiatry study, which refers to the "under-reporting of
the incidence and prevalence of sexual abuse in boys."[8]
- Dr. Robert Johnson, in Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality, reports: "The
vast majority of cases of male sexual molestation is not reported. As a
result, these young men keep both the incidents and their feelings to
themselves."[9]
- The Department of Justice report on child sexual exploitation explains
why the percentage of boy victims is underestimated: "Adolescent boy
victims are highly likely to deny certain types of sexual activity. ...
They are embarrassed and ashamed of their behavior and rightfully believe
that society will not understand their victimization. ... No matter what
the investigator does, most adolescent boys will deny they were victims."[10]
- The Journal of Child Psychiatry adds: "Boys are usually encultured into
an ethos where self-reliance, independence and sexual prowess are valued,
while showing hurt or homosexuality are denigrated. ... This may lead to
powerful repression or deletion of the experience, with failure to report."[11]
Homosexuals Comprise Less than 3 Percent of the Population
- Relying upon three large data sets: the General Social Survey, the
National Health and Social Life Survey, and the U.S. census, a recent study
in Demography estimates the number of exclusive male homosexuals in the
general population at 2.5 percent, and the number of exclusive lesbians at
1.4 percent.[12]
- A study of the sexual behavior of men in the United States based on the
National Survey of Men (a nationally representative sample comprised of
3,321 men aged twenty to thirty-nine, published in Family Planning
Perspectives), found that "2 percent of sexually active men aged twenty to
thirty-nine ... had had any same-gender sexual activity during the last ten
years. Approximately 1 percent of the men (1.3 percent among whites and 0.2
percent among blacks) reported having had exclusively homosexual activity.[13]
- J. Gordon Muir, writing in The Wall Street Journal, discusses a number of
studies that have found that homosexuals comprise between 1 to 3 percent of
the population.[14]
- In a survey of studies on homosexuals in different populations, the
Archives of Sexual Behavior reported a random sample of Hawaii State
residents interviewed by telephone. The study found "just about 3 percent
of males and 1.2 percent of females as having engaged in same-sex or
bisexual activity."[15] However, this relatively higher number is
attributed to the fact that the study was not limited to exclusive
homosexuals, but included all those who at some time in their lives engaged
in same-sex activities.[16]
Homosexual Pedophiles are Vastly Overrepresented in Child Sex Abuse Cases
Homosexual pedophiles sexually molest children at a far greater rate
compared to the percentage of homosexuals in the general population. A
study in the Journal of Sex Research found, as we have noted above, that
"approximately one-third of [child sex offenders] had victimized boys and
two-thirds had victimized girls." The authors then make a prescient
observation: "Interestingly, this ratio differs substantially from the
ratio of gynephiles (men who erotically prefer physically mature females)
to androphiles (men who erotically prefer physically mature males), which
is at least 20 to 1."[17]
In other words, although heterosexuals outnumber homosexuals by a ratio of
at least 20 to 1, homosexual pedophiles commit about one-third of the total
number of child sex offenses.
Similarly, the Archives of Sexual Behavior also noted that homosexual
pedophiles are significantly overrepresented in child sex offence cases:
The best epidemiological evidence indicates that only 2 to 4 percent of men
attracted to adults prefer men (ACSF Investigators, 1992; Billy et
al.,1993; Fay et al.,1989; Johnson et al.,1992); in contrast, around 25 to
40 percent of men attracted to children prefer boys (Blanchard et al.,1999;
Gebhard et al.,1965; Mohr et al.,1964). Thus, the rate of homosexual
attraction is 6 to 20 times higher among pedophiles."[18]
The stark imbalance between homosexual and heterosexual child
molestationswas confirmed in the Archives of Sexual Behavior study itself,
which divided 260 pedophile participants into three groups: "152
heterosexual pedophiles (men with offenses or self-reported attractions
involving girls only), 43 bisexual pedophiles (boys and girls), and 65
homosexual pedophiles (boys only)."[19] In other words, 25 percent of the
offenders were homosexual pedophiles - or 41 percent if those who molest
girls as well as boys are included.
Other studies report an unusually high percentage of child molestations by
homosexual pedophiles:
- A study on pedophilia in the Psychiatric Journal of the University of
Ottawa reported: "According to the literature, findings of a two-to-one
ratio of heterosexual to homosexual pedophiles have been documented."[20]
- The Journal of Sex Research reports a study that included "199 offenders
against female children and 96 offenders against male children. ... This
would indicate a proportional prevalence of 32 percent of homosexual
offenders against children."[21]
- A study of male child sex offenders in Child Abuse and Neglect found that
fourteen percent targeted only males, and a further 28 percent chose males
as well as females as victims, thus indicating that 42 percent of male
pedophiles engaged in homosexual molestation.[22]
Are Men Who Molest Boys Really 'Homosexuals?'
Gay Apologists Insist on a Simplistic Stereotype of Pedophilia
Central to the attempts to separate homosexuality from pedophilia is the
claim that pedophiles cannot, by definition, be considered homosexuals.
Relying upon a questionable methodology[23], the gay advocacy organization
Human Rights Campaign published a "Fact Sheet on Sexual Orientation and
Child Abuse," that states: "A sexual abuser who molests a child of the same
sex is usually not considered homosexual."[24]
The basis for this claim is the view that pedophiles who molest boys cannot
be considered homosexual if that individual has at any time been married or
sexually involved with women.
'Homosexual Pedophiles': A Clinical Term
The fact is, however, that the terms "homosexual" and "pedophile" are not
mutually exclusive: they describe two intersecting types of sexual
attraction. Webster's Dictionary defines "homosexual" as someone who is
sexually attracted to persons of the same sex. "Pedophile" is defined as
"an adult who is sexually attracted to young children." The former
definition refers to the gender of the desired sexual object, while the
latter refers to the age of the desired sexual object.
A male "homosexual pedophile," then, is defined as someone who is generally
(but not exclusively, see below) sexually attracted to boys, while a female
"homosexual pedophile" is sexually attracted to girls.[25]
The term "homosexual pedophile" was first used in the early 20th century by
the Viennese psychiatrist Dr. Richard von Krafft-Ebing, who pioneered the
systematic study of sexual deviance. Krafft-Ebing described pedophiles as
heterosexually, homosexually or bisexually oriented.[26] This division has
been accepted by pedophiles themselves,[27] and is well attested in the
literature:
- A study of child molesters in Behavior Research and Therapy found that "a
homosexual and a heterosexual subgroup can be delineated among these
offenders."[28]
- The Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy published a study on the same
topic, which discussed "the proportional prevalences of heterosexual and
homosexual pedophilia."[29] The study commented on a study that found that
"the percentage of the homosexual pedophiles would be 45.8." Even adjusted
downward for exhibitionists, "this would still indicate a much higher
percentage (34 percent) of homosexuals among pedophiles than among men who
prefer physically mature partners."[30]
- In a review of studies on pedophilia, the Psychiatric Journal of the
University of Ottawa concluded: "The findings of previous studies report
that pedophiles can be divided into heterosexual and homosexual pedophiles
according to their erotic preference. ... This was confirmed in this recent
study."[31] The article classified homosexual pedophilia into three types:
the socially inadequate homosexual pedophile, the intrusive homosexual
pedophile, and the undifferentiated homosexual pedophile.[32]
- A study of pedophiles in Behavior Research and Therapy concluded: "The
second, and perhaps the most important observation we made, is that a
homosexual and a heterosexual subgroup can be delineated among these
offenders. ... Categorizing them in this way revealed important differences
in the pattern of their sexual preferences."[33]
- The International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
refers to homosexual pedophiles as a "distinct group." The victims of
homosexual pedophiles "were more likely to be strangers, that they were
more likely to have engaged in paraphiliac behavior separate from that
involved in the offence, and that they were more likely to have past
convictions for sexual offences. ...
Other studies [showed a] greater risk of reoffending than those who had
offended against girls" and that the "recidivism rate for male-victim
offenders is approximately twice that for female-victim offenders."[34]
Homosexuals and Homosexual Pedophiles Engage in a Wide Variety of Sexual
Behavior that Belies Simplistic Categories
Despite this evidence, in their efforts to divorce homosexuality from
pedophilia, homosexual apologists insist on a rigid, narrow definition of
the terms "homosexual" and "pedophile" that permits no overlap of the
terms. They deny that homosexuals are attracted in inordinate numbers to
boys. They also claim that pedophiles cannot be classified as "homosexual"
if at any time they have had sexual relations with women.
However, such a narrow definition does not do justice to the complex nature
of pedophilia. Researchers have long been aware that pedophiles exhibit a
wide variety of sexual attractions and behavior - often to draw attention
away from their primary lust for boys. A study on sex offenders in the
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology notes
that "the reason child sexual abusers are successful at remaining
undetected is because they do not fit a stereotype."[35]
The data indicates that both homosexuality and pedophilia are intersecting
categories that admit to a wide variety of sexual behavior:
Homosexual Males are Sexually Attracted to Underage Boys
- A study in Archives of Sexual Behavior found that homosexual men are
attracted to young males. The study compared the sexual age preferences of
heterosexual men, heterosexual women, homosexual men, and lesbians. The
results showed that, in marked contrast to the other three categories, "all
but 9 of the 48 homosexual men preferred the youngest two male age
categories," which included males as young as age fifteen.[36]
- In The Gay Report, by homosexual researchers Karla Jay and Allen Young,
the authors report data showing that 73 percent of homosexuals surveyed had
at some time had sex with boys sixteen to nineteen years of age or
younger."[37]
Conversely, Homosexual Pedophiles are Often Attracted to Adult Males
- A study of sex offenders against male children in Behavior Research and
Therapy found that male homosexual pedophiles are sexually attracted to
"males of all ages." Compared to non-offenders, the offenders showed
"greater arousal" to slides of nude males as old as twenty-four: "As a
group, the child molesters responsed [sp] with moderate sexual arousal ...
to the nude males of all ages."[38]
- A study of Canadians imprisoned for pedophilia in the Journal of
Interpersonal Violence noted that some of the adult male offenders engaged
in homosexual acts with adult males.[39]
- Many pedophiles, in fact, consider themselves to be homosexual. A study
of 229 convicted child molesters in Archives of Sexual Behavior found that
"eighty-six percent of offenders against males described themselves as
homosexual or bisexual."[40]
- Fr. John Harvey, founder and director of Courage, a support ministry for
Catholics who struggle with same-sex attraction, explains that "the
pedophile differs from the ordinary homosexual in that the former admires
boyishness in the object of his affections, while the latter admires
manliness."[41] However, the categories are not completely separate:
While granting that the majority of homosexuals are not aroused by young
boys, the distinction between homosexuality and homosexual pedophilia is
not quite absolute. In some cases the interest oscillates between young
adolescents and adults, in others between boys and adolescents; in
exceptional cases a man may be interested in boys at one time and adults at
another.[42]
Many Pedophiles are Attracted to Women, Marry, and Have Children
Gay activists insist that pedophilia has nothing to do with homosexuality
because pedophiles are only sexually interested in children, whereas
homosexuals only have sexual relations with adults. We have already seen
that this stereotypical view is not correct with regard to homosexuals.
There is also abundant evidence demonstrating that, while primarily
interested in children, pedophiles nevertheless exhibit a wide variety of
sexual behaviors, including relationships with women:
- A study in Child Abuse and Neglect found that 48 percent of the offenders
either were married or had been married at some time.[43]
- The Journal of Interpersonal Violence studied the sexual preferences of
male pedophiles who sexually abused children. When they compared the sexual
response of the pedophiles with the control group, they found,
unexpectedly: "Surprisingly, the two groups did not differ in their
response to the nude female stimuli."[44]
- A study in the Psychiatric Journal of the University of Ottawa reported
that "most of the middle-aged pedophiles have had significant adult sexual
activity."[45] Fifty-eight percent of the pedophiles in one study had at
least one child, while other research indicated that "more than two-thirds
of the married pedophiles in their sample had children, with an average of
two to three children per subject."[46]
- A report by the Department of Justice addressed the devious stratagems of
pedophiles, who will go to great lengths to conceal their true desires:
"Preferential sex offenders may be 'pillars of the community' and are often
described as 'nice guys.' They almost always have a means of access to
children (for example, through marriage, neighborhood, or occupation.)"[47]
Thus, the evidence shows that homosexual pedophiles cannot be narrowly
defined as individuals who are solely attracted to underage boys. In fact
there is considerable overlap between homosexuality and pedophilia.
Pedophilia in Gay Culture
The Historical Connection between Pedophilia and the Gay Rights Movement
David Thorstad is a homosexual activist and historian of the gay rights
movement.[48] He is a former president of New York's Gay Activists Alliance
(GAA), a prototype activist group founded in December 1969. The GAA at its
inception opposed age of consent laws, which prohibited adults from having
sex with children.[49] Thorstad is also a pedophile and founding member of
the North American Man Boy Love Association (NAMBLA).
Thorstad argues that there is a natural and undeniable connection between
homosexuality and pedophilia. He expresses bitterness that the gay rights
movement has, in his view, abandoned pedophilia. Thorstad writes:
"Boy-lovers were involved in the gay movement from the beginning, and their
presence was tolerated. Gay youth groups encouraged adults to attend their
dances. ... There was a mood of tolerance, even joy at discovering the
myriad of lifestyles within the gay and lesbian subculture."[50]
The inaugural issue of the Gay Community News in 1979 published a
"Statement to the Gay Liberation Movement on the Issue of Man/Boy Love,"
which challenged the movement to return to a vision of sexual liberation.
It argued that "the ultimate goal of gay liberation is the achievement of
sexual freedom for all - not just equal rights for 'lesbian and gay men,'
but also freedom of sexual expression for young people and children."
In the early years there was some reluctance to accept pedophilia,
primarily among feminist and lesbian activist groups. In March 1979 the
Lesbian Feminist Liberation (LFL) accusing "so-called Man/Boy Lovers" of
"attempting to legitimize sex between children and adults. ... Feminists
easily recognize this as the latest attempt to make palatable the sexual
exploitation of children." The coalition went on record as opposing "the
sexual abuse of children by heterosexual or homosexual persons."[51]
Despite this opposition, Thorstad claims that by 1985 homosexual pedophiles
had won acceptance within the gay movement. He cites Jim Kepner, then
curator of the International Gay and Lesbian Archives in Los Angeles: "A
point I've been trying to make is that if we reject the boylovers in our
midst today we'd better stop waving the banner of the Ancient Greeks, of
Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman, Horatio Alger,
and Shakespeare. We'd better stop claiming them as part of our heritage
unless we are broadening our concept of what it means to be gay today."[52]
In 1985 NAMBLA was admitted as a member in New York's council of Lesbian
and Gay Organizations as well as the International Gay Association - now
the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). In the mid-1990's
ILGA's association with NAMBLA and other pedophile groups cost the
organization it's status as a Non-Governmental Organization in the United
Nations.
ILGA's renewed attempt to gain admittance to the UN was rejected again in
April 2002 because the organization "did not document that it had purged
pedophile groups such as [NAMBLA]." The Washington Times reports that
Ishtiag H. Anrabi, Pakistani delegate to the UN Economic and Social
Council, expressed concern that ILGA was continuing to be secretive about
ties with pedophile groups: "For more than a year, the ILGA has refused to
provide documentation or allow review of its membership list to demonstrate
that pedophilia groups have been expelled."[53]
Pedophile Themes Abound in Gay Literature
The late "beat" poet Allen Ginsberg illustrates the seamless connection
between homosexuality and pedophilia. Many know Ginsberg as an illustrious
"out" homosexual poet: fewer are aware that he was also a pedophile.
Biographer Raymond-Jean Frontain refers to Ginsberg's publications in both
NAMBLA Bulletin and NAMBLA Journal. He discusses how Ginsberg's biographers
failed to discuss his poems that contained pederastic themes:
Although both Shumacher and Barry Miles (Ginsberg's initial biographer)
frankly discuss Ginsberg's sexual politics, neither refers to his
involvement with the controversial North American Man/Boy Love Association.
... I reread Collected Poems and Ginsberg's two subsequent collections,
surprised by the pattern of references to anal intercourse and to pederasty
that emerged.[54]
Ginsberg was one of the first of a growing number of homosexual writers who
cater to the fascination with pedophilia in the gay community. Mary
Eberstadt, writing in the Weekly Standard, documents
how the taboo against sex with children continues to erode - with the
impetus coming from homosexual writers.[55]
Revealingly, the examples she provides of pedophilia in current literature
come from gay fiction. Eberstadt cites the Village Voice, which states that
"Gay fiction is rich with idyllic accounts of 'intergenerational
relationships,' as such affairs are respectfully called these days."[56]
Other examples of pedophilia-themed gay fiction include:
- In the introduction of the "mainstream" homosexual anthology Penguin Book
on International Gay Writing, David Leavitt notes matter-of-factly that
"Another 'forbidden' topic from which European writers seem less likely to
shrink is the love of older men for young boys." Leavitt praises one book
with a pedophilic theme included in the anthology as a "coolly assured
narrative [which] compels the reader to imagine the world from a
perspective he might ordinarily condemn."[57]
- Several texts included in another anthology, The Gay Canon: Great Books
Every Gay Man Should Read, feature scenes of man-boy sex. One such book is
praised as "an operatic adventure into the realms of love, personality,
ambition and art ... a pure joy to read." The protagonist is "a pedophile's
dream: the mind of a man in the body of a boy."[58] Another novel which
includes graphic descriptions of sexual violence against boys is said to
"[tear] straight to the heart of one of the greatest sources,
community-wide, of 1990's gay angst: What to do with men who love boys?"[59]
- Yet another anthology of homosexual fiction, A History of Gay Literature:
The Male Tradition, published by Yale University Press, includes "a longish
chapter on 'Boys and Boyhood' which is a seemingly definitive account of
pro-pedophile literary works."[60]
The author appears more concerned with the feelings and emotions of the man
than with his boy victim. He explores the question of "whether or not you
regard [having sex with boys] as a way of retreating from life or, on the
contrary, as a way of engaging with it at its most honest and least
corrupted level."[61]
- A significant percentage of books that have appeared on the Gay Men's
Press fiction bestseller list contain pedophilia themes, including:
+ Some Boys: described as a "memoir of a lover of boys" that "evokes the
author's young friends across four decades."[62]
+ For a Lost Soldier: the story of a sexual relationship between a soldier
and an eleven-year-old boy, set during World War II.[63]
+ A Good Start, Considering: yet another story about an eleven-year-old boy
(!) who suffers sexual abuse but is rescued by a teenager who "offers him
love and affection"[64]
+ Terre Haute: billed as "A poetic novel of sexual awakening in the
American Midwest, tracing an adolescent's journey from introspection to
perilous desire."
+ Shiva and Arun: the story of two Indian adolescents who "discover early
on the joys of sex."
+ Teardrops on My Drum: barefoot kids in 1920's Liverpool search for
"adventure, love and sex."
Pro-pedophilia Publications
Recent years have seen the appearance of publications that lend a scholarly
veneer to the fascination with pedophilia in the gay community. Such
publications attempt to make the case for "intergenerational intimacy." The
nation's largest gay publisher, Alyson Publications, which distributes
Daddy's Roommate and other homosexual books that promote homosexuality to
children, publishes books advocating man-boy sex, including:
- Paedophilia: The Radical Case, which contains detailed information on how
to engage in sexual relations with young boys.[65]
- The Age Taboo, another defense of pedophiliawhich claims: "Boy-lovers ...
are not child molesters. The child abusers are ... parents who force their
staid morality onto the young people in
their custody."[66]
The Journal of Homosexuality and Pedophilia
The Journal of Homosexuality is viewed as the premier "mainstream"
English-language publication of the gay movement. One prominent editor is
John DeCecco, a psychologist at San Francisco State University who also
serves on the editorial board of the Dutch pedophile journal Paidika. It is
therefore not surprising to see pedophilia promoted on its pages.
In 1990 the Journal of Homosexuality published a series of essays on
pedophilia that were eventually published as Male Inter-Generational
Intimacy:Historical, Socio-Psychological, and Legal Perspectives, edited by
pedophile Edward Brongersma. None of the essays offered any substantive
criticism of pedophilia: most blatantly promoted man-boy love as the
natural right of homosexuals.
In 1999 Helmut Graupner, wrote an article on pedophilia in the Journal of
Homosexuality, in which he claims: "Man/boy and woman/girl relations
without doubt are same-sex relations and they do constitute an aspect of
gay and lesbian life." Graupner argues that, as such, consensual sexual
relations between adult homosexuals and youths as young as fourteen
qualifies as a "gay rights issue."[67]
The fascination with pedophilia continues to be a cause of concern even
within the gay community. Lesbian columnist Paula Martinac, writing in the
homosexual newspaper Washington Blade, states:
[S]ome gay men still maintain that an adult who has same-sex relations with
someone under the legal age of consent is on some level doing the kid a
favor by helping to bring him or her 'out.' It's not pedophilia, this
thinking goes - pedophilia refers only to little kids. Instead, adult-youth
sex is viewed as an important aspect of gay culture, with a history dating
back to 'Greek love' of ancient times. This romanticized version of
adult-youth sexual relations has been a staple of gay literature and has
made appearances, too, in gay-themed films.[68]
Martinac adds that "When some gay men venerate adult-youth sex as affirming
while simultaneously declaring 'We're not pedophiles,' they send an
inconsistent message to society. ... The lesbian and gay community will
never be successful in fighting the pedophile stereotype until we all stop
condoning sex with young people."[69]
Victim's Turned Victimizers: The Consequences of Homosexual Child Abuse
The steadfast denial of the disturbing ties with pedophilia within the
homosexual movement is no purely academic matter. Perhaps the most tragic
aspect of the homosexual-pedophile connection is the fact that men who
sexually molest boys all too often lead their victims into homosexuality
and pedophilia. The evidence indicates that a high percentage of
homosexuals and pedophiles were themselves sexually abused as children:
- The Archives of Sexual Behavior reports: "One of the most salient
findings of this study is that 46 percent of homosexual men and 22 percent
of homosexual women reported having been molested by a person of the same
gender. This contrasts to only 7 percent of heterosexual men and 1 percent
of heterosexual women reporting having been molested by a person of the
same gender."[70]
- A study of 279 homosexual/bisexual men with AIDS and control patients
discussed in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported:
"More than half of both case and control patients reported a sexual act
with a male by age 16 years, approximately 20 percent by age 10 years."[71]
- Noted child sex abuse expert David Finkelhor found that "boys victimized
by older men were over four times more likely to be currently engaged in
homosexual activity than were non-victims. The finding applied to nearly
half the boys who had had such an experience. ... Further, the adolescents
themselves often linked their homosexuality to their sexual victimization
experiences."[72]
- A study in the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative
Criminology found:"In the case of childhood sexual experiences prior to the
age of fourteen, 40 percent (of the pedophile sample) reported that they
had engaged 'very often' in sexual activity with an adult, with 28 percent
stating that this type of activity had occurred 'sometimes'"[73]
- A National Institute of Justice report states that "the odds that a
childhood sexual abuse victim will be arrested as an adult for any sex
crime is 4.7 times higher than for people ... who experienced no
victimization as children."[74]
- A Child Abuse and Neglect study found that 59 percent of male child sex
offenders had been "victim of contact sexual abuse as a child."[75]
- The Journal of Child Psychiatry noted that "there is a tendency among boy
victims to recapitulate their own victimization, only this time with
themselves in the role of perpetrator and someone else the victim."[76]
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