Christians have long associated homosexuality with pedophilia. In an article titled “Facts About Homosexuality and Child Molestation,” Gregory Herek (Professor of Psychology at UC, Davis) observes that this kind of association is part of a common pattern of marginalizing outgroups:
“Members of disliked minority groups are often stereotyped as representing a danger to the majority’s most vulnerable members.” (source)
Joe Kort points out how this prejudice is propagated by highlighting homosexual associations with deviant crimes and downplaying or obscuring heterosexual associations:
“Anna C. Salter writes, in Predators, Pedophiles, Rapists and other Sex Offenders, that when a man molests little girls, we call him a ‘pedophile’ and not a ‘heterosexual.’ Of course, when a man molests little boys, people say outright, or mutter under their breath, ‘homosexual.'” (source)
Despite these common associations, Herek concludes his literature survey as follows:
“The empirical research does not show that gay or bisexual men are any more likely than heterosexual men to molest children. This is not to argue that homosexual and bisexual men never molest children. But there is no scientific basis for asserting that they are more likely than heterosexual men to do so.”
As a Christian, I have long been concerned with the ongoing tendency of Christians to propagate prejudices based on false and questionable assumptions, and that includes this common association of pedophilia and homosexuality. So when I saw Michael Brown making that very association on Twitter today, I felt the need to address it. Our rather lengthy exchange (lengthy for Twitter!) is recorded below:
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MB: “Finally. Catholic leaders are saying openly that the sexual scandal in their midst is primarily homosexual. But of course! Who hasn’t known that all along? May God have mercy on the victims and bring repentance to the abusers.” [Brown then included this link to Cardinal Burke’s comments linking homosexuality and pedophilia.]
RR: “It’s not “primarily homosexual”. It’s primarily pedophilic sexual predators.”
MB: “False. The data is clear. Men primarily abusing boys, in particular young teens. That’s homosexual.”
RR: “They’re clearly pedophiles and sexual predators. Do you think people who are same-sex attracted are thereby predisposed to pedophilic sexual predation?”
MB: “Cardinal Burke: ‘It was clear after the studies following the 2002 sexual abuse crisis that most of the acts of abuse were in fact homosexual acts committed with adolescent young men.'”
RR: “That statement doesn’t change a thing I said. These are pedophilic sexual predators. Are you attempting to downplay the pedophilic dimension of these crimes?”
MB: “Nothing more to say. The evidence is clear. Pedophilic abuse would focus more on pre-pubescent children, not pos-pubescent teens. (My last comment.)”
RR: “You need to look up ‘Hebephilia’ and ‘Ephebophilia’ and to stop stigmaziting [sic] the gay community simpliciter with child-sexual attraction and sexual predatory behavior. Demonizing others in this way is about the least neighborly thing you can do.”
MB: “You need to read my carefully documented chapter dealing with those very issues (and terms) from 2011 in A Queer Thing Happened to America. Unfortunately, you reacted to my comment without understanding it, making a generalization you then attacked. (Really, can’t comment more.)”
RR: “I didn’t ‘attack’. I critiqued your association of same-sex attraction simpliciter with minor-attracted sexual predation. The gay community has long experienced the prejudice of that horrific association.”
MB: “What I posted is accurate; what I’ve written is accurate; and I’ve been VERY clear in making distinctions. Again, you reacted. (Really, let’s drop it. I do not have time to interact further here.)”
RR: “I know you’re busy. No need to reply. But you’re playing into a well-established perception that same-sex attracted persons are more likely to be predators who target minors.”
MB: “Please, please, please. Read what I’ve written on the subject.”
RR: “I’m addressing your tweets in which you tendentiously characterized the predatory victimization of legal minors as “homosexual acts”, thereby perpetuating a common perception that same-sex attraction simpliciter increases the likelihood that one will victimize minors.”
MB: “(Mayo Clinic!) But in any case, the point of my tweet was NOT what you took it to be (nor the subject of this link). As I stated before, you misunderstood my point and reacted wrongly to it. Own it. :)”
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If you’re interested in following the actual exchange on Twitter, here’s the first tweet:
Finally. Catholic leaders are saying openly that the sexual scandal in their midst is primarily homosexual. But of course! Who hasn't known that all along? May God have mercy on the victims and bring repentance to the abusers. https://t.co/SObX0Wstmw
— Dr. Michael L. Brown (@DrMichaelLBrown) August 17, 2018
