Foley incident stirs up a stereotype about gay men

[ruggerson]

As many of us have said, the entire rightwing war on gays and lesbians is founded in baldfaced lies and deception.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/07/MNG9HLKTVH1.DTL

Foley incident stirs up a stereotype about gay men
Some conservatives link child sex abuse to sexual orientation

Some conservatives have reacted to former Rep. Mark Foley's sexual messages to teenage boys and announcement he is gay by suggesting that homosexuals are more likely to molest children, a link that psychiatric groups say has no basis in fact.

Yet the stereotype seems to be sticking, repeated in the conservative and mainstream media. A columnist for the Wall Street Journal suggested that homosexuality exists on a continuum stretching from "just another gay guy" to "a compulsive, predatory sex offender."

Jay Leno recently quipped that GOP now stands for "Gay Old Pedophile," and Ben Stein wrote in the American Spectator that "I hope it won't come as a surprise to anyone that a big part of male homosexual behavior is interest in young boys. (Take a look at anyone renting 'Endless Summer' next time you are at the video store.)"

But researches say that the data cited to back up such stereotypes is flimsy, exaggerated and sometimes made up.


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[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. Because heteros NEVER target young people, right?

Nooooooo.....:eyes:

[xchrom]

2. the stereotype is sticking on purpose.

this has been the tactic of the catholic church to get out from under the scandal of pedophile priest, it's the tactic of evangelicals to bring attention away from ministers who molest little girls -- and here is the real point --

SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES, WHETHER WRAPPED IN RELION OR NOT MUST HAVE AN ENEMY.

gay folk are the enemy of choice.

straight liberals will not rush to our defence the way say they would if the charge/attack were racist.

[maddezmom]

4. some of us will

see my post downthread. sexual orientation is not the issue here.

[xchrom]

6. i should have been sensitive to some straight duers, etc.

however i find plenty to hold my nose about here as well.

i'ld have to list by name those who i think would be truly steadfast.

but let me add -- attacking gay folk by social conservatives is less than a stones throw from the conservative attack on women and abortion rights, etc.

[MGD]

12. deleted duplicate

[MGD]

13. Don't worry, I've got your back.

We're all Americans and we're all humans.

[SharonAnn]

15. 90% or more of child sexual abuse is heterosexual.

[maddezmom]

agree, it's not about being gay

it isabout being a sexual predator or being a pedophelia...they do not go hand in hand. My issue with this whole incident is the coverup...not outing gay members etc. Did the Leadership know what was going on for years and bury it? That is my question.

[WestSeattle2]

3. Gay men are no more interested in

young males, then straight men are interested in young girls. There are segments in each orientation drawn to youth. And on the flip side, there seems to be an overwhelming tide of straight females in the teaching profession, engaging in sexual liaisons with underage males. What to make of this?

This does put a damper on the whole "pedophiles are all homosexual male" stereotype perpetuated by the Dobson\Falwell\Robertson\Phelps side of the fence. Idiots.

[question everything]

5. Give credit to Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

a Republican congresswoman from FL, who said yesterday on Bill Maher that there is no connection between gays and pedophilia. Was very emphatic about it.

[nealmhughes]

9. Even though she is a tool of the "Cuba Reconquesta" folks, she is a big

old lover of the gays...could be her district, or maybe she has some moral fiber deep down inside. I never figured her out.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zhade]

8. Respectfully, that's nonsense.

Being gay - in or out - has zero correlation to being a sexual predator. Zero.

[chill_wind]

10. Not with my money, you won't.

As it happens, I'm not gay, but I feel strongly all the same that a decision to come out or not belongs only to the individual. The government needs to bloody stay OUT of Americans' bedrooms regardless of sexual orientation.

Breaking laws (sex and predatory behavior with minors, regardless of orientation) is of course a whole other matter.

[sandnsea]

11. Look, the guy is one of two things

He is either - a gay old pedophile - or - a normal homosexual who has sex with young boys. The people who refuse to acknowledge that attraction to underage boys is pedophilia are the ones who leave people with no other alternative except to conclude the homosexual community approves of these relationships. The guy is not normal because he's a serial predator and neither is an adult male who preys on teen-age girls.

[MGD]

14. Foley is a pedophile first and foremost. His orientation is a non-issue nt

[daleo]

16. The guy that killed the 5 little Amish girls was a heterosexual male

In fact, the vast majority of mass murders have been straight males.

[Cronus Protagonist]

17. Endless Summer, huh?

Sounds like I should rent it.

:evilgrin: