Trigger Warning: Mention of sexual offenders, pedophilia, sexual assault, child molestation
In 2002, a scandal broke into the news which implicated several Roman Catholic priests in the sexual abuse of several young children. A similar scandal has recently emerged as well, with several priests in Illinois accused of similar charges (Source). The idea of priests sexually preying on children is widespread. What often accompanies these scandals is a misplaced backlash against the LGBTQ+ community, according to professor of psychology, Dr. Clark (2006). In the article “Gay Priests and Other Bogeymen”, Clark (2006) refutes the stereotype that most gay individuals are sexual predators, or “pedophiles”. He writes “It is tempting, therefore, to ignore such statements as the impassioned rhetoric of a bigoted minority. Unfortunately, the misconception that gay men are a threat to children is not confined to fringe groups” (pg. 2). Even over a decade later, these words still ring true. Clark goes on to explain how this stereotype works, and the type of argument that people generally use to justify their negative attitudes towards LGBTQ+ individuals. This line of reasoning is called the “proportionality” argument, a claim that is echoed not only by members of conservative extremist groups, but also the media and even members of the scientific community, on occasion. Clark examines the work of evolutionary psychologist Gallup (1996, as cited in Clark, 2006) in this matter. Gallup basically states that since the LGBTQ+ population is quite small compared to the heterosexual population, that the likelihood of one of them being a pedophile is higher than the likelihood of a straight individual being a pedophile. Gallup admits that generally there are a higher amount of straight pedophiles than gay pedophiles, almost twice as much. However, by calling attention to the supposed small size of the LGBTQ+ community relative to the heterosexual community, he tries to make an argument that there is a higher ratio of pedophiles in the LGBTQ+ community than the heterosexual community.
Clark (2006) takes issue with this stance for multiple reasons. Firstly, any research that has tried to estimate the number of LGBTQ+ individuals will likely say that there are less LGBTQ+ individuals than there actually are because LGBTQ+ identities are stigmatized. People may not want to admit their sexuality, even through an anonymous survey. Also, sexuality is very difficult to define, and as such people may not identify as being gay, even if they are on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. The LGBTQ+ population may be much larger than Gallup assumes, which would make the proportionality argument void, because it relies on the assumption that the LGBTQ+ community is small. Clark’s second reason for discounting the proportionality argument is because the number of pedophiles may also be underreported, and we have no way of knowing information about them. Not all pedophiles commit the act, and those that do are unlikely to go around telling people about it. Therefore, the only pedophiles that researchers have easy access to are already criminalized. Being criminals may mean that they have different qualities than pedophiles who have never been arrested, so testing just this group of people doesn’t tell psychologists much about their population in general. Clark (2006) also notes that people who are otherwise straight can engage in same-sex behavior when there are no other sexual alternatives and that these actions are not necessarily the same thing as being gay. Pedophiles also tend to be attracted to children on the basis of age rather than gender, which many people don’t acknowledge. For example, a man who is attracted to adult women but has a preference for children will seek out children regardless of what gender they are, because pedophiles seek power from their interactions with children, who are young. It just so happens that priests who engage in pedophilia tend to have easier access to young boys than young girls. We must not confuse same-sex actions with sexual identity. There is a large difference between pedophilia and sexual intercourse between two consenting gay adults. From these scandals, we can also see that negative stigma towards LGBTQ+ individuals can come from all kinds of fronts. There is a trail of devastation left in the wake of these revelations, but when they come to light there is also an opportunity for healing. Recently, Pope Francis has taken initiative against this problem in the Catholic Church, creating measures to help survivors feel heard and protected (Source). Hopefully, his actions will bear fruit and justice will be found for survivors.
Commentaires