Sexy Sex Offender List Causes Outrage

Discovery News ^ | May 14, 2011 | Benjamin Radford

[TheDingoAteMyBaby]

A piece published in The Houston Press titled “The 10 Hottest Women on the Texas Sex Offenders List” has caused a stir. It included photos and descriptions of ten attractive (and not-so-attractive) female sex offenders in the Lone Star State, along with their crimes.

Many readers were outraged, and Change.org, a prominent social activism website, immediately circulated a petition demanding that the newspaper apologize for “the trivialization of the sexual assault of children and the misguided emphasis on the women's physical appearance.”

While the majority of sex offenders are male, women rape and sexually assault children far more often than people realize. Some cases are famous, like that of Mary Kay Letourneau; other times women rape and kill their child victims, as happened with eight-year-old Sandra Cantu, who was sexually assaulted and dumped in a pond by a neighbor, Melissa Huckaby, in March 2009.

Part of the reason that sexual abuse — especially child sexual abuse — is so hard to combat is that the general public has been misinformed by sensationalized “stranger danger” predator panics. Parents spend their time worrying about strangers with candy and people on sex offender registries instead of focusing on the far greater dangers lurking in their own homes, schools and churches.

Female child molesters and sex offenders are often treated as a joke, especially if the victim is male. Girls are considered violated victims whose innocence has been taken, while boys who have been abused are sometimes considered lucky for the sexual attention.

Journalists and the news media often subtly reinforce the perception that sexual assault by women is less serious than assault by men through biased language, for example referring to a 40-year-old woman who “slept with” and “had an affair with” two 14-year-old boys, while describing a 40-year-old man who “raped” a 14-year-old girl.

The Top 10 list includes a parade of female offenders. Among them: A 36-year-old woman who molested a 13-year-old boy; another woman who sexually abused a toddler; and a 30-year-old woman who sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl. None of them look like pedophiles or child rapists; they look like your sister, co-worker or bank teller.

And that is exactly the point.

In a follow-up piece titled “The ‘Hot Sex Offenders’ List: An Explanation and Apology,” the author, Richard Connelly, stated: “Last week I spoke to two veteran child-porn prosecutors (who) talked of how child predators don't fit any category — the people they prosecuted included successful lawyers and doctors, as well as unemployed losers. It triggered an idea about how people have a preconceived notion of what dangerous predators ‘always’ look like — slovenly fat guys in T-shirts asking kids if they wanted a ride — and how best to shake that notion up. An item on ‘10 sex offenders who don't look like sex offenders’ might have done the trick, but seemed boring.”

Thus the infamous Top Ten Hottest Female Sex Offender list was born. Connelly wanted to make the point that "normal-looking people, people you could pass any day on the street — or who you might think are ‘hot’ — are capable of monstrous things.”

Readers may not like how that point was made, but it is valid nonetheless.

The Change.org petitioners missed the point of Connelly’s piece, which neither trivialized child sexual abuse nor womens’ appearance, but instead attempted to help parents better protect their children from sexual predators by showing their real faces instead of caricatured stereotypes of ugly, trenchcoated perverts of either gender.

[Rudder]

This is a story about pictures...right?

[DesertRhino]

“while boys who have been abused are sometimes considered lucky for the sexual attention.”

Reallly??? Poor saps, too young to know that victims shouldn’t walk around with a silly grin, bragging to all their friends. (who wish they could be victims too)

[spinestein]

In spite of the countless times this is posted as a joke, I can honestly state here that this thread is useless without pics.

[airborne]

I’ve seen the pictures.

You aren’t missing anything.

[latina4dubya]

This is a story about pictures...right?

omgosh... none of the top ten are hot... they all look boring and mousey...

[latina4dubya]

I can honestly state here that this thread is useless without pics.

click on the article... from there you can click on a link to the original with pics... these are not hot gals... they are what Freepers would call, "guilty." so i guess they are double guilty...

[50cal Smokepole]

In before the inevitable Helen Thomas post....

[Rudder]

I’m not clicking on the link. Thanks for the heads up.

[spinestein]

I’ll take your (and airborne’s) word for and it and pass on clicking the link.

[Lazlo in PA]

Female child molesters and sex offenders are often treated as a joke, especially if the victim is male. Girls are considered violated victims whose innocence has been taken, while boys who have been abused are sometimes considered lucky for the sexual attention.

It used to be a good country when we could beat this garbage into a pulp and the ACLU wouldn't show up. A pedophile is a pedophile.

[nathanbedford]

Journalists and the news media often subtly reinforce the perception that sexual assault by women is less serious than assault by men ...

And so it is with phrases like this that the bars of our psychic age are constructed around us. In fact, there actually is a difference between men and women, boys and girls, and there is undeniably a difference in the sexual experience which can be broken down on gender lines.

But this view is anathema to the left which must destroy the distinctions between the sexes if it is to destroy the family, the fundamental building block of society which builds bulwarks against socialism. Destroy the family and you can destroy the resistance the resistance to socialism. Destroy the traditional role of the sexes and you can destroy the family. This is not my insight, this is the battle plan of The Frankfurt School.

One of the wisest observations ever made about the sexes has come down through the ages from the sage:

Higgamus hoggamus, woman is monogamous; higgamus piggamus, man is polygamous.

Once this undeniable scientific principle is accepted, all falls into place.

[HiTech RedNeck]

There are a lot of horny boys not much older than 14. In biblical times, the youth of that age was considered old enough to take on the responsibilities of manhood, which included supporting a wife if he wished to marry. I would not object to a liberalization of modern consent ages in accordance with the customs of old, IF that was coupled with a serious intent to marry and pull their own weight.

[TheDingoAteMyBaby]

Most social conservatives would say that premarital teen sex is destructive to the family.

[truth_seeker]

My wife and I married as teens, over 43 years ago.

Both of our parents were married until death.

[grey_whiskers]

Higgamus hoggamus, woman is monogamous; higgamus piggamus, man is polygamous.

faggamous pabulus, queers are fabulous

Cheers!

[Bon mots]

arguably, the only looker on the list.

[Bon mots]

arguably, the only looker on the list.

[circlecity]

"Female child molesters and sex offenders are often treated as a joke, especially if the victim is male."

I include myself in that catogory. A 15 year old male having sex with a 30 year old female is no big deal. I would never vote to convict regardless of the law.

[circlecity]

"Female child molesters and sex offenders are often treated as a joke, especially if the victim is male."

I include myself in that catogory. A 15 year old male having sex with a 30 year old female is no big deal. I would never vote to convict regardless of the law.