I’m not saying he’s “technically” not. You are missing my point. Banning known homosexuals from leadership positions would not have kept someone like a Jerry Sandusky out of his position as he was not known to be a homosexual, was not openly homosexual, never apparently interested in homosexual relations with adult males, or as it would seem, even with adult women.
Many people, even some of his neighbors and friends of many years (and I’m not talking about the people who witnessed abuse or the people who it was reported to, or his wife, who I find it hard to believe she didn’t know), never suspected he was raping young boys. They thought he was a very nice man, a married man, a straight man, some even claimed a good Christian man, who loved children, especially underprivileged children and truly wanted to help them. While that now seems deluded and in hindsight there were many signs that something wasn’t right, it probably wasn’t so obvious until the victims started comming forward. Remember that the defense brought in “character” witnesses, even some former Second Mile kids who testified they’d never witnessed anything inappropriate or had ever been abused and that Sandusky was a great guy.
And it wasn’t as if Sandusky was known to frequent gay clubs, gay prostitutes, or gay pride parades. This creep got away with what he did to those kids for years, in large part because on the surface, he appeared to many, to be perfectly “normal”.
By definition pedophilia is a sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Homosexuality by definition is a same sex sexual attraction. Some male pedophiles prey on prepubescent boys, some male pedophiles prey on prepubescent girls, some prey on both, some female pedophiles prey on prepubescent girls, some female pedophiles prey on prepubescent boys, some prey on both. Some pedophiles have seemingly “normal” relations with adults of the opposite sex or homosexual relations with adults of the same sex, and some pedophiles have never had relations with any adult and are exclusively sexually attracted to children. And contrary to what some people assume, not all homosexuals are sexually attracted to prepubescent children. In fact some, like the gay people I personally know, find it monstrous and disgusting and think someone like Jerry Sandusky should be strung up with a short length of rope.
While I’m not making an endorsement of homosexuality, assuming and exclusively blaming openly homosexuals for all acts of pedophilia and child molestation, actually makes it easier for someone like a Jerry Sandusky to get away with their heinous crimes. The most dangerous pedophile is the one who doesn’t seem like one.
Recently there was the dad in Texas who beat and killed a man (and righteously so) for attempting to sexually molest his 5 year old daughter. We could correctly say that the dead man wasn’t homosexual because he attempted to assault a girl but he was still a pedophile and he needed kill’n.
The best way to protect children from pedophiles is to keep a close eye on them, not leave them completely alone with just any adult who is not 100% reliable and trusted. Never assume that an adult, even a family member or friend, just because they seem to be “nice” is not capable of molesting them. Most importantly teach your children, from as young as an age as appropriate, about “bad” touching in a way that doesn’t make them paranoid and why it’s OK to scream and say NO! and how to defend themselves if some adult, while alone with them touches them in their “special places” or tries to get them to do something that makes them uncomfortable or “icky” and they should tell you about it.
Also foster a good open relationship with your child that allows them to feel safe about talking to you about anything and everything and let them know that if something “bad” does happen to them, it’s not their fault and they can feel perfectly safe in letting you know about it. Let them know that if some adult threatens that “nobody is going to believe you” that this is not true and if they are threatened that “if you tell, I will kill your family” that this person is lying and let them know you can and will protect yourself and them.
Sadly the Second Mile kids didn’t come from stable loving homes and that’s what made them easy prey. And when at least one of the biological moms reported her suspicions to the authorities, nobody believed her.
A very good statement of the problem. Pedophilia is about an inability to have honest strong relations with other adults. Anyone who thinks that getting kids out of public schools and into private schools or home schooling will solve the problem does NOT understand the problem. The more isolated children, and for that matter adults, are, the more likely they are to be abused in one form or another. Be suspicious of any adults who do not want their children or spouses to have outside friendships.