Copied from: Southern Poverty Law Center
By Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback
MYTH # 1
Gay men molest children at far higher rates than heterosexuals.
(And its corollary: Homosexuality is a deviancy, an abnormality; it is a danger to society; it leads to other crimes and moral depravity. Homosexuality is a giant step down on the slippery slope to moral mayhem and the destruction of the traditional American family, leading to rampant pedophilia, bestiality, and other forms of sexual perversion.)
THE ARGUMENT
Depicting gay men as a threat to children may be the single most potent weapon for stoking public fears about homosexuality — and for winning elections and referenda, as Anita Bryant found out during her successful 1977 campaign to overturn a Dade County, Fla., ordinance barring discrimination against gay people. Discredited psychologist Paul Cameron, the most ubiquitous purveyor of anti-gay junk science, has been a major promoter of this myth. Despite having been debunked repeatedly and very publicly, Cameron’s work is still widely relied upon by anti-gay organizations, although many no longer quote him by name. Others have cited a group called the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) to claim, as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council did in November 2010, that “the research is overwhelming that homosexuality poses a [molestation] danger to children.”
THE FACTS
According to the American Psychological Association, “homosexual men are not more likely to sexually abuse children than heterosexual men are.” Gregory Herek, a professor at the University of California, Davis, who is one of the nation’s leading researchers on prejudice against sexual minorities, reviewed a series of studies and found no evidence that gay men molest children at higher rates than heterosexual men.
Anti-gay activists who make that claim allege that all men who molest male children should be seen as homosexual. But research by A. Nicholas Groth, a pioneer in the field of sexual abuse of children, shows that is not so. Groth found that there are two types of child molesters: fixated and regressive. The fixated child molester — the stereotypical pedophile — cannot be considered homosexual or heterosexual because “he often finds adults of either sex repulsive” and often molests children of both sexes. Regressive child molesters are generally attracted to other adults, but may “regress” to focusing on children when confronted with stressful situations. Groth found, as Herek notes, that the majority of regressed offenders were heterosexual in their adult relationships.
The Child Molestation Research & Prevention Institute notes that 90% of child molesters target children in their network of family and friends, and the majority are men married to women. Most child molesters, therefore, are not gay people lingering outside schools waiting to snatch children from the playground, as much religious-right rhetoric suggests.
Some anti-gay ideologues cite ACPeds’ opposition to same-sex parenting as if the organization were a legitimate professional body. In fact, the so-called college is a tiny breakaway faction of the similarly named, 60,000-member American Academy of Pediatrics that requires, as a condition of membership, that joiners “hold true to the group’s core beliefs … [including] that the traditional family unit, headed by an opposite-sex couple, poses far fewer risk factors in the adoption and raising of children.” The group’s 2010 publication Facts About Youth was described by the American Academy of Pediatrics as not acknowledging scientific and medical evidence with regard to sexual orientation, sexual identity and health, or effective health education. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, was one of several legitimate researchers who said ACPeds misrepresented the institutes’ findings. “It is disturbing to me to see special interest groups distort my scientific observations to make a point against homosexuality,” he wrote. “The information they present is misleading and incorrect.” Another critic of ACPeds is Dr. Gary Remafedi, a researcher at the University of Minnesota who wrote a letter to ACPeds rebuking the organization for misusing his research.
In spite of all this, the anti-LGBT right continues to peddle this harmful and baseless myth, which is probably the leading defamatory charge leveled against gay people.
Anti-Gay Hate Groups and their propaganda
By Evelyn Schlatter
Even as some well-known anti-gay groups like Focus on the Family moderate their views, a hard core of smaller groups, most of them religiously motivated, have continued to pump out demonizing propaganda aimed at homosexuals and other sexual minorities. These groups’ influence reaches far beyond what their size would suggest, because the “facts” they disseminate about homosexuality are often amplified by certain politicians, other groups and even news organizations. Of the 18 groups profiled below, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) will be listing 13 next year as hate groups, reflecting further research into their views; those are each marked with an asterisk. Generally, the SPLC’s listings of these groups is based on their propagation of known falsehoods — claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated, groundless name-calling. Viewing homosexuality as unbiblical does not qualify organizations for listing as hate groups.
It is for this active and passive demonization of law-abiding gay and lesbian Americans that the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, LCMS President Matthew Harrison, the thirty something LCMS District Presidents, and the Board of Directors of the official publishing house of the LCMS, Concordia Publishing House, must be taken to task until they apologize, cease, and desist of their bigoted, hateful, un-American behavior.
Example of LCMS anti-gay Hate Speech promoting the above myth:
“The ordination of women as pastors has led, yes, even demands, the ordination of homosexuals. If Scripture’s clear statements that prohibit the ordination of women as pastors can be ignored, or reinterpreted, so also every verse that speaks negatively about homosexuals. What’s next? One shudders to think. What is there in Scripture that would prohibit a loving, consenting relationship between boys and men?” —Rev. Paul T. McCain, Publisher and Editor, Concordia Publishing House, official publishing house of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod
“As a group, in comparison with normal men, male homosexuals are more promiscuous, spread more disease, and are convicted of more sexual offenses. In seducing adolescents, they represent gender as a choice. As teachers, or other authority figures, they are skilled recruiters. They pervert children and grandchildren. No regrets. No apologies.” —Cranach, the Blog of Gene Veith
“Let’s see. Being black doesn’t have a necessary behavioral component does it? It is, rather, only dependent on melanin content that the person has no real control over. Homosexuality though does have a potential behavioral component that can be controlled. So, I should be prohibited in discriminating against a non-behavioral and surficial trait. However, I might require that a person who is homosexual agree to being celibate as homosexual behavior is a behavioral action that I might object to, just as I might require a kleptomaniac to sign an agreement that they wouldn’t steal, or just not hire that person because of their proclivity to engage in theft, another thing I might object to. Further, I don’t think I should be forced to put up with the kleptomaniacs thieving, even if they don’t steal from me personally, just because “they were born that way.” —Cranach, the Blog of Gene Veith
“Homosexual relations make no benefit to society. So, society doesn’t wish to support or promote them. Being black is not a behavior. It is not a choice. Got that? Blacks don’t choose to be black and there is nothing unnatural or wrong about being black. It is not a behavior. It is a normal, healthy human variation. Homosexual behavior is not a normal human variation.” —Cranach, the Blog of Gene Veith
“At an incidence rate of around 2%, homosexuality is pretty much just a defect. We shouldn’t look to increase the pain of suffering from it, but it should in no way be promoted or subsidized etc. It brings no benefit to society that other unsubsidized friendships do and has been a significant disease vector. HIV among homosexual men is about 60 times that of straight men according to the CDC. No small amount of suffering there despite being the world’s most preventable disease for those who can manage to follow some simple (obvious) wisdom from ancient goat herders.” —Cranach, the Blog of Gene Veith
“You know you’re wrong in your second paragraph right? The incidents of homosexual behavior in non-human species are primary indicators of genetic abnormalities. So, yes, it is part of nature, but it is an aberration. Now, I suppose we could also note that non-human animals sometimes go about killing each other. In fact, it seems to be quite natural and, for many animals, part of the expected pattern of behavior on their part. So, this obvious natural instinct to kill is perfectly fine for humans to do, even to each other. I mean what could possibly prevent them from behaving in this most natural way? In fact, based on nature, murder and killing are more justifiable than homosexual behavior based on your argument, precisely because such lethal behavior isn’t aberrant. Why, we could even extend this argument to note that those aberrant homosexual animals are often killed by other animals or by other members of the same species, mostly because the make little or no contribution to the survival of the species.” —Cranach, the Blog of Gene Veith
“—-The fact that so many other animals exhibit these (homosexual) behaviors shows that is a part of natural variation—That is without a doubt the stupidest argument that I have ever heard, as if I care whether male giraffes, female hyaenas, or my personal favorite, male bedbugs mount each other. Hey, there’s a great argument: gay men should be able to marry because their moral standard should be set by bedbugs. SKP has partially beat me to this, but you know what else over 1500 animal species do? They engage in cannibalism, including but not limited to killing and eating their sexual partners and offspring. So, following your logic, I guess we shouldn’t judge people who engage in cannibalism (even of their sex partners or children) because that occurs in nature and whatever occurs in nature MUST be just fine for humans.” —Cranach, the Blog of Gene Veith
“…who can now judge the love shared among multiple couples of various genders, all sharing a group marriage? Who dares to impose their interpretation on such things? Who can say such things are sin if love there is enjoyed and expressed? As the homosexual bishop put it, who could say all these expressions of love are not gifts from God and hence sacramental? What about bestiality? Can we say that this is not also an avenue for God’s sacramental love expressed between his creatures? The same thinking, the same principles, the same presuppositions and logic, require all these things to be accepted as well.” —Rev. Paul T. McCain, Publisher and Editor, Concordia Publishing House, official publishing house of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod
“…the rise of cohabitation lent some sense of normalcy to what every previous time had found an aberration and oddity. With sex free from the constraints of pregnancy and disease, marriage was deemed less essential to the blossom of human relationships. Free sex gave birth to the destruction of every constraint upon consensual sexual activity. The right of privacy meant that laws against sodomy fell and no one could regulate what happened behind closed doors. Even the onset of the scourge of AIDS and HIV infection could not restrain the movement to bring homosexuality to the forefront. Queer soon became a badge of pride and the TV networks began including gay characters and even devoting whole series to pushing the gay agenda.” —Rev. Larry Peters, Pastoral Meanderings Blog
“ Unbeknownst to the populace, however, gay marriage was not simply about opening the door to gay couples what had been available to straight couples. Instead the very institution of marriage is being redefined by those so new to its legal access. Sex is in. Children are out. Marriage is optional. Fidelity is a choice that may or may not come with marriage. Now we have found polygamy struck down in Utah and gay marriage allowed — surprisingly among those who first favored polygamy and then became the most strident against homosexuality. Where will it all stop? That is the point. It will not stop. The genie is out of the bottle. But what remains so difficult is that the pace of this change has left us with a reengineered society that had little in common with its forbears and in less than two generations. It is as if we are all panting from the completion of a sprint none of us expected to run but we cannot pause too long or we will find ourselves hopelessly behind.” —Rev. Larry Peters, Pastoral Meanderings Blog
” Most people are tired of having homosexuality pushed in their faces. It builds resentment. What happened to the powerful voices of the Evangelicals that kept these perverts in check.”
—Pastoral Meanderings, the Blog of Rev. Larry Peters
“..Preaching the Law as if there is no Gospel says there is no hope for anyone who defends any sin. I can’t stand before God and defend my heterosexual lusting anymore than he (the same-sex attracted person) can stand before God defending his homosexual lusting. But what about orientation? If we accept homosexual orientation we have no grounds for rejecting pedophile or bestial orientation.”
—Rev. Paul Harris, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“As far as the poor gay man or lesbian woman having no choice because they are made that way, the Marquis de Sade also believed that. Writing in the late 1700s he said, “Laws, morals, religions, paradises, hells, gods, and gallows, all will collapse when it is found that perversions are due to differences in blood, nerves, and organs, factors over which man has no determining voice” (Jurjevich, The Contemporary Faces of Satan, 275). Writing in the 80s when most think homosexuality was still in the closet, George Gilder said, “The most powerful tool of the homosexual culture is the myth that homosexuality is a fixed and immutable condition, like the color of one’s skin, is widely taught in sex-education programs, in secondary schools, and in college psychology and social science courses and endlessly repeated in all the media” (Men and Marriage, 73). The view of homosexuality accepted by the world ought not to be accepted let alone parroted by the church.” —Rev. Paul Harris, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“There are dissenting voices to popular culture’s universal acceptance of homosexuality and pitying of homosexuals. Professor George Reekers, at the time in the Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of South Carolina said that there was no such thing as a homosexual child (Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, 84). And James Nelsen exposes the concept of homosexual orientation for what it is. “Nowhere does the Bible say anything about homosexuality as a sexual orientation…Our understanding of homosexuality as a psychological orientation is a relatively recent development” (Embodiment, 181-182).”
—Rev. Paul Harris, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“Homosexual orientation is the hill that homosexual activists must die on (N.B. I’m not saying our would be apologists is one of them.) because that makes it never a matter of choice which as I say in the article it can be and once it is and is accepted it is reinforced until the person really believes it is normal.” —Rev. Paul Harris, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
—Pastoral Meanderings, the Blog of Rev. Larry Peters
“Churches will find little support from the law or the government when it comes to defending positions that conflict with the progressive beliefs of the social justice movement. Although the issue is same sex marriage and homosexuality in general, other issues will soon replace these as this movement for radical social change marches on. Euthanasia, assisted suicide, abortion, genetic engineering of babies, reproductive technology in general, stem cell research, etc… these are all issues in which orthodox Christianity may find itself the enemy of the state whose opinions mirror a secular agenda in which the particularity of life and the family order are exchanged for a values neutral world (except to insist that all opinions/stances/orientations are equal).”
—Rev. Larry Peters, Pastoral Meanderings Blog
” Unfortunately, we live at a time when an incredible shift is taking place in our culture. We are witnessing the homosexualization of culture. Powerful forces in the world around us are promoting homosexuality as a normal, acceptable and even praiseworthy lifestyle. They are about to achieve one of the primary goals for this movement: legal recognition of homosexual marriage.”
—Rev. Mark Surburg, Surburg’s Blog
“There was a really interesting video I saw on Planned Parenthood by the American Life League called “Hooking Kids on Sex.” It explained that a significant part of their agenda was to “hook” kids–even grade school age– on sex (similar to hooking kids on drugs) so that they can make cash from the services they provide ie: receive federal funding for birth control, STD testing, and abortions then if a pregnancy does occur. Included is of course the “normalizing” every perversion of sex out there. Once again, the society is being duped into believing a lie that distorts truth so someone at the top can reap financial rewards–and the sheep follow blindly over the cliff.”
—The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“Dear friends, on this day when we think about our own nation of America, we too must confess, “We have rebelled against God’s word.” How America is ripe for God’s judgment! Think of it. Our nation has legalized murder in the form of abortion, causing the holocaust of millions of unborn children. Our nation has countenanced and condoned the abomination of homosexuality, with some states even legalizing so-called “same-sex marriage,” which is an impossibility. Immorality and violence–the same vices that brought the flood upon the earth and fire and brimstone down on Sodom and Gomorrah–immorality and violence run rampant in our land and pour out of our televisions and movie screens and computer screens. We glory in our shame. We call good evil and evil good. Truly America is ripe for judgment, just like Judah was in the days of Jeremiah.”
—Rev. Charles Henrickson, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“Philosopher G.E.M. Anscombe reasons that acceptance of contraception leads to the acceptance of homosexuality and ultimately every form of sexual deviancy outside the created order. Why? Because sex is simply about stimulation, not procreation. If contraceptive intercourse is permissible, then what objection could there be after all to mutual masturbation, or copulation in vase indebito, sodomy, buggery (I should perhaps remark that I am using a legal term here—not indulging in bad language), when normal copulation is impossible or inadvisable (or in any case, according to taste)? It can’t be the mere pattern of bodily behavior in which the stimulation is procured that makes all the difference! But if such things are all right, it becomes perfectly impossible to see anything wrong with homosexual…”
—Rev. Christopher Esget, Esgetology Blog
“Queer scouts have been approved by more than 60 percent of local Scout leaders! Now to see how many church bodies tell BSA where they can shove their decision (in a manner of speaking) and remove their sponsored troops from Scouting. Who will be the first? What are the odds that the LCMS will remove their troops from BSA (Boy Sodomy Association) within the next six months? —“Carl Vehse”, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“I reject your politically correct opinion. While the shameful and disloyal action by 60 percent of local Scout leaders is certainly hurtful and abusive to those Boy Scouts whose troops will now have to leave the BSA, my statements accurately reflect the moral abyss they have taken Scouting. My description of a perversion (Boy Sodomy Association) employs a term that has been used since 1922, was in common used in the 1960s, and for decades has been used by homosexual perverts themselves. I prefer that accurate descriptive being used rather than the abuse of “gay” as a descriptive of immorality. What you should focus your pique on, instead, is the satanic treachery of the BSA Executive Council – BSA President Wayne M. Perry, immediate past-President Rex Tillerson, Terrence P. Dunn, Randall L. Stephenson, Lyle R. Knight, Nathan O. Rosenberg, Jack D. Furst, O. Temple Sloan Jr., Earl G. Graves, Drayton McLane Jr., Bruce D. Parker, Matthew K. Rose, Henry A. Rosenberg Jr., Stephen B. King, Arthur F. Oppenheimer, Robert J. Smith, David M. Weekley, Jim Turley, Hector Perez, Aubrey B. Harwell Jr, R. Thomas Buffenbarger, R. Michael Daniel, and Wayne Brock – whose proposal led the BSA toward the pleasures of hell. They now have any remaining BSA membership and sponsors to accompany them. The wicked and evil actions by these men deserve our contempt and ridicule.”
—“Carl Vehse”, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
” The matter of homosexuality in our society. God’s Word says it is wrong. The world–or at least the current popular opinion in our culture–the world now says homosexual behavior is OK, even good. Just this past week, Rhode Island became the tenth state to legalize so-called “gay marriage,” which is neither “gay,” in the sense of “happy,” nor is it “marriage.” It is a sick, sick mockery of marriage. But now you even have the President of the United States endorsing this insanity. And so if Christians are going to be faithful to God’s Word, and speak out against the homosexual agenda, they–we–can expect tribulation. This is already happening. The world is bringing trouble and pressure to bear against those who speak the truth. Again just this past week, a relatively unknown NBA basketball player named Jason Collins announced that he was “gay.” Well, you’d think this guy had just found a cure for cancer or done something else noble and virtuous, the way he was instantly celebrated as a hero in the press, and by the President. And God help you–or somebody help you–if you dare to deviate from the party line and politely suggest that sodomy is a sin.
—Rev. Charles Henrickson, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“When it comes down to it, it seems that the real reason homosexual marriage is being pushed is to legitimize their relationship.” A more likely reason is that the Demonicrat party, homosexuals, pedophiles, necrophiles, polyamoriphiles, and every other kind of animal-, vegetable-, and mineral-philes have no interest in marriage, but simply want to destroy the concept of normal heterosexual (and Christian) marriage and any associated standards.”
—“Carl Vehse”, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“Dear fellow citizen who promotes same-sex marriage, I don’t expect to convince you of anything, since you do not see purpose or order in nature, and whenever it will be pointed out to you, you will deny this order because of anomalies or because you find it incredible that nature could refuse her blessings to extra-marital or perverted sex. When I point out that marriage is for children, you will point out that some marriages don’t have children. When I point out that nature obviously did not intend the acts of homosexuality, you will point to the anomalous behavior of animals to justify the behavior of human beings. In doing this you worship a false god, whom some in yesteryears have called Chaos. This god allows the children of men to do with their bodies whatever they please as long as they assert that it makes them happy and does not immediately harm anyone. Some call this god Venus or Inanna or Ishtar or Astarte. Most don’t realize they are singing this god’s praises, but they’ve been writing some pretty popular hymns to him lately. Professing to be wise so many have become fools, because they can’t see what every civilization since the dawn of man has seen, namely that, yes, sexual relations outside of marriage are contrary to nature, harm individuals, families, cities and countries, and when people choose to fulfill their desires solely for their own benefit and not to follow the course of nature in having children and raising them up, civilizations are destroyed beneath the selfish motives that drive men to use people sexually without understanding the purpose in it all, just as gluttons kill themselves by eating even though it should do the opposite, and sluggards become more lazy through sleep, even though it should revive them. Homosexuality is the pinnacle of sexual depravity. First there is sex for the purpose only of pleasure, and not for the sake of raising a family and serving one’s spouse. From this grows the unwillingness on the part of fornicators to be the hypocrite in condemning others for deviating from nature’s purpose in sex. This unwillingness to condemn what is wrong then is defended more and more until it becomes branded as a virtue, since it is defending people from the judgments of others. Whatever then opposes this virtue becomes immoral and wrong. That is the doctrinal development of this god and his dogma.
So, I will wait to see what your god will give to our civilization. He sure is a nice god, letting people do stuff that nature could never have intended. A god who exalts himself above the purpose of nature! Now THAT’s a powerful god. I wonderful if he’ll save us from AIDS, genital warts, infanticide, divorce, herpes, broken homes, and all the other things the behavior he condones increases. Just so that you can understand my position well enough, I will not dissemble to gain your respect, since I don’t desire the respect of one who defends the perversion of nature. I do not respect the belief that homosexuality is beneficial to mankind. It is a foolish and harmful belief, just as teaching the normalcy of extra-marital sex is disrespectful to all that is good and true in society. Those who hold to this belief are now calling me and others bigoted and unreasonable for opposing what even the Greeks and Romans who practiced something similar were at least a little ashamed of.History, reason, nature, and every decent philosopher from the beginning of time agree with me. The democracy of the dead votes me in and casts you out, no matter how loudly the crowds cry out for condemnation of those who would dare oppose their depravity.”
—Rev. Mark Preus, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“I would say that homosexuality falls into the category of the “more heinous,” though not quite to the degree of murder, but definitely a notch up from normal fornication, because at least heterosexual fornication is born from a legitimate (albeit wrongly applied) desire for something that God allows in marriage.” —The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“God says that the sin of homosexuality is worse than the sin of adultery. He burned Sodom and Gomorrah for this sin. He calls this sin in particular an abomination to be compared with infanticide, idolatry, and bestiality (See Leviticus 18:21-23). This is the Law that he reveals in Scripture, and it is confirmed in nature. We dare not ignore it. Teaching the distinction between Law and Gospel is of the utmost importance, but let’s get it right! We cannot speak the Law in such a way that it will do anything but require real works of us. If we are speaking the Law so that it does not condemn homosexuality for what it is and require the homosexual not to be a homosexual, then we are treating sin the abstract.” —Rev. Mark Preus, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“(The Apostle) Paul shows that the homosexuality is the abyss of sexual depravity in Romans 1:22-27. As (Martin) Chemnitz points out in his Loci, Paul specifically points to these sins to show how deeply they had fallen. “Even” their women, etc. Leaving aside the word pinnacle, and using the word abyss, yes, I agree, I think some things are worse, like bestiality and pedophelia, but I think we’d both rather not think of them. The point is that they’ve crossed the line of what is natural, and Leviticus puts homosexuality right next to bestiality.
A person who is an adulterer will be damned, but his sin is not as bad as the sin of a sodomite. Does that make the adulterer “better” than the homosexual? Well, who cares? What’s all this “better than” language? Whose judgment do we care about? What does the depravity of the sin have to do with my own motives? Could an adulterer be more depraved because of his idolatry than a homosexual? Of course! But the act of homosexuality is more depraved than the act of adultery, because a sodomite is defying nature. Christians who suffer from such desires recognize this. An adulterer who thinks, “Well, at least I’m not as bad as that homosexual over there” is a Pharisee and is guilty of worse idolatry than the penitent homosexual who is tortured by his desires that he wants to be rid of. “
—Rev. Mark Preus, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
“I understand your concern that people have been mean and haven’t spoken the truth in love. Sodomites who are ashamed of their sins need to hear that God is love. But those who are flagrant and teach their perversion to others by attempting to destroy marriage should be opposed for the perverts they are, lest they harm others with their vileness, just as we would oppose pedophilia and bestiality, and call them perverts who practice those things, even though we would show them the forgiveness of sins as well.” In Christ, Pr. Preus
—Rev. Mark Preus, The Brothers of John the Steadfast Blog
Escaping Christian Fundamentalism 