It is not impossible that homosexual men are more likely to be attracted to prepubescents than people with other sexual orientations. This article, because it fails to distinguish between pedophilia and sexual relationships with underage but sexually mature boys, doesn't prove that.

Most, though not all, of the priest abuse cases were with sexually mature boys, both troubled teens the priests were counseling and altar boys. That is a serious problem, but it has nothing to do (by definition) with pedophilia.

That's a useful distinction. I did a story once, in Des Moines, about gay bars and interviewed some denizens.

I asked one when he had started disco hopping.

He was 15, he said.

And who introduced him?

"The choir director at church."

They're everywhere.

However, I'd propose they are at least as prevalent in the church, which is all about power and exploitation, as in any other organization.

Since most of the alleged victims in the pedophilia scandal within the Catholic Church were postpubescent boys, I would have to believe that what actually occurred was not molestation but statuatory rape, which is physically consentual but not legally consentual because teenagers--unlike adults--don't understand the whole ramifications of their actions. Another words, the teenage boys liked it, but the adults should have known better.

The Catholic clergy sex xcandals are not pedophilia per se, but a related sexual kink called ehebephilia.

If the kid's before puberty, its pedophilia.
If it's a post-puberty-but-still-underage teen, it's ehebephilia.

Here's a perspective that came to me one day:

I understand that one of the SEX-AY archetypes in the gay community is the teenage boy, sexually mature but still jail bait.

For a gay ehebephile, being around teenage altarboys every Mass might be like a straight male working with strippers and supermodels day after day after day after day after day...

I think at least some of these priests thought they could handle it, and one day they just cracked.

Vow of Celibacy applies both ways, gay or straight.

"Up to one-third of all sex crimes against children are committed against boys (as opposed to girls)."

Well, like, Duh.

Another problem that compounds his paper is that society is far liklier to consider a relationship between an adult man and underaged but post-pubescent teen to be "abuse," than a likewise relationship between and equally aged heterosexual couple.

Ever since the Ancient Jews declared that girls become adults at the age of 12, in Western culture, relations between a male over 18, and a young teen girl have been tolerated or accepted, so long as it took place within the context of a marriage. Two famous celebrities -- Jerry Lee Lewis and Lorretta Lynn were both involved in LEGAL marriages in the South in the 50s (the bastion of social conservatism) where the male party was over 18 and the female was just 13!

And some anti-abortion websites have reported that there is a shockingly high number of the underaged girls who come in for abortions were impregnated by adults, leading to the conclusion that relations between an adult male and underaged female are vastly underreported as "abuse."

Could you imagine the outcry that would have occured if an adult male wanted to "marry" a 13-year-old boy as did Jerry Lee Lewis. Until this double standard is eliminated, Dailey's figures aren't worth the paper that they are written on.

And one other thing -- the paper puts men who have relations with post-pubescent teens (which desires stem from a normal homosexual orientation) with men who molest pre-pubescent boys (true pedophiles) who, virtually all of them, are not true homosexuals; they aren't attracted to adult males; they don't self define as gay and aren't part of the gay community.

When Daily cites a statistic that gays are only between 1-3% of the population, he is relying on survey data where the folks being surveyed have to "self-define" themselves as what they are. The men who molest pre-pubescent boys, almost always define themselves as "heterosexual" in those studies. Thus, it is blatantly dishonest to lump them in with the homosexual population simply because the gender of the boys that they molest is male.

Addendum:

My first paragraph should have read:

"Another problem that compounds his paper is that society is far liklier to consider a relationship between an adult man and underaged but post-pubescent MALE teen to be 'abuse,' than a likewise relationship between and equally aged heterosexual couple."

Orrin's theory about gay seminaries does not hold water.

Out here, beloved Father Joe was chased out for getting it on with little boys.

But he didn't come from a US gay seminary. He was trained in the Philippines.

And it ain't new, either.

I was looking through our 1926 files the other day and came across another 'beloved Father Joe' who was removed suddenly for 'exhaustion'

Heh heh heh

Nothing new under the sun, Harry, thanks for the heads up. The recruitment of homosexuals for tyhe seminary was a unique change in direction for the church occuring in the 1960's. Prior to that time, open homosexual tendencies would have been a disqualification rather than a trait actually sought out.

Well, I was being recruited for the seminary in the '60s, but I sure didn't notice the open appeal to homosexuals.

Guess I was naive

Maybe someone misunderstood one of your come hither glances?

I am not a pedophile. I am attracted to young adult males. I worry that I will not be able to discern young men from old boys. Please help me figure out what is happening in my brain.

Mark:

Both urges are wrong, but help is fairly easy to find:

http://www.porn-free.org/homosexual_recovery.htm