We Mudcatters often don't agree on things but I am certain that all who have posted here share a deep sorrow for the victims of these crimes. We disagree on several points of blame and logic here though.

From working six years as a legal secretary for the public defender's office, I observed that most pedophiles (as it's spelled here in the U.S.) were heterosexual men. That does not mean that homosexuals and women aren't also capable of abusing children. If there is any one unifying factor it is that the perpetrators were adults. ome of them just barely.

Abuse transcends the lines of gender, sexual orientation, class, ability, religion, country and professional,public or private accomplishment. Abuse ripples and renders for generations.

There are people from all walks of life abusing children right now as we are having this conversation. Many of those perpetrators were abused as children themselves and repeat the crime again and again in much the same way other traumatized people are drawn to repeat the patterns of the trauma. Not excusing anything here - only explaining causal relationship.

Often abuse is known about by other people but never spoken of for fear of getting involved or of embarrassing the victim. Through silence and inaction, entire communities of people can be collusive in the abuse of a child.

Homophobia (or xenophobia for that matter) is an easy energy to manipulate when people want to scape goat and focus attention on just one sector of humanity in an attempt to deflect attention away from the sins of their "own kind".

Humans of all stripes are capable of such violence - but they are also capable of great compassion and courage. It doesn't help us to protect children from predators or help us to advance past the violent culture we live in to perpetuate inaccurate conclusions based on hatred and fear.



Joyce