Gentle readers:
Examining Mr. Cowles’ article is yielding some interesting results. Let’s take a closer look at another anti-gay claim: “A recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that "The best epidemiological evidence indicates that only 2 - 4% of men attracted to adults prefer men. In contrast, around 25 - 40% of men attracted to children prefer boys. Thus, the rate of homosexual attraction is 6-20 times higher among pedophiles." This is a quote from: Ray Blanchard, et al. "Fraternal Birth Order and Sexual Orientation in Pedophiles." Archives of Sexual Behavior, October 2000 [Volume 29, Number 5], pages 463-478, p. 464. First let me begin by saying that the Archives of Sexual Behavior is a legitimate peer -reviewed journal, and that Dr. Blanchard is a well qualified researcher in his field of study. The quote provided by Mr. Clowes is not really damaging at all to the general population of gay men. Why? Because it tells us nothing about the general population of gay men. Dr. Blanchard’s entire study is directed at providing evidence to show a link between the fraternal birth order of pedophiles and sexual orientation in pedophiles. In fact, the study states on page 465 that: “There were two sources of pedophilic patients: Male outpatients referred to the Kurt Freund Phallometric Laboratory of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health—Clarke Division (Toronto, Ontario) for psychophysiological assessment of their erotic preferences, and incarcerated male sex offenders undergoing assessment or treatment at the Sexual Behaviour Clinic of Warkworth Institution (Campbellford, Ontario).” No matter how much contempt one may have for gay men, there is no way that these study participants could be regarded as a representative sample of gay men in general. So why is Mr. Clowes so motivated to provide this quote?
Could it be that the quote mentions “homosexuals” and “pedophiles” in close proximity? Could it be that it mentions “homosexuals” and “pedophiles” in a scientific study (remember my earlier comments about the legitimating nature of science)?
If one does not read the quote too closely, or if one does not understand the context of the quote correctly, then we might be tempted to think that there is an equivalency between “homosexuals” and “pedophiles”. Is this what Mr. Clowes is aiming at? Is he trying to elicit an emotional response of disgust from his audience towards homosexuals by linking them to pedophilia – over and over again – and in a way that sounds scientific? So far, we have been unable to uncover a single shred of credible evidence that shows homosexuals are disproportionately pedophiles, or that they represent a material threat to children in general. What do you think the odds are of that actually happening before we finish Mr. Clowes’ article? Cheers…Martin
Examining Mr. Cowles’ article is yielding some interesting results. Let’s take a closer look at another anti-gay claim: “A recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that "The best epidemiological evidence indicates that only 2 - 4% of men attracted to adults prefer men. In contrast, around 25 - 40% of men attracted to children prefer boys. Thus, the rate of homosexual attraction is 6-20 times higher among pedophiles." This is a quote from: Ray Blanchard, et al. "Fraternal Birth Order and Sexual Orientation in Pedophiles." Archives of Sexual Behavior, October 2000 [Volume 29, Number 5], pages 463-478, p. 464. First let me begin by saying that the Archives of Sexual Behavior is a legitimate peer -reviewed journal, and that Dr. Blanchard is a well qualified researcher in his field of study. The quote provided by Mr. Clowes is not really damaging at all to the general population of gay men. Why? Because it tells us nothing about the general population of gay men. Dr. Blanchard’s entire study is directed at providing evidence to show a link between the fraternal birth order of pedophiles and sexual orientation in pedophiles. In fact, the study states on page 465 that: “There were two sources of pedophilic patients: Male outpatients referred to the Kurt Freund Phallometric Laboratory of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health—Clarke Division (Toronto, Ontario) for psychophysiological assessment of their erotic preferences, and incarcerated male sex offenders undergoing assessment or treatment at the Sexual Behaviour Clinic of Warkworth Institution (Campbellford, Ontario).” No matter how much contempt one may have for gay men, there is no way that these study participants could be regarded as a representative sample of gay men in general. So why is Mr. Clowes so motivated to provide this quote?
Could it be that the quote mentions “homosexuals” and “pedophiles” in close proximity? Could it be that it mentions “homosexuals” and “pedophiles” in a scientific study (remember my earlier comments about the legitimating nature of science)?
If one does not read the quote too closely, or if one does not understand the context of the quote correctly, then we might be tempted to think that there is an equivalency between “homosexuals” and “pedophiles”. Is this what Mr. Clowes is aiming at? Is he trying to elicit an emotional response of disgust from his audience towards homosexuals by linking them to pedophilia – over and over again – and in a way that sounds scientific? So far, we have been unable to uncover a single shred of credible evidence that shows homosexuals are disproportionately pedophiles, or that they represent a material threat to children in general. What do you think the odds are of that actually happening before we finish Mr. Clowes’ article? Cheers…Martin
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