Definition of Sexuality w/Respect to Child Molestation

[iamthewalrus_3]

This thread was prompted by a Pit thread about Ann Coulter’s recent column. :rolleyes:

In this thread, an argument resulted that, I think, boils down to whether child molesters who molest children of their sex should be considered “homosexual.”

My gut reaction is that child molesters are just sick people, and that referring to some as “homosexual” child molesters is just a cheap shot at homosexuals.

My question is this: is there any evidence of a correlation between the sex of a child molester’s victim and the sex of that child molesters’ adult sexual partners? (I’m not even sure if this evidence exists, as I would guess that child molesters do not tend to have normal adult sexual relationships.)

I am looking for statistical studies and analyses here. Personal convictions can go back to the Pit.

[Waverly]

This could easily degenerate into a heated debate. It is not necessarily a question that can be answered with certainty.

However:
It is my opinion, and it seems to be shared by many professional in the field, (link) that the gender of the victim of molestation is not necessarily indicative of the orientation of the perpetrator. If this becomes a debate, I know of at least one Doper that would have an expert opinion, I’ll see if I can direct her to this thread.

[Ringo]

I’m not conversant with current thought in this area, but it seems that one thing you’d want to consider is whether child molesters routinely molest any kid they can maneuver into an exploitable situation versus whether or not their victims tend to be of one or the other sex.

And, of course, you have to consider whether or not one answer fits all.

[doreen]

Neither personal conviction nor cites- just anecdotal evidence from my own experience in criminal justice -

One answer definitely doesn’t fit all-Those that I’ve encountered who have adult sexual relationships have invariably had them with members of the opposite sex,regardless of the gender of their victims. Whether they actually are attracted to adults , or use the relationship as either cover or to gain access to children is another question. Some prefer molesting children of one sex or the other and some don’t care about the victims sex.Some only molest their own children and others go outside of their family.

Doreen

[iamthewalrus_3]

I realize that this could easily become a debate, and almost posted it in GD, but there is a factual question here.

I see from Waverly’s link that a better term for what I described in the OP is male-male molestation, because that does not contribute to the stereotype that gay men abuse children.

I am not trying to contribute to that stereotype, but I want to know if any studies have been done on the sexual orientation of child molesters.

Thanks for responses so far.

[iamthewalrus_3]

sorry Waverly, I didn’t finish reading that link before I posted.

It seems that several studies showed that homosexuals are not necessarily more likely to molest children than heterosexuals.

This is part of the question, but does not really answer whether, for example, a heterosexual molester is more likely to molest a child of the opposite sex.

[jb_farley]

i would say that the majority of pedophiles (not necessarily molesters) tend to have adult hetero relations, if they have any. basically, for sociosexual reasons.

heterosexuality is the norm. sexaul relations between adults are predominantly heterosexual, decided by sexual orientation. so, if our pedophile is not attracted to adults, wouldn’t the default be a sexual relationship with an adult of the opposite sex? because, by taking the sexual out of ‘sociosexual’, we’re left with social.

hmm. what a mish-mash. basically, what i’m saying is that one only behaves homosexually (that is, by having sexual relations with or attractions to the same sex) when there is sexual motive enough to overcome the social expectations (i.e., i’m going to sleep with guys because i’m really attracted to them). and one gets what one wants.

but if one can’t get what one wants out of an adult relationship, one’s relationship will tend to be heterosexual.

damn. i didn’t do a good job of this.
sorry.

jb

[handy]

Men who have sex with boys are called Pederasts & the boys are called catamites. I can’t find any reference to pederasts being exclusively homosexuals. I suppose it’s like men having sex in prison & not being considered homosexuals.

[jb_farley]

hmm. one point i didn’t really touch on is that sexual orientation is not dependant on age. if a male prefers female children, he is a heterosexual pedophile. if a male prefers male children, he is a homosexual pedophile.

that is, if you like girls (no matter their age) you are heterosexual, but if you like boys (ibid) you are homosexual. no need to be p.c. about it.

jb

[Shayna]

There really is no debate, as it’s not a matter of opinion, but one of fact.

is there any evidence of a correlation between the sex of a child molester’s victim and the sex of that child molesters’ adult sexual partners?

No.

I know we’re not allowed to cross-post entire replies, so I’ll try to limit my c/p to only the relevant parts, however, please see my reply to the above-linked thread, here, for a more complete answer.

from http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_molestation.html

<snip>

Another problem related to terminology arises because sexual abuse of male children by adult men is often referred to as “homosexual molestation.” The adjective “homosexual” (or “heterosexual” when a man abuses a female child) refers to the victim’s gender in relation to that of the perpetrator. Unfortunately, people sometimes mistakenly interpret it as referring to the perpetrator’s sexual orientation.

To avoid this confusion, it is preferable to refer to men’s sexual abuse of boys with the more accurate label of male-male molestation. Similarly, it is preferable to refer to men’s abuse of girls as male-female molestation. These labels are more accurate because they describe the sex of the individuals involved but don’t convey implicit assumptions about the perpetrator’s sexual orientation.

The distinction between gender of victim and sexual orientation of perpetrator is important because many child molesters don’t really have an adult sexual orientation. They have never developed the capacity for mature sexual relationships with other adults, either men or women.

<snip>

[N]one of the 175 adult males in their sample – all of whom were convicted in Massachusetts of sexual assault against a child – had an exclusively homosexual adult sexual orientation. 83 of the men (47%) were classified as “fixated;” 70 others (40%) were classified as regressed adult heterosexuals; the remaining 22 (13%) were classified as regressed adult bisexuals. Of the last group, Groth and Birnbaum observed that “in their adult relationships they engaged in sex on occasion with men as well as with women. However, in no case did this attraction to men exceed their preference for women…There were no men who were primarily sexually attracted to other adult males…”

<snip>

The research to date all points to there being no significant relationship between a homosexual lifestyle and child molestation. There appears to be practically no reportage of sexual molestation of girls by lesbian adults, and the adult male who sexually molests young boys is not likely to be homosexual (Groth & Gary, 1982, p. 147).

Hope that helps.

[Waverly]

Shayna, you are quoting from the same link given in the first reply to the OP. Judging from iamthewalrus’s response, he already read and understood it.

Thanks for the link to the other thread. I know there are also several older threads where this was gone over in even greater detail, but since they don’t show up in a search, I’m afraid they may be lost.