So difficult to keep up! (Re: Memeber of the religious right running morally amuck)

some stats.lit review of child sexual abuse from 1992-2001about child sex abuse victimshowever, this site http://www.stopitnow.com/comquest.html#Q2 says if we trust the last source, i think it is quite safe to say that 5% of so called straight men have raped a child.*EDIT*THIS PART IS A SEPARATE THOUGHT*/EDIT*the idea that homosexuality (and other "perversions") is caused by child sexual abuse is an old one and not necessarily debunked as far as i know. now. that's not to say that i believe it, or that ALL homosexuality is caused by it, but it is possible that there are a variety of causes (including inateness) which may be culture-specific. namely, maybe only in the west does abuse and rape contribute to homosexuality. the idea behind this may be that boys who are raped by a man close to them may learn that the only way to receive love from men is sexual. and women who are raped may learn to distrust men. this reaction would of course be related to the ways we treat sex according to gender. it's a very interesting question. but, we know that promiscuity can be related to abuse, so why not other varieties of sexual activity? of course, it must be open to working both ways. maybe someone who was born gay might "turn straight" because he was abused as a child. Edited by brennakimi, : No reason given.Edited by brennakimi, : No reason given.

We'd live in a society where you don't persecute people for doing things that they enjoy and harm no-one else. What an terrible thing that would be.

Of course, but then we'd live in a society where everyone was secure with their own sexuality. Edited by Zigler, : No reason given.

When did you choose to be straight?There are a plethora of studies that show there are genetics factors and epigenetic factors that determine one's sexuality.Not to mention the intrauterine factors that occur during fetal development.Bottom (hah!) line: sexuality is not a choice.

1 in 7 is hardly 5%. It's 14%.Are you suggesting that less than half of the boys that have been raped "choose" to be gay? Anthopological studies have shown that the rate of homosexuality is nearly constant cross-culturally.Are you suggesting that child-rape is constant cross-culturally?Re: data on child-rape.It is well documented that adult M/F rape is vastly underreported.What makes you think that child-rape stats are reliable?

Regarding the stats, I don't know. What I do know is that all of my gay friends have assured me many times that they had never been raped when they were little. I trust them.

---

Disclaimer:

​

Occasionally, owing to the deficiency of the English language, I have used he/him/his meaning he or she/him or her/his or her in order to avoid awkwardness of style.

​

He, him, and his are not intended as exclusively masculine pronouns. They may refer to either sex or to both sexes!

i'm not straight.i chose to date my fiance. i chose to date the man i dated before him. i chose to fool around with various (not a large number) men and women throughout my time of experience. i don't trust people whose lifestyle and behavior are based solely on people they tend to have in their beds.i didn't say it was a choice, and i did discuss innate sexuality, thanks. however, there are lots of psychological factors that may help determine our various activities, including our sexualities. i frankly think we choose our sexual partners in isolation according to factors outside our control and "homosexuality" and "heterosexuality" are labels we define ourself with based on our choices (which aren't so much choices, really).who we are and what we do in EVERYTHING ELSE can be affected by our life experiences. i'm simply suggesting that it's not entirely insane to think that sexual behavior might, in part, be affected by experiences as well. but to suggest that homosexuality only occurs as a result of child abuse is silly.bottom line: there's a difference between environmental influences on behavior and choices.Edited by brennakimi, : No reason given.

Brenna, that was a reply to Phat.

yes. but 5% is less than 14% and obviously included. i never said chose. you did. i've been here for years and have never said chose. i'm suggesting that being raped affects your personality and potentially your behavior. but that particular point was intended to say that it is more than reasonable to think that 5% of supposedly straight men are rapists. just because the rate is the same doesn't necessarily mean that the causes are the same. i don't have that data. i agree. i didn't. i simply found some. they don't even seem to agree with each other. *i* would assume that they are underreported as well. thus, the numbers here are safely a minimum.

i do as well. i was discussing a theory that others have held and the possibility that environmental factors *might* have an effect on various kinds of behavior. we *know* that sexual abuse can cause promiscuity. wanting to get laid can also cause promiscuity. the presence of the one does not nulify the other. one source of non-strictly-heterosxual behavior is likely innate desire. another source may be factors that affect the ability to trust and be close to certain people.

lol oops. but still.

Brenna, the fact that the rates are cross-culturally similar suggests a genetic cause.Otherwise you are stuck with, "Well, lots of different cultural factors play into sexuality but they all tend to cause a 10% homosexuality rate."

i think you may have a similar problem with underreporting. also, what about people who are primarily "straight" but have had partners of the same sex? what about instilled institutions of such bahaviors? how about people who consistently date members of one sex but settle down with a member of the other sex (whether it's the same as theirs or not)? how about bisexuality? do you include these in your numbers?attraction may well be genetic. behavior may not neccessarily be.

Perhaps a nitpick, but without going into personal details, I will guarantee you that many (and possibly even most) people involved in alternative sexual lifestyles (yes, including people who strap dildos to their faces) are not, in fact, doing to due to any sort of past traumatic experience.Just becasue someone enjoys something sexually that you may not enjoy or even understand doesn't mean they necessarily have some sort of deep seated mental issues. The only assumption that would be reasonable in this case would be that, whatever his actual sexual desires were, they were repressed by his outward conservative Christian appearance.

---

Every time a fundy breaks the laws of thermodynamics, Schroedinger probably kills his cat.

Says you. You do realize that an incredibly large proportion of pornography (and Im speaking of straight porn here as that's all I have experience with), possibly even the majority, features anal sex? Because he has sexual desires you dont personally share or understand? Not everyone is like you, Phat, and anyone who is different has not necessarily been abused in the past. hell, it's not even likely. I personally know many, many individuals who have never been molested or abused in any way and yet have what you would call unusual sexual tastes. Some even weirder than the gentleman in question (though two wetsuits at once is certainly a bit odd).Your assertions do not flow from any evidence.

---

Every time a fundy breaks the laws of thermodynamics, Schroedinger probably kills his cat.