The misrepresentation of Sexualities: Homosexuality, Heterosexuality, Pedophilia, etc.

I realize this is a touchy subject, and I don't mean to offend anyone; so I apologize if what I am about to bring up is any bit distressing to the readers.

Sexuality is a massively confusing subject due to many factors. Psychology was the primary identity behind the research of why some people are sexually and/or romantically attracted to specific genders, ages, and creatures. Unfortunately, Psychology isn't conducted in the way that conventional science is conducted. It isn't technically science because it doesn't use the Scientific Method like any branches of Science use it. A lot of Psychology is based on opinion, rather than hard facts; fortunately, as time progresses, our modern form of Psychological studies are becoming more refined and accurate, and less founded upon personal, unfounded assumption. Nevertheless, the historical points of views that founded some psychological studies and conclusions are still sometimes seen in society. In this case, it's societal views upon Sexuality in general.

In any topic involving Sexuality, "Homosexuality" specifically is brought up. When Homosexuality is brought up, there always seems to be some misinformed individual who compares Homosexuality with Pedophilia. They usually tend to say something along the lines of "Well if we teach homosexuality is alright, then that will inevitably lead to teaching that having sex with children is alright!" They go on to profess their rejection of what they believe to be pedophilia actions. You'll see similar notions about relationships with animals, trees, anything really.

The main issue that comes up is that these people view these paraphilias and sexualities as Unnatural. They tend to only think in a way in which their own societal points of views define and portray things as - both presently, and historically.

I'm not sure where they get the idea that sexuality isn't a biological trait, however. I'll touch upon homosexuality exclusively as it is the most studied out of the sexualities that gather conflict in people.


~ PET and MRI show differences in cerebral asymmetry and functional connectivity between homo- and heterosexual subjects

~ Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity

~ Heterosexual and homosexual behaviour and vocalisations in captive female koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus)

~ There are more than 1500 species that have been known to exhibit Homosexual Behavior

~ Certain species of whiptail lizards have all-female or nearly all-female populations. These lizards reproduce by parthenogenesis, and research has shown that simulated mating behavior increases fertility.

~ Some species exhibit sequential hermaphroditism. In these species, such as many species of coral reef fishes, sex change is a normal anatomical process. Clownfish, wrasses, moray eels, gobies and other fish species are known to change sex, including reproductive functions.

These are all peer reviewed articles that focus on Homosexuality in biology and life in general. It is clearly not a choice, and it coexists with life on Earth fairly well it would seem.

But that brings us back to the association of Homosexuality and other sexualities. Pedophiles and Child Molesters are not interchangeable, synonymous terms. Pedophilia is a Paraphilia, a Sexuality, where as molesting children is an actual action. Most child molesters aren't pedophiles. They are sexual sadists, or angry, drunken parents, they are lonely psychologically disturbed family members or family friends. Very few child molesters are actually Pedophiles. Most pedophiles realize the damage they could cause if they acted on their sexual/romantic urges. A lot of them attempt to seek help, but in most cases they will be refused because they are instantly viewed as monsters due to the ignorance and intolerance of society. In fact 80% of sexual crimes against children are not committed by pedophiles. Source

Fortunately, there are others out there that realize these misrepresented connections, and clearly state the differences between Homosexuality, and the comparison to other Sexualities.

Nevertheless, social norms trump intellectual stimulation in many individuals, and representing such things like Pedophilia in such a non aggressive way leads to tendencies where those opposing views just accuse those who are making valid arguments (with verifiable evidence) as somehow accepting that people should be allowed to have some sort of relationship with children.

I suppose the main issue I have with these confrontations is the inability to accept new information; as if accepting what is not considered the social norm is an impossibility.

The fact is, Sexuality (every kind of sexuality), is entirely, and intrinsically natural. We aren't aware of the population statistics of sexualities because the intolerance and ignorance towards them is so strong that these individuals who may be struggling to handle their sexuality are taught to hide in the shadows, rather than to accept who they are, or even to go for help if they feel they need it.

Anyway, that's my rant

Thank you for sharing this, i hope it can help people understand Better why we humans do things differently.

a reply to: Ghost147

When you made a similar post in the other thread, I was hoping you'd make a thread out of it.

It's definitely warranted.

Psychology does use statistics, just like climate change, so must be in some part the scientific process, and God only knows what other system have been used under the radar, but going by other specialities, they would have been used.
To add, you used this,
" I'll touch upon homosexuality exclusively as it is the most studied out of the sexualities that gather conflict in people."
And the results are?

Heterosexuality is the norm and anything else is considered a deviancy (deviating from the norm) by definition. I don't care who buggers whom as long as it is consenting sexual activity. I am just saying homosexuality is technically deviant sexual behavior and really you can't argue that point.

a reply to: Ghost147

Pedophilia is a Paraphilia, a Sexuality

Because the 1% say it is a "philia" makes it an actual form. Its not. I am not saying that they do most of the molestations, and there should be more help for those who seek it, and understanding. I think its a kind of fetish or psychological interest in young, and in dark occult 1% circles, a form of ritual and dark spiritual practices. But for ordinary people, this violates nature, is highly damaging and dangerous to children mind/body and soul, and its anything but a variation of sexuality. Its a deviancy.

I'm not disagreeing with your OP, but I think I can explain why some people link homosexuality & pedophilia.

Technically, pedophilia involves any adult having sex with any child. But the most infamous (as in, "most widely spread in the media") situations involving pedophilia are usually between adult males & male children. Just think about the global Catholic Church child sex scandal, the Hasidic Jewish pedophilia scandals, the Jerry Sandusky at Penn State scandals, etc. They are usually focused on the cases between men & boys, which is one reason people associate it with homosexuality. Plus, the male on male cases are usually presented as "molestation/pedophilia" while the male on girl cases are usually presented as "rape". So it's partially an issue of presentation & semantics. Like seriously, go look up the cases of female teachers having sex with male students & you'll see that many articles don't even mention that it's statutory rape, much less pedophilia.

Another reason is that many people have either been molested or have dealt with molestation in their own lives. So many of the people (men) who talk or type about homosexuality & pedophilia may be speaking from experience, not from a dictionary's definition of the terms. And since many community's even in the West basically tell a female victim to be silent & not press the issue, the conversation tends to focus almost exclusively on a male's view of pedophilia (which is generally male on male).

However, I think the biggest reason the two terms are linked comes from "hyper-macho" sub-cultures for many males. If a young male has sex with an adult female, many guys don't see that as pedophilia. They'll even congratulate the young male, especially if they think the older female is sexually attractive. Some men even take their sons to get prostitutes as a "rite of passage", so clearly they wouldn't consider it pedophilia. And many of these same guys have no problem having sex with younger females, regardless of what they say in public. Just look up global "sex tourism" statistics to get a better idea. So once again, you can't expect those people to link their actions with "pedophilia".

Thanks for your support everyone

a reply to: Metallicus

The thing is though, "normalcy" is subjective. Homosexuality was very common in ancient Rome for example. We can't simply look at things from a societal perspective when referencing biology. We see commonalities of Homosexuality with over 1500 known species, we see gender changing with thousands more species, and we even see species that are entirely one gender. That kind of trumps the whole normalcy argument.

originally posted by: Ghost147
Thanks for your support everyone

a reply to: Metallicus

The thing is though, "normalcy" is subjective. Homosexuality was very common in ancient Rome for example. We can't simply look at things from a societal perspective when referencing biology. We see commonalities of Homosexuality with over 1500 known species, we see gender changing with thousands more species, and we even see species that are entirely one gender. That kind of trumps the whole normalcy argument.

Not really.

We are talking about our species. And within our species, heterosexuality is the norm.

There are a lot of behaviors in nature that are far more common than what we see in the human species in terms of behavior, but does that mean we should suddenly alter our behavior to attempt to mimic nature?

What about cannibalism? Or infanticide?

originally posted by: enlightenedservant
I'm not disagreeing with your OP, but I think I can explain why some people link homosexuality & pedophilia.

Technically, pedophilia involves any adult having sex with any child.

Actually, that's inaccurate. You've described Child Molestation, not Pedophilia. The definition of Pedophilia, according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition is when an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 11 years or younger. The actual act of having sex with a child is not pedophilia.

This is where the misunderstanding stems.

originally posted by: enlightenedservant But the most infamous (as in, "most widely spread in the media") situations involving pedophilia are usually between adult males & male children.

I'm not so sure that media focuses on male on male molestation cases. Especially considering 82% of all juvenile victims are female. (“Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics,” U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000.)

originally posted by: enlightenedservant
Just think about the global Catholic Church child sex scandal, the Hasidic Jewish pedophilia scandals, the Jerry Sandusky at Penn State scandals, etc. They are usually focused on the cases between men & boys, which is one reason people associate it with homosexuality. Plus, the male on male cases are usually presented as "molestation/pedophilia" while the male on girl cases are usually presented as "rape". So it's partially an issue of presentation & semantics. Like seriously, go look up the cases of female teachers having sex with male students & you'll see that many articles don't even mention that it's statutory rape, much less pedophilia.

I can understand how some people will correlate the two together to some degree. What I dont understand is how, despite showing an infinite about of evidence, they still reject what is so obviously true.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

You brought up a point. If "pedophilia" is defined technically as a sexual act with a child, then its not true that they don't do the molestations. It is extremely criminal and psychopathic.

originally posted by: Ghost147

originally posted by: enlightenedservant
I'm not disagreeing with your OP, but I think I can explain why some people link homosexuality & pedophilia.

Technically, pedophilia involves any adult having sex with any child.

Actually, that's inaccurate. You've described Child Molestation, not Pedophilia. The definition of Pedophilia, according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition is when an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 11 years or younger. The actual act of having sex with a child is not pedophilia.

This is where the misunderstanding stems.

originally posted by: enlightenedservant But the most infamous (as in, "most widely spread in the media") situations involving pedophilia are usually between adult males & male children.

I'm not so sure that media focuses on male on male molestation cases. Especially considering 82% of all juvenile victims are female. (“Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics,” U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000.)

originally posted by: enlightenedservant
Just think about the global Catholic Church child sex scandal, the Hasidic Jewish pedophilia scandals, the Jerry Sandusky at Penn State scandals, etc. They are usually focused on the cases between men & boys, which is one reason people associate it with homosexuality. Plus, the male on male cases are usually presented as "molestation/pedophilia" while the male on girl cases are usually presented as "rape". So it's partially an issue of presentation & semantics. Like seriously, go look up the cases of female teachers having sex with male students & you'll see that many articles don't even mention that it's statutory rape, much less pedophilia.

I can understand how some people will correlate the two together to some degree. What I dont understand is how, despite showing an infinite about of evidence, they still reject what is so obviously true.

I think our misunderstanding is that people in real life don't focus on thoughts as much as actions. People think all kinds of things, but a "pedophilia" case makes the news when an actual action takes place. "Child porn" is presented one way, "rape" is usually presented a different way, and "molestation & pedophilia" are presented yet another way. It's the same way people don't think of something as bestiality unless the person actual commits the act with an animal.

Also, I'm not saying that women don't get molested or raped. But like I said, media representation almost never describes those incidents between males & females as pedophilia. It's usually described as "rape", "statutory rape", or "molestation" if the child is a female; but is described as "sex" when the female is the older one. It usually only gets labeled "pedophilia" when it involves an older male & a younger male (which is also a homosexual act, hence the association). I'm not talking about government reports because those aren't media representations and most people don't read them. I'm talking about why many people associate the two terms.

Like I said in my original post, I'm not disagreeing with your OP. I'm simply trying to explain why some people associate homosexuality with pedophilia. It won't matter how much evidence some people get on the subject. If they were molested by an older person of the same gender, they're probably going to link the two terms. And if they're personally attracted to kids, I'm guessing they still won't consider themselves pedophiles. Just think of how many people fit the definitions for "racist" or "bigoted" but don't consider themselves racists or bigots. I think it's the same thing.

originally posted by: Unity_99
a reply to: enlightenedservant

You brought up a point. If "pedophilia" is defined technically as a sexual act with a child, then its not true that they don't do the molestations. It is extremely criminal and psychopathic.

To be fair, i think it's described as the desire for children, not necessarily the action. I'm not sure anymore. The connotation I'd always heard it in always involved the actions as well.

originally posted by: ketsuko
Not really.

We are talking about our species. And within our species, heterosexuality is the norm.

There are a lot of behaviors in nature that are far more common than what we see in the human species in terms of behavior, but does that mean we should suddenly alter our behavior to attempt to mimic nature?

What about cannibalism? Or infanticide?

It's not about attempting to mimic nature, it's about the fact that neurological structure is inherently naturally produced. There for Homosexuality is natural.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

I understand where you're getting it. Then what would you say would be the best way to educate society as a whole about the misrepresentations? Media is notorious for misrepresentation unfortunately.

originally posted by: Ghost147
a reply to: enlightenedservant

I understand where you're getting it. Then what would you say would be the best way to educate society as a whole about the misrepresentations? Media is notorious for misrepresentation unfortunately.

Honestly, I don't know. I'd say it should start at home or with the parents, but that's assuming that parents & elders aren't the ones teaching the misconceptions in the first place. Plus many adults would have to be willing to come to terms with the fact that they're technically pedophiles, bisexuals, etc. Otherwise they'd just distort the definitions so as not to "taint" their public image.

Perhaps some PSA's would help, or something similar to an "ice bucket challenge". Or it could take a movie, short film, or pop song. It sounds ridiculous, but it seems like it would take celebrities or the entertainment industry to highlight the differences. They're some of the few people who can reach our entire populations. Just imagine if the latest "Avengers" movie had a 10 second scene where Ironman mocks someone for not knowing the difference in pedophilia (the thought) & child molestation/rape (the action).

Most politicians won't touch the issue, and the ones that do usually only reinforce the misconceptions. And you probably saw in the other thread how much of a backlash there can be to having the public schools try to teach it, even though I think that would be a good place to start.

originally posted by: Ghost147

originally posted by: ketsuko
Not really.

We are talking about our species. And within our species, heterosexuality is the norm.

There are a lot of behaviors in nature that are far more common than what we see in the human species in terms of behavior, but does that mean we should suddenly alter our behavior to attempt to mimic nature?

What about cannibalism? Or infanticide?

It's not about attempting to mimic nature, it's about the fact that neurological structure is inherently naturally produced. There for Homosexuality is natural.

There are lots of things that are natural, but it is a logical fallacy to conclude that just because you see something in nature that it is a good thing for you to do. Again, I can cite cannibalism and infanticide just to start.

Also, there are plenty of things that are all-natural and perfectly bad for you, too. You can always ingest a tapeworm for weight loss, after all. Completely natural and completely bad.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

I agree, Home education is far from accurate, especially considering most of the world has no real concept of evidence based facts and where to get them. School perhaps?

a reply to: ketsuko

And why is having healthy, connecting, and non destructive sexual and romantic relationships something we shouldn't be doing? I don't see how a homosexual relationship is in anyway worse than a heterosexual one. Do you?

originally posted by: Metallicus
Heterosexuality is the norm and anything else is considered a deviancy (deviating from the norm) by definition. I don't care who buggers whom as long as it is consenting sexual activity. I am just saying homosexuality is technically deviant sexual behavior and really you can't argue that point.

In my country there is a form that you sign which refers to admitting being a 'sexual deviant' and it means that you're admitting having a sexuality which is dangerous enough to the public that it warrants being subsidised by the government to provide certain hormones and other pills to prevent sexual activity.

Some endocrinologists have trans people sign it so they can get cheaper healthcare. It ruins lives. The etymology of that word isn't what you think it is, and a cursory evaluation of its use would reveal that almost immediately.

As for normalcy you would have to define the term. Normalcy of function? Of outcome? Of number of times it happens? On Easter island it was statistically normal to eat human beings hundreds of years ago. Forced sex produces children. Pretty normal right? Most people in the world don't play ice hockey. Goddamn sports deviants.

Basically you can't say what you just said without an in depth philosophical investigation into what you're saying, why you're saying it, and the outcomes of that statement. If you're saying homosexuals are sexually deviant and attempting to claim you're using the word 'deviation' and it's statistical variance, but you're not referring to sports deviants (which I don't think you wold) then I'm gonna suggest you're being intellectually dishonest. :/

a reply to: Ghost147

Sadly you're trying to educate people who don't want to be educated.
Also people who get their morality from 'The Good Book'
It's a futile exercise.