Father, son, rape daughters/sister in Austr ... err ... Italy.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I'm still obliged to ring my mother, on returning from holiday, on that very principle Malthus.

In her view I am perfectly safe in inner-city Preston, but am at great risk whenever I go and stay in a fancy hotel somewhere nice 

[Martinus]

Because that doesn't buy votes or fit neatly into the nice worldview of the conservatives. It is much easier to target gay teachers and the like, since they are vulnerable and easily isolated scapegoats.

Do people still say this about gays?  My understanding is the conservatives were concerned that having gays around would 'normalize' homosexuality for kids and would not ensure they properly see it as evil and against nature.  I have not heard the hysterics over gays being pedophiles in a long time.

At least in Poland they do. The conservative government few years ago tried to ban gays from being teachers. They failed (and probably wouldn't have managed to push this through succesfully, as unconstitutional) but the fact that such rhetorics is still preset is there.

I think various Christian fundamentalist groups in the US also bring up a link between homosexuality and pedophilia.

[Martinus]

But on the other hand a friend of mine is gay and was accused of child abuse and damn he was in a really shitty spot since the jury would have been conservative locals who would have wanted to string him up.

Fortunately the kid later admited he made it up.

Yeah. A gay person working in any capacity with kids has always issues like this to deal with. It does not even need to be a situation in which a child accuses the gay dude of molesting - imagine a situation in which a student finds out a teacher is gay (in countries like Poland or rural/conservative America, such a teacher would probably be closeted, at least at work), and begins to flirt with him - no matter how the teacher reacts (i.e. refuses the advances and says nothing; refuses the advances and goes to a principal or to the parents etc.), he is immediately suspect and will probably lose his job, if not face bigger trouble.

It's actually one of the reasons I decided against staying at college and becoming a college tutor. Of course the issue of child molesting wouldn't be there, as most students are adults, but there would still be a lot of room for drama, blackmail and homophobia.

[Valmy]

I think various Christian fundamentalist groups in the US also bring up a link between homosexuality and pedophilia.

Well some fundies bring up the links between legalizing abortion and the rise in crime...despite the fact there has not been any such rise.

I just do not hear them say it publicly anymore.

[HVC]

A family that plays together stays together

[szmik]

.... he is immediately suspect and will probably lose his job, if not face bigger trouble....

... and you took it out of your ass 

[Cerr]

I think various Christian fundamentalist groups in the US also bring up a link between homosexuality and pedophilia.

Well some fundies bring up the links between legalizing abortion and the rise in crime

The writers of the book Freakonomics argued that legalising abortion was in a large part responsible for the reduction in crime in the 90s.

[Neil]

I think various Christian fundamentalist groups in the US also bring up a link between homosexuality and pedophilia.

To be fair, there's a factual link between homosexuality and pedophilia.

[jimmy olsen]

I think various Christian fundamentalist groups in the US also bring up a link between homosexuality and pedophilia.

Well some fundies bring up the links between legalizing abortion and the rise in crime...despite the fact there has not been any such rise.

I just do not hear them say it publicly anymore.

I've never heard that before, I have read the opposite though.

[dps]

Malthus (as he often does) makes an astute observation.

Yeah, but it doesn't fit neatly into the nice worldview that Marty has of conservatives.

[Drakken]

Did it happen in Salò?

[Sheilbh]

I think various Christian fundamentalist groups in the US also bring up a link between homosexuality and pedophilia.

I think that was Anita Bryant (God's drag queen) in the 70s.  It's not the sort of thing alleged on a regular basis here, or, I think, in the US.

[Martinus]

.... he is immediately suspect and will probably lose his job, if not face bigger trouble....

... and you took it out of your ass 

How many openly gay teachers do you know?

[szmik]

.... he is immediately suspect and will probably lose his job, if not face bigger trouble....

... and you took it out of your ass 

How many openly gay teachers do you know?

Just 1 lesbian teacher in secondary school. She had a problem initially, but she didn't give in and they eventually couldn't fire her. Someone else might give up though.

[Valmy]

I've never heard that before, I have read the opposite though.

You have heard that crime has gone down because of legalized abortion?  Pretty sure there is no connection between the two.