Why Gay Doesn't Equal Pedophile...and other things nobody should have to explain

Randy Bish / Politicalcartoons.com

Today the Boy Scouts of America officially welcomed gay members into the fold, but told those wishing to be Scout Leaders to take a hike. While I'm sure there are various homophobic reasons for this line being drawn, like the erroneous notion that homosexuality is a learned behaviour, the clear underlying assumption is that gay men will not be able to help themselves around young boys.

I was in high school when I first came across this puzzling stereotype. JK Rowling had just "outed" Dumbledore from the cupboard under the stairs, as it were, and my friend commented, "This makes me really uncomfortable to think about all those meetings Harry had alone in Dumbledore's office." She instantly linked homosexuality with pedophilia; a sentiment made even stranger by the fact that this was a fictional character in a resolved story who never showed any signs of sexual perversion.

Despite the title of this post, I don't really feel the need to explain why someone's sexuality in no way impacts the likelihood of them becoming a child molester. Homosexuality is neither sexually deviant nor perverse, and it does not lead to such behaviour. Like the notion of Blacks being lazy or blondes having more fun, these associations blur the line between what is an inborn trait and what is a free choice; a lack of distinction so often characteristic of homophobic arguments.