FAQ: Aren't gay people more likely to sexually abuse children than straight people?

No. Adult sexual orientation is irrelevant to the sexual abuse of children. The vast majority of adults who sexually abuse children identify as heterosexual, even those men who sexually abuse boys. Child sexual abuse and homosexuality are linked by a series of odd and unsettling connections in the public mind. Heterosexism - the belief that heterosexuality is the only normal and natural form of sexual expression - tends to reinforce the belief that homosexual people are somehow sexually deviant. Once this belief system is in place, it is just a quick step to thinking that homosexuals might be more likely to sexually abuse children.

The truth is that the sexual abuse of children has little to do with adult sexual preference. Child sexual abuse is more about the expression of sexual power than about the expression of sexual preference for one gender or another. Some sexual offenders have a preference for children of one gender or the other, but this preference is not necessarily reflected in their adult sexual choices. This stereotype is part of broader cultural homophobia, which not only scapegoats gay men as sexual offenders but also makes it difficult for boys to disclose sexual abuse by men for fear of being labeled gay. This type of homophobia also makes it difficult for gay men and women to disclose child sexual abuse because it might be used to explain their sexual orientation.

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