Socialite sues over priest's abuse that 'made him gay'

[emad]

Socialite sues over priest's abuse that 'made him gay'
By Jacqui Goddard



A NEW YORK socialite who claims that he was molested by a priest as a child is to sue the Roman Catholic Church for £2.8 million, alleging that the ordeal made him grow up gay.

J. David Enright IV says that Father Joseph Romano sexually abused him at a Christian youth camp in the early 1960s, when he was seven years old, telling him that it was “a rite of passage”.

Were it not for the repeated assaults, which are said to have taken place behind a log cabin after evening prayers, Mr Enright, 51, is convinced that he would be straight.

“I believe that my life would be very different now. I’d probably be married, living in Greenwich with four children in boarding school,” he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,173-1823176,00.html

[soleft]

1. This was the cover of the NY Post yesterday

[davidinalameda]

2. yes, I feel horrible for him for the abuse

but for "making him gay"???

sorry, he's looking for an excuse

[jsamuel]

4. I don't think it is that simple

I don't think it is unusual to suggest that what happens to a kid influences how he grows up. (not that I don't see the other side too)

[purduejake]

5. That is what I thought at first...

but please keep in mind that there is a lot that could go on psychologically with people who are molested. It was my perception that it may "turn you gay" if you were molested by the opposite sex, but as I admit, I am ignorant on the topic. All I know is that there are many psychological reactions. Anybody know more?

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Why can't you see that it's possible?

How is it possible for you to accept that some men are latent homosexuals, but not see that it can go the other way too? I think this world is full of opportunities for sexual confusion. The big surprise is that it doesn't happen more often. We're too busy fighting political wars, that there are exceptions to every rule out there that are getting short-changed.

[Puglover]

9. What he's looking for

is a nice fat cash settlement. A victim of abuse? Of course he is. You can't make someone gay anymore then someone could make me str8.
It's bullshit.

[Behind the Aegis]

11. I agree.

I despise when people say things like this. It is nothing more than self-shame. If he wants to change, he could go to "Exodus." :eyes:

[purduejake]

3. Watch the church argue that being gay...

is genetic and that something like that COULDN'T turn him gay. I know nothing about the psychological effects of molestation, so I won't comment any further about my generalized personal beliefs about turning people gay vs. genetics.

[FreedomAngel82]

6. Oh yes

Someone else's actions make you do something else. Sounds like a cop-out to me and trying to blame someone else. :eyes: Give me a break.
Maybe this is why the Pope earlier was purging the church of gay people. :eyes: This, to me, is the most ridiculous thing. If the guy was going to have a family and four children he would've whether or not he was molested. Why didn't he tell anybody what was going on? Authorites or something?

[davidinalameda]

8. never blame the victim for not reporting the abuse

especially in cases like this but I do agree, if he was going to have kids and a family, he would have

I believe that if you're gay, you're gonna be gay no matter what and if you're straight, same thing.

There are countless cases of men being abused by other men and growing up straight

maybe this guy really believes that the abuse caused him to become gay, but the facts and statistics don't support it

[WI_DEM]

10. The crime was abuse and this guy seems to be only concerned

because he "grew up gay." What if it had been an adult woman abusing him at 7? would he then have grown up straight?

[shrike]

12. Pedophilia and homosexuality are different things

Heard a convicted pedophile discuss this on the T & V -- he'd met homosexuals in prison, he said, and he wasn't one of them. "I'm a pedophile," he said. "I'm attracted to children."

While it is true that molestation is very, very hard on one's psyche (and is inexcusable and unforgivable), plenty of people do go on and have families. They don't necessarily "turn gay." There's also some experimentation when one is young; human sexuality is complex. While I feel deeply sorry for this gentleman, I don't know that his experience turned him gay.

We've just had a rash of coaches and scout leaders in this area who turned out to be pedophiles. Lord, they do manage to get themselves in close contact with kids, don't they? No pun intended.

[Ian David]

13. I suppose that about one out of ten molested kids "become" gay

Which would be about equal to the number of non-molested kids that become gay.

On the other hand, many gay kids "suspect" they are gay at a young age, and often their peers may suspect as well.

It's possible that some child molesters intentionally seek-out kids who they sense are already questioning their own sexual orientation.

To use a fictional example, think about the Saturday Night Live bit with Scoutmaster Alec Baldwin and "Canteen Boy."


Notice which kid the fictional scoutmaster singled-out for unwanted advances?

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/94/94hmono.phtml

[Kurovski]

14. And many, many more individuals are bisexual.

This is likely the case with our socialite.

You can't be "turned gay". If the plumbing ain't hooked up, the plumbing won't work, no matter how hard you force the faucet.