Setting the Record Straight

It’s unfortunate that anti-gay groups are using the Foley scandal to advance their divisive agenda.

Mark Foley’s behavior was despicable. He abused the power of his office, violated the trust of the voters, and preyed on young people. If Foley broke the law, he should be prosecuted. His sexual orientation is irrelevant to this story. Such behavior is shameful and immoral regardless of the perpetrator’s sexual orientation.

Predictably, anti-gay groups have used this awful situation to push their divisive agenda. They are pushing false stereotypes about gay men preying on young people—stereotypes that have no basis in science or fact. Tony Perkins and others from the Family Research Council are working overtime, in TV appearances and in communications to their members, to advance the false assertion that gay men are more likely to be pedophiles. Perkins and his crowd use junk science to back up their false assertions. In fact, a 1998 study described in the Journal of the American Medical Association says that 98% of male pedophiles are heterosexual. Other peer reviewed studies reach similar conclusions.
Perkins and his crowd are advancing this stereotype because fear is all they have left in their arsenal. They’re losing and they know it. All the polls are moving in our direction. A solid majority of Americans believe gay and lesbian people should be treated equally. Even support for marriage equality is increasing. With people under age 35, the numbers are even better. Within two decades, the anti-gay groups will have lost on every single issue. That’s why they’re pushing the anti-family Federal Marriage Amendment. They want to lock today’s public opinion into the constitution forever.

Perkins and his crowd talk a lot about the “will of the people