I REGULARLY read, and enjoy, the John Blunt column in your paper.
It would be true to say that a lot of what he writes about strikes a chord with what a lot of people think about certain issues of the day, but, with that in mind, he surely has a duty to present his arguments in a fair and reasoned way.
This he failed to do, in his latest onslaught about gay people adopting children (LET, April 26). I do not know enough about the subject to make an informed decision on the matter and have reservations myself about allowing this to go ahead, but, more so, on the question of role models rather than the risk of sexual abuse.
However, I feel that one of his arguments went completely wide of the mark, purporting a dangerous myth that has never been proved scientifically or otherwise -- that there is a link between homosexuality and paedophilia.
Of course, there have been some horrendous cases of child sexual abuse uncovered in North Wales, as, I am sure, there have in other parts of the country and, yes, Scout troop leaders, choirmasters and errant vicars have also been caught for projecting their heinous and vile practices on vulnerable young people. I would think that, in most of these cases, the perpetrators of these crimes would be desperate, single people who would go to any lengths to get what they want and if they were 'gay paedophiles,' what better place than a care home for boys, or a Scout troop, to satisfy their warped desires?
After all, it would be no use to them in applying to the Brownies for position of Brown Owl, or for a job as a care worker in a home for orphaned girls, would it? So, yes, I would not deny that there are paedophiles who are gay, but that does not prove a link between the two.
As I write, Esther Rantzen has been appealing on TV for extra funding for Childline, as the organisation cannot cope with the 700 calls per day it receives in the North West alone, mainly from children suffering from sexual and physical abuse.
I do not believe that even Mr Blunt would acknowledge that the majority of these sexual abuse cases could be committed by homosexuals and, therefore, would dread to think what conclusions he would draw from that.
While I don't always agree with the way gay rights are 'promoted' by Stonewall and Outrage, it is purely because of the views and myths expounded by the likes of John Blunt that we need these groups to fight our corner.
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