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It is interesting that Ross considers homosexuality to be such a highly correlated trait with child molestation when, in his own words, 35 percent of pedophiles are homosexual. One need not be a mathematician to realize 65 percent therefore are not gay, and that 65 is a bigger number than 35. His comment “Given that . . . 2 percent of the general population” is gay is not well established at all. The best guesses range between possibly 1 and 10 percent, but there is no “given.” He concludes that because 35 percent of a 2 percent subpopulation are alleged pedophiles, that they should all be banned from working with the Boy Scouts of America in the interest of protecting children.

Ross’s misguided fear of gays–for whatever reason–and his use of statistics to support his opinion follow a long history of propaganda manufacturing. He should note, however, that between 10 and 15 percent of children and adolescents have been abused by an adult in a sexual manner. Interestingly for Ross, according to psychological research done by Conte and Berliner, most pedophiles ranged in age from 20 to 40, many being married or divorced, with children of their own. Guess he missed that study!

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