Anti-LGBTQ talking head exploits Boy Scouts scandal to smear gay men as pedophiles

A nasty lie about gay men (top picture) is resurrected by the viciously homophobic Bryan Fischer (bottom picture)

When it comes to scandals about pedophilia, some members of the anti-LGBTQ industry, practically salivate at the chance to blame gay men.

From Media Matters:

Former American Family Association spokesperson and current American Family Radio host Bryan Fischer used reports of sexual abuse within the Boy Scouts of America to falsely claim that there is a connection between homosexuality and pedophilia. Extreme anti-LGBTQ groups and figures such as Fischer have repeatedly used this myth to attack LGBTQ people and fight pro-equality policies. 

On August 6, a group of lawyers filed a lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America, saying they had “identified 350 previously unknown scoutmasters and volunteers” who reportedly sexually abused boys in the organization. Fischer discussed the story on his AFR radio show, Focal Point, calling it a “homosexual pedophile scandal” and claiming that “people don’t want to accept” the “profound connection … between homosexuality and pedophilia.” These comments add to a long list of extreme anti-LGBTQ statements from Fischer, who has said gay men are condemned to hell and claimed that gays were responsible for the formation of the Nazi Party.

Bear in mind that there is absolutely no proof that gay men are responsible for this awful situation. Furthermore, this scandal has been occurring decades before the Boy Scouts opened the door to allow gays to serve as scouts and scoutmasters. Of course, none of this means anything to Fisher and the rest of that bunch. They operate from the constantly refuted notion (one which they KNOW has been refuted) that a pedophile who molests boys is automatically gay:

BRYAN FISCHER (HOST): Here's a story about the Boy Scouts. You know, this would take more time than we have today, but this scandal in the Boy Scouts of America, it's a homosexual pedophile scandal. What people don't want to accept, what the public does not want to accept, what the media does not want to accept is that there is a profound connection between pedophilia -- between homosexuality and pedophilia. And you see that in spades in the Boy Scouts of America. They are now in the business of trying to cover up a quote “pedophilia epidemic” within their organization. This is the same thing as a homosexual epidemic because homosexuals are the ones that are responsible for the bulk of pedophilia. Males -- adult males -- abusing boys, because it's an adult male abusing a young male, it's by definition homosexuality, male-on-male sexuality. But this firm that’s going after the Boy Scouts have identified 350 -- 350 previously unknown scoutmasters and volunteers who preyed on boys whose names were not previously known to law enforcement.

 . . . Other anti-LGBTQ figures have repeated this myth on AFR, including Matt Barber, a guest host on the outlet’s program Sandy Rios in the Morning. Barber once discussed allegations of sexual abuse of children in Hollywood and said that the “sexual revolution” and “LGBT extremist agenda” have brought “a push for the acceptance of adult-child sex," which he also called "widespread and rampant.” 

The smear has been around for a while, employed by various anti-LGBTQ groups and individuals. In their book, Alliance Defending Freedom founder Alan Sears and former ADF employee Craig Osten claimed pedophilia and “homosexual behavior” were “often intrinsically linked” and falsely asserted that “there is a definite link as well between child molestation and later homosexual behavior.” Family Research Council president Tony Perkins has repeatedly called pedophilia a “homosexual problem” and claimed that data shows “a correlation between homosexuality and pedophilia.” And Michelle Cretella, executive director of the deceptively named anti-LGBTQ group American College of Pediatricians, reportedly called the 2018 New York City Pride parade a “celebration of pedophilia.”

The "gays want your children" lie is one of the oldest and most effective pieces of anti-LGBTQ propaganda. It hails back to the days when religious right groups openly and unashamedly called the LGBTQ community "criminal" and a "public health nuisance" - a bit less covert than the "we are simply trying to protect Christians" narrative of now.

But this latest attempt to paint gay men as pedophiles demonstrates how difficult it is to beat down anti-LGBTQ propaganda. The more proof you show refuting the propaganda, the louder Fischer and his cohorts will repeat it.  Since there is no accuracy in their claims, they seek to tire you out by way of repetition.