A longtime anti-gay activist, California Prop 8 donor, and elementary school teacher was taken into custody on August 17th after admitting inappropriate contact with young boys.Caleb Douglas Hesse, a teacher for the Morongo Unified School District since 1987 (most recently, he was teaching first grade at Friendly Hills Elementary School in Joshua Tree) and a longtime youth volunteer with the virulently homophobic Evangelical Free Church of Yucca Valley, has confessed to sexually abusing “numerous underage boys,” with authorities believe the crimes occurred between the early 1980’s and as recently as a week ago.”
Investigators say Hesse met the majority of the victims during overnight outings with a youth group at the Evangelical Free Church.
You know one of the lies used by the anti-gay community to justify their attacks on the LGBT community is the idea that homosexuals are prone to pedophilia.
That is not true:
For the present discussion, the important point is that many child molesters cannot be meaningfully described as homosexuals, heterosexuals, or bisexuals (in the usual sense of those terms) because they are not really capable of a relationship with an adult man or woman. Instead of gender, their sexual attractions are based primarily on age. These individuals – who are often characterized as fixated – are attracted to children, not to men or women.
This means that the pedophiles desire to have sexual contact with boys and girls is based solely on their AGE, not their gender.
Often these predators put themselves in positions, or occupations, which place them in close proximity to children, like a teacher, or a boy scout leader, or a priest. Some, like those in the Boy Scouts, believe that by forbidding gays to work in their organizations they are protecting the children, but that is an assumption based on ignorance, and would be just as logical as saying that based on THIS guy, and of course the Catholic priests, that Christians were more likely to be pedophiles than non-Christians.
It is almost impossible to identify these people until they are caught perpetrating on those that are placed in their care. And by then it is too late.
What this guy did was attempt to discourage any scrutiny toward him by attacking the LGBT community. Which makes him, if possible, even more repugnant.
The other problem with the Boy Scouts thinking they are protecting kids by forbidding gays to work in their organization is that they have stuck their heads in the sand (or up their asses)and are ignoring numerous child molesters who are not gay and who are in positions of leadership in the Boy Scouts. They assume that, by barring gays, they have solved the problem.
ReplyDeleteThe Boy Scouts are rife with both gay people and people who prey on kids. It is all in their files, which they fight to keep as secret as the Vatican does their files. A young man I know who lives in my very small town, gay and closeted, always hooked up with the other counselors at Boy Scout camps. He said he got more action there than in big old Cincinnati.
DeleteIt's there, they are just in denial.
I'll tell you this. If I had two choices for a babysitter - a gay couple or someone virulently screaming that gays are pedophiles - I'd go with my gut and choose the gay couple. I've long been suspicious of the rightwingers' efforts to portray gays as child predators, as the rightwingers are well-known for projecting their deviant tendencies.
ReplyDeleteThe Bible does warn us of wolves in sheep's clothing. There is no doubt that Christianity has been infiltrated by an alarming number of them. However, the same could be said for public and private schools. Anywhere that provides that badge of respectability, and of course, access to children, is where these monsters will try to hide themselves.
The Methodist Church has a "Safe Sanctuaries" policy, btw. I don't know how rigorously it's followed in every Methodist Church, but this is one branch of Christianity that is making a very concerted effort to keep children safe.
Eww, eww, eww. I worry for all our children and grandchildren with sneaky freaks like this running around loose.
ReplyDeleteHere's a new one for us to listen for:
ReplyDeleteMarsha Black, ReThug Tennessee, just provided a new one. That's twice this week I've come across her & her BS.
When asked about the PA Bagger Senate Candidate's comments, she responded That when anytime a Republican speaks a "Bidenism" blah, blah, blah -- I heard nothing after that.
Amazing how many more times Romney had his foot so far in his mouth that he's pleasuring himself.
Black last week was asked about the Akin comments and the GOP Platform.
She referred to the section discussed being no abortion and no exceptions for rape or incest as just being part of the 'SILENT PLATFORM'.
Silent Platform? WTF is that. With all the votes and bills passed on issues regarding women's bodies in Congress, at the state level -- SILENT platform.
And this is someone that is talking about how Romney can reach out to women. Talk about out of touch. Someone should check under her skirt. Looking at her, she reminds me of Palin of 4 years ago. The outer shell may look neat and attractive to some, but the inside is devoid of everything required in life.
Marsha Blackburn is from the cookie cutter TeaNutter mold, very similar to TX Congressman Louie Gohmert, of "terror anchor baby" fame.
DeleteToday she's harping on the return to the Gold Standard. All those teabaggers that have bought gold and are sitting on it are pushing Ron Paul and other TP leaders to consider returning to the GS. It ain't gonna happen, but they can dream all they want about gold prices rising to $10K/oz, which is the estimated price gold would rise to in order to back the approx $2.5T of currency circulating in the U.S. This would absolutely devastate the U.S. dollar, but if it gets the baggers one step closer to Armageddon, they're for it.
Maybe the best rebuttal for the homophobic's would be to get a list of all the people who spoke out against Gay's and who got arrested for sexual crimes. We hear about people like this regularly so there must be enough to create a list for.
ReplyDeleteFor a partial listing, look at "Freethought Today", published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which always includes a section called the "Black Collar Crime Blotter".
Deletehttp://www.ffrf.org/publications/freethought-today/
Just look it is all over the internet, from public arrest records. Thousands of married mostly crackpot Evangelical and Baptist church officials, pastors and Tea Baggers. Arrested for molesting young and teen boys. Doesn't even come close to the gay kids experimenting and being taken advantage of by these creepy adults. My brother is gay and he and his friends counsel these teens. They have told me that some of the kids told him in confidence of their "exploits" with these pastors. Part willing, part coersion, it shouldn't happen. Married pillars of the church but they have the need to have sex with young boys. If I caught them, no police would be needed.
DeleteRelated: San Francisco's newly minted Bishop and an architect of Proposition 8 was picked up for DUI this past weekend in San Diego.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a bad weekend for the backers of Proposition 8.
Yup, he's now issued a public confession to getting caught drunk driving at a police road stop that night while driving his mommy dearest home from a boozey party . . .in the meantime... the rabid Catholic right wingers screamed his arrest was set up by the gay conspiracy to get him dethroned.
DeleteDid he have a boy in the car with him, like many of them caught with DUI?
DeleteForgot the link (DUI Bishop):
ReplyDeletehttp://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=8788117
That's the height of hypocrisy with this guy. Am sure there are others. There are no words.
ReplyDeleteSarah says: "What's the big dill? Boys will be boys."
ReplyDeleteGuess it was "God's plan" for him to get caught.
ReplyDeleteAt times like this Gryphen, I almost wish there were a hell and this guy could then take his well deserved special place there.
ReplyDeleteI too am absolutely disgusted by the people that smear gay people with this heinous charge. It is very kind to merely label them ignorant I think. Those people are really and truly bad people rather than just simply ignorant I feel. There's no excuse for throwing around such accusations. To make such a charge one needs to have strong evidence beyond a doubt; and it is clear the opposite is the case here!
Gryphen, there was also an anti gay Pastor from Louisiana that was just arrested for masturbating in full view of a southern La playground. I forgot the name and only saw one little blurb on the 'net about it.
ReplyDeleteLouisiana Pedo-Pastor was Grant Storms. He confessed to parking at children's playground and being horny. He blamed his pedo playtime on his addiction to porn.
Delete...at the same time he was pushing brooms and screaming vitriolic venomous insults at passers by during his public protests surrounded by his congregation "sweeping filth"
The Pastor from Louisiana was just convicted days ago...for masturbating at children's playground (he confessed the day he was caught was the third time that week).
ReplyDeleteHesse, the Prop 8 activist in this article is a married man with children. He's the sixth 'family values' Prop 8 rabidly religious activist who has been arrested for pedophilia in the recent past. Pastor Tom Daniels of Rio Linda, CA and a Utah Mormon big wig are two of Hesse cohorts arrested for child rapes and child porn.
Prop 8'er Rio Linda First Baptist Church married family values Pastor Tom Daniels was convicted on 11 counts of raping five little girls who were from 5 to 8 years old at the time of the rapes in his home.
DeleteThis right wing family values 300 pound plus pig of a pedo-pastor was sentenced 158 years to life.
In 2005 a mother made police report that her 5-year old had been raped by the pastor. The PD did nothing until 2010 when another mother reported her child's rape to police.
As usual, more children were allowed to become victims because police could not fathom a "pastor" being a pedo.
Mormon Proposition 8 activist Eugene Ballantyne Plead Guilty to pedophilia -- was further indicted on child porn charges. He was busted via mother of little girl he was sending his genital's photos across the country to New Jersey where the child lived.
DeleteBallantyne was very demanding during phone conversations with the child & persuaded her engage in sexual activity while they conversed.
Jesse Ruhl: Proposition 8-Pushing Pastor Charged With Child Molestation
Anti-gay married family values Pastor Jack Duffer plead guilty to pedophilia charges
Pastor Ah Sam, another anti-gay big money televangelist was arrested for pedophilia weeks ago in Hawaii.
I saw someone comment the other day that "homophobia" isn't a good word; the people who use it are not feeling any sort of phobia (fear), they are merely being mean-spirited.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that is true, but maybe not. Maybe they are truly in fear - fear of letting their "inner homo" show to the world.
When I hear stories about these religious nuts-full of hatred-which simply veils their real deviant tendencies, along with the attack on women's rights...I'm beginning to lose heart for our country. I am seriously thinking that it's time to update all of our passports...just in case. Think about what happened during the late 1930's with Hitler. Some people saw the writing on the wall and got out. That's the feeling I'm getting. Especially if Romney wins, I can't call myself an American under that administration. Bush was test enough.
ReplyDeleteThis pedophile abused young boys ever since 1980? That's over 30 years of continual abuse!!!! NO body noticed? NO body complained? No body believed the boys if they did speak up? This is just horrible that pedophiles can hide in schools because they associate with fringe anti-gay fringe "churches" as if that gives them some credibility. I know this part of California and it doesn't surprise me that he chose to do his "work" there.
ReplyDeleteChristopher Hitchens, in his memoir, said that whenever he saw or heard some evangelical yokel denouncing gays, that he took note of his name and set his "mental stop watch," and then waited too see how long it would take for him to get caught in a cock roach infested roadside motel with his credit card maxed-out and his pants down, begging some Cherokee transvestite to pee all over him.
ReplyDeleteThe Christianist pathology is way too predictable.
WaStateUrbanGOPer
It's taken me awhile, but I now think I understand why it's those who are virulently anti-gay are actually gay themselves.
ReplyDeleteIt's because of the way they were raised, to believe being gay is "wrong" or "weak," not who you are.
With the door to the gay closet opened and torn down, only closeted gays could be so passionately against what they are ashamed of in themselves. Really, who besides those people care what goes on in the bedroom of strangers who are consenting adults?
For years, people drummed into their kids that "Children should be seen and not heard", and if a child alluded to something sexual, it was often dismissed as "Oh, little Johnny has an active imagination". And these lowlife pedophiles knew it, and used it as a tool to groom their victims.
ReplyDeleteHow many people along the way missed the signs that these kids were trapped in a living hell? Neighbors, adults, teachers, strangers, anyone? I ask this because I'm guilty of it myself.
I live in Philadelphia, and the Archdiocese knew these acts were going on, they shuffled these offenders to greener pastures. When following the trial, they had a website with the priest's names, parishes and schools they offended in, and the years they were there. My elementary school, and four of my classmates were sexually molested, seven in my high school. One of the victims committed suicide, and the Church (which professes to follow the teachings of Christ) refused to allow him a mass and christian burial in his family plot. It's a sin to take one's life.
I personally knew three of the victims, including the one who later killed himself. I had no idea back then what they were enduring.
Deep Breath, fast forward to this past year. The Sandusky/ Joe Paterno/ Penn State thingy happened. We all know about that one. We toured the campus with my daughter who's a freshman this coming year. The staff, teachers and students were walking around stunned, defeated, heartbroken and in a daze. Why? Because they took down a seven hundred pound statue of Joe Paterno.
Needless to say, my daughter scratched that off her list, and wanted no part in it.
Denial is a strong drug, This pervert is in denial about his own sexuality and brutalizes defenseless children, Preaching against homosexuality while being a pedophile was his cover. I don't know for sure, but he must somehow rationalize that he'll find "religion" in prison, somehow redeem himself, and be rewarded in the afterlife. What better way to soothe ones conscience?
We, as a society, need to educate ourselves and others. We need to accept and speak up for our LBGT community, love our kids unconditionally, and most of all, encourage and advocate for all kids.
People are so shocked when its associated with a church or large organization. The fact is these people are sick and they are everywhere! They place themselves in these places so they can prey on their victims! He isn't in denial about his own sexuality. It has nothing to do with being heterosexual or homosexual, he's sick plain and simple. It is our job as parents neighbors and citizens to be watchful of our children because there are in fact bad people out there. Again, it has nothing to do with religion or sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteThis man was a teacher in my sons school. Nothing could have shocked me more. He and his family were well respected in this community. I feel so sad for his victims. He was hiding in plain sight.