John_Browning wrote:
Pedophilia frequently being a homosexual act for starters.
This is actually highly inaccurate, but immoral conservatives continue repeating this tired, old fable. However, this still doesn't explain why such a fable has become so popular, so allow me to try my hand at explaining perhaps a part of its origin.
The reason that people often confuse homosexuality with pedophilia is that they tend to confuse homosexuality with the inevitable desperate acts of men who are forced to keep company with other men in stressful contexts.
Take prison rape for example: the offender in a prison rape situation is really a lot more likely to be heterosexual outside of prison walls. The reason for this is that it is actually surprisingly common for self-identified heterosexual men to engage in "homosexual" intercourse in situations in which the other male is serving in the role of a member of the opposite sex. If the other person in this arrangement actually is homosexual, there is unlikely to be very much complaint. However, in situations like prison rape, it usually manifests as a form of bullying.
Now, our reaction to bullying in situations in which we ourselves are comfortable and secure is one of revulsion, and we typically see the perpetrator as "strong" and the victim as "weak" yet for some reason deserving of our protection. This is especially the case in children. Unless we are in a truly desperate, end-of-the-world situation, we will not and cannot abide the concept of someone hurting children just because they are easy to hurt.
Therefore, what happens in the case of someone who has confused true homosexuality with the prison rape behavior? Essentially, they are going to see the homosexual as a person who takes sexual pleasure in exploiting the weakness of others, and they will view the behavior with the appropriate revulsion and loathing. If that person claims to take particular enjoyment in this behavior, the ears of a person who has commited this confusion will hear, "the more helpless, the better."
However, there is a way around this mechanism, and gay advocacy groups in the West have struck the nail on the head. They have learned to portray themselves as largely the "female" or "weaker" partners in such situations (which is actually quite accurate in prison rape situations), and what this does is to turn the reaction around a full 180 degrees. The fact that the gay rights movement has been largely non-violent has contributed to this, actually.
Finally, you can see this metamorphosis slowly happening in places like Malaysia. The gay people there are seen as contemptible but in a pathetic and pitiable sort of way. From this point, it is up to the gay community in Malaysia to portray themselves as charming and likeable enough to earn a higher level of sympathy. In time, the straight people of Malaysia will view gay people as their equals. However, the gay people there will have to earn their acceptance like anyone else.