Let me tell you about my first experience meeting a gay person (or bi, don't really know what he was other than pervert). Senior in HS, over 18 barely. I was the band drum major, but having lived a sheltered life I barely even knew what a fag was.
Band director invites me over to his house for some reason. Don't remember why (it was a long time ago), maybe to design my uniform or something. I liked him, thought he was a cool fellow out of college a few years and he was pretty hip. I loved band too. But that all changed that day...
He invited me over and had the tv off but vcr loaded with some porn video. I had never seen porn other than perhap a playboy picture or something. He turned it on (or already had it playing, don't remember).. I was stunned, that was something taboo, but I didn't want to seem a pud but it embarrassed the heck out of me. This lady on video was doing a sexual act on the fellow and my teacher said "you know, best one I ever had was from a guy"....
It scared the hell out of me. I excused myself and left embarrassed but never told a soul for 20+ years.
Then one day it dawned on me that my silence put other kids in danger. This person that was suppose to be in a position of authority was actually indoctrinating other kids of just legal age or on the borderline. I figured I had waited too long, but the more I thought about it the more it angered me. So I got to hunting to see if I could find this pervert. I couldn't, seems he didn't leave an internet trail to google. It was only years later I saw he was teaching at some school 3 or 4 hundred miles away from where he was when I knew him. I managed to find the principle and wrote that he needed to be watched. I don't know if it did any good, but I think if I ever saw him in person I would slug the crap out of him.
Growing up I missed a father figure, mom was one tough cookie, but I was too embarrassed to mention it to her. I could of used a dad at that time though.
My story and I tell my kids to this day, if anyone even mentions sex to them in any fashion I want to know. I even check up at church functions to see if anyone is acting strange, I trust noone to this day. I will be the dad if my kids ever need me. I would kill for them.
@Smokin Joe @musiclady @mirraflake
I went to Catholic grade and high schools for twelve years. This is fifty-sixty years ago. While I was in grade school one of the priests assigned to our parrish was very friendly with the boys. I never liked the guy because he yelled at me for something (can't remember what it was.)
Eventually he left the parrish only to be transferred to a parrish close to mine. About twenty years later some male students from the other grade school accused him of sexual abuse. He was convicted and spent some time in prison.
After the news broke, it was actually on local tv as well, I told my mother about Father X and how he had abused boys.
My mother looked at me and said everybody (meaning adults) knew he was weird and a possible homosexual.
I was shocked. That means many of those adults, a number who had children in school at the time he was there, knew he was a homosexual but didn't do anything.
And that is why the Catholic Church has had so many problems and priests under suspicion of being perverts despite the great majority of priests not being perverts. Because the people in charge way back when failed to take proper measures against abusive priests, they're paying the penalty now. Many non-Catholics assume that most or all priests are homosexuals. They're not....I knew a high school priest who left the priesthood and married a woman.
But by failing to kick out the homosexual priests back then the Church is now held in disrepute.
