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Homosexual offenders vs. minors are adult males who made homosexual overtures to, or had sexual contact with, boys aged twelve to fifteen inclusive. As with the homosexual offenders vs. children, the number of incestuous or forced cases is so small that it has not been deemed worthwhile to establish these as separate categories of offense.

The homosexual offender vs. minors is in many respects analogous to the heterosexual offender vs. minors in that his partner is almost old enough to be considered eligible for sociosexual activity in the eyes of society. The incessant emphasis on youth and beauty, the extolment of the unwrinkled skin, the absence of adult adiposity, the vigor and enthusiasm that are dominant (and perhaps unfortunate) themes in the heterosexual sphere are also to be found in the homosexual sphere. Consequently it is not surprising to find adults with homosexual interests casting an eye upon twelve- to fifteen-year-old boys, an age group not unpopular in ancient Greece. While the heterosexual male who finds equally young girls attractive may restrain himself because of social and legal circumstances, the homosexual male is somewhat less restrained; to reverse an old saying, he feels that since he risks hanging anyway he might as well be hanged for a lamb as for a sheep. Furthermore, while the average twelve- to fifteen-year-old girl may be physically attractive and perhaps even preoccupied with vague romantic impulses, she is relatively devoid of erotic response. By age fifteen only about half of the females have recognized any sexual arousal in themselves and only about one quarter have experienced orgasm. In brief, these young girls do not ordinarly make interested and cooperative sexual partners. The adult heterosexual male suspects or knows this, and his suspicion or knowledge acts as a deterrent. The homosexual adult labors under no such handicap: by age fifteen the average boy is definitely interested in sex and is keenly aware of the pleasure to be derived from it. To be sure, this hypothetical average boy is heterosexually oriented, but he is still experimentally inclined and his prejudices and preferences have not become hardened. If such a boy can be persuaded to engage in sexual activity, he exhibits an intensity of response matching or frequently surpassing that of an adult. This fact is well known to many homosexual adults who are thereby subjected to temptation that die heterosexual adult is largely spared. If twelve- to fifteen-year-old girls had as developed libidos as boys of the same age, our penal institutions would burst at the seams.

Another element must be mentioned in connection with the homosexual offenders vs. minors. Some homosexually inclined males desire young boys not only as sexual objects but as son-surrogates; they need to find some boy to help and tutor, upon whom to lavish affection. One is again reminded of ancient Greece. In view of the wretched relationship that so many homosexual offenders had with their fathers, this humanitarianism may stem from the desire to give a boy the paternal love and guidance that they missed. To such an altruistically motivated male a boy twelve to fifteen is perfectly suited; he is not old enough to exhibit undesirable independence and yet not so young that one would have to resort to childish activities and language in order to maintain an intimate relationship. One sometimes encounters males in whom this altruism preceded any conscious homosexual desire, and who were startled to realize that their affection and interest had assumed sexual overtones. Among the most tragic cases in our records are those of men who had unstintingly devoted themselves to working with boys as teachers, camp leaders, and scout masters, and who subsequently became sexually involved with their charges and ended in our category of homosexual offenders.

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