Smacking the Gay out of a 3-year old

According to some testimony a father beat around his 3-year old son to toughen him up because he was concerned the boy was gay.

Even though the boy would shake and wet himself, his father, Ronnie Paris Jr., would box with the 3-year-old, slapping him in the head until he cried because he didn’t want his son to grow up to be “a sissy,” the boy’s mother testified Monday.

. . .

“He was trying to teach him how to fight,” said Shanita Powell, Nysheerah Paris’ sister. “He was concerned that the child might be gay.”

Even Sheldon Bostic, who was Ronnie Paris Jr.’s Bible- study friend, said he warned the father several times not to play so rough with his son.

You know, I was all set to mention that Mr. Paris clearly had other problems but use this as another opportunity to bash Brother Dobson for poisoning the public discourse as it pertains to homosexuality. But, according to this article Dobson doesn’t look to be a primary culprit.

In a March 7th interview on Larry King Live, Dobson declared that he thought it was “a big mistake for people, uninformed people, to say that homosexuality is chosen. It usually isn’t.” Later in the program, he repeated that “It isn’t chosen, but it’s not genetic, either.” According to other quotes attributed to Dobson: “the father plays an essential role in a boy’s normal development as a man. The truth is, Dad is more important than Mom.” (Dobson quoting Nicolosi, p. 120)

“At this point (beginning about eighteen months), a little boy will not only begin to observe the difference [between Mom and Dad], he must now decide, ‘Which one am I going to be?’ In making this shift in identity, the little boy begins to take his father as a model of masculinity.” (Dobson quoting Nicolosi, p. 120)

“In 15 years, I have spoken with hundreds of homosexual men. I have never met one who said he had a loving, respectful relationship with his father.” (Dobson quoting Nicolosi, p. 121).

So, under Dobson’s model, I suppose Mr. Paris was increasing the chances of his son becoming gay — except of course for the small matter of killing the child. So, while I have no idea of the merits of Dobson’s hypothesis, at least it’s more nuanced than I expected.

So, I was prepared to say that Dobson wasn’t an idiot in this regard. But then I come across this.

A man named Dr. James Dobson, founder of a conservative Christian group called “Focus on the Family” addressed members of Congress at a black tie dinner in Washington celebrating the president’s election victory this week. He advised the group that SpongeBob had been included in a pro-homosexual video which was to be mailed to thousands of elementary schools to push a tolerance pledge by kids, including tolerance of differences of what Dr. Dobson called “sexual identity.”
. . .
Dr. Dobson’s press spokesman says he’s not sure whether or not Dr. Dobson has seen the SpongeBob video, but he has been briefed on it. And an assistant says the group stands by its claim, and says, “We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids. It’s a classic bait and switch.”

Reminiscent of, was it Falwell?’s, rant against Tinky Winky being gay. This notion that homosexuality is a horrible blight on society is harmful. The further notion that we have to vigilantly guard children against this sinful corruption, otherwise they’ll turn gay is also harmful. It encourages an emotional reaction to the fact of homosexuality. The most ignorant in our society are going to turn that emotion into violence.

It’d make my life much easier if my boy turned out to be heterosexual (or asexual for that matter). But, you know what? I don’t think I’m going to “beat him straight.”