When the Boy in Drag Danced at the Gay Bar and the Gay Community Did Not Protest
If there is one thing that upsets the gay community, it’s the accusation that most (or many) gay men are pedophiles. Closely related to this accusation is the charge that they’re grooming boys for sex. Repulsed by Pedophilia and ‘Man-Boy Love’ Every gay man with whom I’ve ever interacted about these subjects has categorically denied them, and to a man, they seemed as repulsed at the idea of pedophilia as I was. And personally, I believe them. It’s true that “man boy love” was often celebrated in gay circles throughout recorded history. It’s true that, to this day, there is more “intergenerational” dating among gay men. (For Michelangelo Signorile’s defense of this, see here . For a very different gay take, see here .) It’s also true that infamous pedophile groups like the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) were at the forefront of the modern gay activist movement. And it’s true that some of the most celebrated gay icons, including Allen Ginsberg and Larry Kramer, s