A serious disorder

By Alex P. Vidal

“Saying a man had sex with a child is like saying a man had dinner with the pork chop.” ― Linda McCarriston

FAMOUS religious, business, and political leaders are not exempted from the laws of physics and chemistry. And sexuality.

As long as they are humans, they, too, can be stricken with emotional, mental, physical, sexual disorders.

In fact, history is replete with stories about emperors, kings, popes, presidents, CEOs, moguls, wartime generals, among other leaders in the higher echelons who engaged in scandalous sexual peccadilloes. And I repeat what I had stated in my previous article: even Jesus was suspected of cavorting with Magdalene. But that’s another story.

A sexual predator is known as a person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically “predatory” or abusive manner.

Analogous to how a predator hunts down its prey, so the sexual predator is thought to “hunt” for his or her sex partners

A president or cardinal can be a sexual predator.

A revered religious icon can be stricken with pedophilia, a form of paraphilia that causes harm to others, and is considered by medical experts as a disorder; in fact, a serious disorder.

The title of “Your Highness” doesn’t exempt someone from the sickness of pedophilic disorder, which is characterized by recurring, intense sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behavior involving children (usually 13 years old or younger, according to sex psychologists).

He is not above the law, as well.

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Pedophiles may be attracted to young boys, young girls, or both. Whether girls or boys are more likely to be the victims of pedophiles is unclear, although girls seem much more likely to be the victims of sexual abuse in general.

Whether sexual interest or involvement between two people is considered pedophilic disorder depends on the age of the people involved.

In Western societies, a diagnosis of a pedophilic disorder requires that the person be 16 years old or older and at least five years older than the child who is the object of the sexual fantasies or activity, according to Merck Manual.

However, it explained that sexual involvement of an older adolescent (aged 17 to 18) with a 12- or 13-year-old may not be considered a disorder. The age criteria used to identify when such activity is considered a crime may differ.

Although state laws vary in the United States, the law generally considers a person older than 18 to be committing statutory rape if the victim is 16 or younger. Statutory rape cases often do not meet the definition of pedophilia, highlighting the somewhat arbitrary nature of selecting a specific age cutoff point in a medical or legal definition. In many places (including in some states in the United States), children as young as 12 to 14 can legally marry, further complicating the definition of pedophilia and statutory rape.

Pedophilia is reportedly much more common among men than among women.

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US State Secretary Antony Secretary Blinken made a determination that Evan Gershkovich is wrongfully detained by Russia, the US Department of State has announced.

“Journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth,” it added.

“The U.S. government will provide all appropriate support to Mr. Gershkovich and his family.  We call for the Russian Federation to immediately release Mr. Gershkovich. We also call on Russia to release wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan.”

“What we are seeing right now is a breaking of the law.” — Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas following revelations that he did not disclose several luxury trips funded by a Republican megadonor. Justice Thomas last week said he didn’t disclose the luxury travel, including trips on the GOP donor’s yacht and private jet, because he was advised at the time “by colleagues and others in the judiciary” that he did not have to report it.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)