Would You Leave Your Child With A Gay Neighbor Or A Straight Neighbor?

Question

A corespondent on CNN asked this question and I thought it was a really a compelling one.
Suppose you get an emergency phone call late at night and you absolutely need to be there, but you cannot take your 10 year old son for some reason.
Say you have two neighbors that you know superficially but not really well.
One is a single male who lives alone, and the other is a single gay male who also lives alone.
They are your only hope of who to leave your son with, and both are willing to help you in a time of need.
Who would you feel more comfortable leaving your son with?

Answer 1

Either.

Most adults, gay or straight, are not sexually interested in children. Their sexual orientation has no bearing on pedophelia.

Answer 2

I wouldnt trust my son with some one i didnt know well. The idea of making this decision based on sexuality is rediculous although the ignorance of modern america is a reality. The person id trust would be the one i knew better or who was more trustworthy. The person with more of a mother instinct who i know would value the kids life as much as i would.

Answer 3

I'd be more likely to leave my child with a gay neighbor. Either man could be a pedophile, but since the majority of pedophiles are heterosexual males, and since the gay man would be worried about homophobic stereotypes that society has about them, I'd think the gay man would be more likely to be very very careful caring for a child, much more so than a straight man.

Answer 4

First, I do not have children, but if I had a son, honestly I would probably be more likely to leave him with the gay neighbor, because with regard to sexual abuse, according to the APA (American Psychological Association) "Recognized researchers in the field on child abuse,... almost unanimously concur that homosexual people are actually less likely to approach children sexually"

here's a link to the article i quoted
http://www.familyresearchinst.org/FRI_EduPamphlet2.html#refs

Answer 5

WOW, when I first read this question I said straight. I am not bothered by gays, I just picked that one right off the top of my head. Maybe I should get to know my neighbors, so that I can make a better and more informed choice.

Answer 6

Fortunately, when my children were young I still had enough relatives to baby-sit. I never needed to ask a neighbor.

I would not ask either of the neighbors you mentioned BECAUSE I would only know them 'superficially'. I would need to know anyone I left a child with very well.

Answer 7

I'd only feel comfortable leaving my son with the most trustworthy neighbor. I wouldn't care if they were gay or straight as long I could trust them

Answer 8

I wouldn't feel comfortable with either one. But you said it was an emergency so.....I would pick the one that had more child experience. Like maybe they have a kid or babysit for family or know CPR. But neither option is appealing. It dosen't have to do with gay or straight.

Answer 9

Whichever one I knew better. Gay or straight wouldn't matter, but the one who I trusted more would be my choice. Even if its a matter of gut instinct, my choice would be the person I feel they would be safest with. Not all gay people are sexual predators, and not all straight people are either. That would not be a criteria for me. Who my child knew and felt more comfortable with would be.

Answer 10

According to law enforcement statistics, 60% of all child molestations are same-sex (homosexual). So statistically speaking you would be better off with the straight neighbor.

Answer 11

I would leave the boy with the straight single male. If my child was a girl however, i would leave her with the gay one. You never know who is a pedophile.