Good find, Godspell. I've thought a lot about this sort of thing recently. My son's primary school (5-11 yr olds for those who use different terminology) has 12 permanent and 7 part-time teachers - ALL female. There was one guy for one year only but he ended up leaving citing that it was hard to work in what was clearly a female environment.

I even discussed this phenomenon with my wife recently as our son's scout group is threatened with closure due to lack of volunteers. I suggested to her that a lot of guys were fearful of volunteering because "people talk". (Seems only 13% according to the article, but still...) She was sceptical, but I will show her this one (after I've come up with a plausable lie about how I came across it, of course!)

Additionally, a REAL LIFE EXAMPLE:

I was at an open air swimming pool with my wife and kids last summer. We were on our way out having finished our swim when I got separated from the rest of them. Whilst trying to catch up with them I spotted a boy of about 7 looking around with real distress in his eyes. Lost, I thought immediately, and my reaction, based solely on compassion was to ask him if he needed help. We were in a public place with dozens of people around after all, but even as I took a step towrds him I realised how it might look and I hesitated, turned and walked away.

As I walked I felt a small hand grasp mine and two trusting eyes looked up into mine for the help he had obviously sensed I wanted to give but was afraid to. "Are you lost?" I asked. "I can't find my parents" he said, so I said "no problem, let's go to the desk and ask". We took no more than a few paces and rounded a corner towards the entrance desk when his parents came into his view and he slipped from me and was gone to them. Even as I watched him go (20yards, no more) I wondered what his parents must think of a stranger apparently taking their son towards the exit. I didn't stop to let things develop. I went back the way I'd come and that was the end of it. No confrontation from a suspicious parent, no returning for a thank you from the lad. The first thing I did, however, was desparately search for and find my own family in case anyone asked questions, thinking it looked less bad as a family man - that's how scared I was of the whole situation.

There's a moral in here, or maybe several. Mainly it's about society, and society can go fuck itself as far as I'm concerned. Next time I see a kid in distress like that I will do everything in my power to help and not walk away. I've replayed the scenario in my mind a thousand times and am convinced that this is the correct, moral and Christian thing to do.

I still wonder how the conversation would've gone with his parents, but no point in wondering about what might've been. I've told this story to several (male) friends and the feeling is that any of them might well've done the same thing. Being a BL seems irrelevant to this situation.

Anyway, that is a story I will one day tell in court when an unforgiving society eventually reels me in, not for sexual impropriety, but simply for daring to be a friend to someone younger than society allows me to. That's one fantasy I don't look forward to but I see the thought police approaching even now....


God bless all

EMPIRE

PS Of course, the fact that the guy wrote the article in question makes him a suspicious charcter doesn't it? Obviously he's making a pro-paedophile case by his assertions. (Don't laugh, too many people think that way.)