It was fitting, then, that the Pauluskerk sponsored a memorial conference on October 27, 2000, to mark the tenth anniversary of Doucé's death. The conference was entitled "Unfinished Business" and was intended to review the progress, absence of progress, or even ground lost in various areas involving sexuality and the church over the decade since Doucé's death.

Over fifty people, including a number of pastors and church officials, a fair number of persons from the sexual minorities involved, and a small contingent of anti-sexual abuse activists, signed up for a series of workshops on various topics including transsexuality, sadomasochism, pedophilia, new concepts such as Queer Theory and transgenderism, and an analysis of church statements on power in sexual relationships (principally focusing on incest, pedophilia, and sexual relationships involving church staff and parishioners or counselees). The afternoon was structured to allow each registrant to attend two workshops of their choice.

When it came time to move to the first round of workshops, Rev. Visser shocked (or amused) the conference as he announced their locations:  "...'The Violated Body' in my office, and pedophiles around the communion table..." The open area around the large communion table in the sanctuary was indeed the only space large enough for this workshop, presented by Dr. Wijnand Sengers and Rev. Hans Visser. By far the most in demand, 37 attended its two sessions.

The presenters argued that, contrary to public perceptions, only a tiny number of pedophiles are rapists and murderers, and that some (or most) are totally celibate.  They also presented studies (such as those by American researcher Bruce Rind) suggesting that willing sexual encounters, when they do take place, are not always harmful.  Against this background they then discussed what they believed should be the goal of Christian counseling with pedophiles, which from their perspective is to bring pedophiles to an acceptance of their sexuality, and to encourage them to consider what the responsible practice of that sexuality means in their circumstances.

Not all participants agreed, some contesting the validity of recent research or insisting that the responsibility of counselors is to confront pedophiles with their true nature and, as a responsibility to their potential victims, to sign themselves into treatment programs or a mental health facility until such time--if ever--as they can be "cured" or their sexuality eliminated.

The second most popular workshop addressed Queer Theory and how its ideas on non-normative alternative sexuality confront the church, and was led by Dr. Gert Hekma of the University of Amsterdam Gay Studies Department.  Third in popularity was the workshop analyzing "Geschonden Lichaam" ("Violated Body"), a policy statement on "sexual violence" (i.e., sexual relationships involving unequal power) issued jointly by five cooperating Dutch Protestant denominations. Significantly, in each of these too the discussion circled largely around pedophilia.

In the plenary session which closed the conference itself, it was interesting to note that the reports from almost all the groups contained similar themes. The transsexual workshops noted the vast progress over the past decade in terms of medical care and psychological preparation and follow-up for transsexuals, but the persistence of social exclusion: because of discrimination about 95% of all transsexuals will never be able to get work again after their sex change.

The sadomasochists noted that over the past decade there was much greater apparent "acceptance" for their lifestyle, as ever more people wear leather, chains, or body piercings, but they are terrified that as the hysteria about "senseless violence" in Dutch society becomes stronger they will quickly find themselves social pariahs, like pedophiles.

Dr. Hekma noted that despite all the civil rights now guaranteed in Dutch law for gays and lesbians, on the street violence against obvious gays is rising, and gay teachers are ever more frequently being driven from their profession by antagonism from students, particularly young people from the growing Moslem population, among whom an open, Western-style homosexuality is not tolerated.

The presenters argued that, contrary  to public perceptions, only a tiny number of pedophiles are rapists and murderers.

Continue to part 3

© 2001 Paraklesis

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