(RepublicanNews.org) – A Minnesota legislator who identifies as transgender has proposed that state law be rewritten in a way that suggests pedophilia may be considered a “sexual orientation”.
Rep. Leigh Finke (D-St. Paul) proposed a bill that would strike out current language in the law that specifically excludes pedophilia from the state’s definition of sexual orientation. In other words, current state law makes it clear that pedophilia is not considered a sexual orientation the way heterosexuality is. Finke’s change would remove that clause.
Critics immediately pointed out that removing this explicit rejection could lead to citizens or lawmakers believing that pedophilia is a protected characteristic, on a par with other demographic categories that the law gives special protections to.
Sponsor Finke countered these concerns by claiming that his bill was not going to legalize pedophilia, which he said was already illegal under other state laws. Instead, Finke said, his move was meant to remove the term from any association with “sexual orientation.”
“Nothing in this bill changes or weakens any crimes against children,” he said. He added that the current state language “never should have been included” in the definition of sexual orientation.
It is not clear, then, why removing this language would be necessary, or what purpose it might serve.
Minnesota is not the only state rewriting laws in ways that alarm. Connecticut Democrats are proposing law changes that would rewrite the definition of sexual orientation to “untether” the concept from heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality. Instead, the proposed language would tie what it calls “sexual orientation” to “identity.”
The Family Institute of Connecticut points out that this change would legally protect so-called “identities” or “sexual orientations” that include behaviors that, if carried out, would constitute a crime. This might consist of attraction to adolescents or children.
While proponents claim they are merely updating language to reflect modern concerns, critics allege that this is part of a slow, stepwise process to socially normalize what most Americans today (and the law) consider criminal behavior.
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