Radio show host Rush Limbaugh made controversial comments Jan. 7 when he told listeners there is a movement to “normalize pedophilia,” which he likened to the movement for marriage equality.
“There is a movement on to normalize pedophilia, and I guarantee you your reaction to that is probably much the same as your reaction when you first heard about gay marriage,” Limbaugh said Monday on The Rush Limbaugh Show. “What has happened to gay marriage? It’s become normal—and in fact, with certain people in certain demographics it’s the most important issue in terms of who they vote for.
“So don’t pooh-pooh. There’s a movement to normalize pedophilia. Don’t pooh-pooh it. The people behind it are serious, and you know the left as well as I do. They glom onto something and they don’t let go,” he added.
Limbaugh made these comments as he was discussing a recent article published in the U.K.’s The Guardian, titled, “Paedophilia: bringing dark desires to light.” The article, written by Jon Henley, addresses the issue of pedophilia in a modern society and discusses research done on the brains of pedophiles.
“This is radical stuff. But there is a growing conviction, notably in Canada, that pedophilia should probably be classified as a distinct sexual orientation, like heterosexuality or homosexuality,” Henley wrote.
Henley continued: “Two eminent researchers testified to that effect to a Canadian parliamentary commission last year, and the Harvard Mental Health Letter of July 2010 stated baldly that paedophilia ‘is a sexual orientation’ and therefore ‘unlikely to change.’”
In his comments regarding the article, Limbaugh said: “I just want to remind you, now, when you first heard about gay marriage—and I don’t mean to pick on gays. It’s not what I’m saying. It’s just something that was such a tremendous departure from accepted norms of the day. When you first heard about gay marriage, you pooh-poohed it.”
The talk show host then mentioned Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach who is imprisoned for at least 30 years after being convicted of abusing multiple boys.
“Can you imagine if Jerry Sandusky had had this information at his trial? What do you think the reaction would be to Jerry Sandusky’s defense saying, ‘Hey, look, it’s normal. The kids love it, he loved it, nobody was hurt. And in fact, it’s just a different sexual orientation?’” Limbaugh argued.
He continued: “Now, what do you think’s behind this? What kind of people do you think are behind this, this effort to normalize pedophilia? Which is what? The abuse of kids, is it not? Who’s behind that? What is their objective? They want us to all think that pedophilia is just another sexual orientation.”
Limbaugh, known to make controversial statements, has angered those who support same-sex marriage. The Twitterverse is abuzz with criticism about Limbaugh, with people calling him “despicable,” an “idiot” and “a horrible person,” saying his comments were “outrageous” and “asinine.”
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