House of Lies
By Meagan Gillmore | March 27, 2023
This article, House of Lies by Meagan Gillmore, published in the Toronto Life, is another account of a religious leader/sexual predator – one of many examples we continue to see where someone in a position of power abuses it to sexually exploit others. This story is certainly not unique to religious settings: we can find numerous examples in the entertainment industry, in media, sports organizations – places where certain people are in a position of power without accountability. However, these stories do seem to be common within religious organizations, perhaps because religious institutions are the place built to foster this kind of behaviour and perpetuate it through the maintenance of order and cover-ups. The religious leaders (most often powerful white male figures) are placed in a position where they are “accountable” only to a mythical supernatural being to whom only they have a direct line of communication. Women are devalued and discouraged or outright forbidden from seeking leadership positions. The entire enterprise discourages questions and critique, most especially of the person standing at the pulpit. This story is not just another example of why religion can lead to dangerous practices, but of how most religious organizations are built on misogynistic premises that enable abuse.
Interestingly, there is a lot of rhetoric, especially among Christians, calling trans people ‘groomers’. Considering the history of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, where accounts such as the one above abound, one would ask what does the evidence say? Who are the real ‘groomers’?