Cyclist of Shame, Pat Robertson

     Here is an illustration of the cycle of sexual abuse by the Australian Institute of Family Studies.  Click on the image below to see and enlarged version that is easier to read.

     Please note that there is always a chance to "exit" and break the cycle of abuse by engaging in some serious self-help work.  That is the option that I was wrongly conditioned to believe didn't exist, by the likes of  homophobes like Pat Robertson, and their "voodoo" exorcisms of gay "demons" from children who've been sexually abused.  Instead of helping victims to work through their trauma, moronic opportunists like Robertson add to the trauma of victims, thus increasing the likelihood that a victim will not seek help and remain vulnerable to the cycle of abuse.

     The truth is that a victim will only become a perpetrator if they don't work through the abuse they endured via some sort of therapy or honest help to break the cycle.  Without therapy a victim of sexual abuse might come to believe that what happened to them is normal.  They may become so confused about sexual boundaries that they are conditioned into believing what happened to them is okay or just the way it is.  They might find themselves in the midst of such self-repulsion that they end up using other children as they were used, which only increases their own shame and thus silence that empowers the cycle of abuse. 

     It's the closet of shame and silence around sexual abuse that can force victims into this headspace, keeping them in the cycle rather than making an exit.  It's this closet that ignorant holy preachers like Robertson endorse with their gospel of hate.  It's this closet into which malleable men enter in Catholic seminaries, boy scout troops, or any sort of group or family unit ruled by shame, fear, silence, and compartmentalization.  It's this closet that enables the cycle of sexual abuse to continue in our culture.

     PS. To any homosexual teen or child out there that may be reading this, please know that there is nothing wrong with you and there is no "demon" living inside of you.  You are normal just as you are.  Being gay or lesbian is a beautiful thing and nothing to be ashamed of, no matter what ignorant religious zealots preach in the name of their own hatred and fear.