On The Road Again

Okay. This poor sod needs a way to come in from the cold.

I understand that people don't want someone who openly expresses a sexual attraction to young girls to be hanging around in their neighborhoods. But at this point, the only other option is for him to somehow dodge the notoriety that he's generated for himself, and go back into the closet. This is unlikely to happen. But more importantly, this is pretty much a guarantee that other people in McClellan's situation aren't going to come forward - there's no profit in it. It doesn't do a thing to increase their access to services and/or therapy, while at the same time making them targets for skittish parents who chose to ignore the fact that most child sexual exploitation is perpetrated by acquaintances and relatives and focus on "stranger danger."

I don't claim to be able to see the future or anything, but if I had to bet, I'd say that eventually, the stress of being run out of one town and state after another is going to take its toll, and McClellan is going to hurt someone. If he doesn't wind up committing suicide, he's going to end up seeking out sex with a child.

"[... T]he child molester is the recipient of the strongest societal anger and disapproval, which ironically only confirms his perception of adults as hostile and punitive and reinforces his attraction to children."
The Child Molesters: Clinical Observations - Part I

Either way, at this rate, this is going to end badly. And that's a shame, because it doesn't have to. Understanding that we have someone who is willing to be open about his sexual desires, he provides a window onto what goes on, and perhaps what can be done to redirect those who feel that they're losing control. Putting him into a therapeutic situation, which would allow for the mental-health and law-enforcement communities to add to their knowledge base. Right now, many people have been studied are sex offenders, people who have been caught and convicted. Learning more about people who have yet to offend offers an opportunity to develop programs to prevent them from offending.