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Let me tell you what got my attention about this and I have never admitted this on television. I’m a victim of a pedophile when I was a kid. Someone who was much older than me.
– CNN anchor Don Lemon, during a segment on alleged sex predator “Bishop” Eddie Long, 9/25/2010
Consider how difficult this had to be for Don Lemon. I can’t imagine what ran through his mind as he built up to the moment of disclosure of this painful part of his life on live international television.
CNN anchor Don Lemon made a very personal admission in the most public of ways – during his live newscast. Lemon was discussing the sexual abuse cases against Bishop Eddie Long with three members of Long’s church who continue to support him.Lemon had just played a soundbite from the lawyer of one of Long’s accusers about how the bishop allegedly got close to one of the young men in his church.
…Lemon’s admission led to an audible gasp from one of his guests. “I’ve never admitted that on television and I never told my mom until I was 30 years old,” Lemon said later in the segment. “Especially African-American men don’t want to talk about those things.”
What I do know is that crossing the line from journalist to interested party had to be beyond difficult. Facing Long supporters had to push some seriously painful buttons. Weighing it all against the possible good it can do for those who suffered similar abuse out there is immeasurable. Lemon’s strength to share will help someone else muster up the courage to tell their story.
For me, “thank you” is too insignificant a thing to say in response to what Don Lemon did.
***
ALSO: I did want to address the statements of the three congregants. I pity them. They are 1) brainwashed by Long accepting him as a deity-type figure without flaws or capable of evil, and 2) devoid of any critical-thinking skills, which are part of what Long’s stagecraft is designed to do.
This is the problem of all churches that, by design and theology, place the pastor/priest above the flock, and worse, deserving of prosperity even when some workshippers are of little means. It’s a vile circumstance because at what point are the congregants engaging in cult behavior versus voluntary call to prayer and worship together? I challenge anyone to watch that “Cross It Up” video and say you don’t see cult-like mindless devotion behavior going on.
Yes, these are just allegations, but as Lemon pointed out, two of the young men don’t even know one another yet their stories describe very similar predator behaviors. Long’s followers seemed unfazed at this, even after Lemon disclosed his abuse. I’m sure they parroted what they felt they needed to say, but certainly I hope something resonated in them after the interview to open their minds to think for themselves.
25 Comments
heroesheroes come from the unlikeliest of places.
& circumstances.
That manDon Lemon, has a beautiful soul. I wanted to hug him and hug him.
Z
There have got to be some mothers in this ‘church’ who will…….fight for their sons!
I’d love to hug himSexual abuse is a pretty common thing that is not talked about.
It saddens me that it’s pretty common in African-American families for people to tell their kids, “Oh don’t visit uncle so and so’s house” and ALL the adults will know exactly why but they refuse to turn this family member into the police.
I still have to attend family functions where there is a pretty good chance my rapist will be there.
If my family wonders why they hardly ever see me, I’ll be glad to tell them why but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Who honestly wants to be around their rapist?
Whoa.That was stunning.
It’s quite possible……that one of these two young men defending Bishop Long was also one of his sexual victims.
If so, that’s probably where the gasp came from.
Translation from LondonI love it when Kevin Bond, the guy in London, says, “There are those that have supported his ministry — bought the books, bought the videos and tapes and the CDs, as well…”
Translation: “There are those that have supported his ministry — bought new Mustangs, rented apartments, bought jewelry, and paid for fabulous vacations for his pastoral boytoys, as well…”
I’ve heard..That there could be as many as 30 victims of this pedophile. If that’s the case, this could make the Catholic Church pedophile case look like a tea party. I suspect there’s more than 30 victims, and they might run even younger.
And kudos to Don Lemon for sharing what happened to him. That’s gotta be VERY difficult to do, especially on national television.
I understand all too well how difficult it was for himSilence only helps to perpetrate these crimes.
KnowingI’m a movie lover, and a favorite is Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. One of the film’s subplots involves a wedding guest – uncle to the bride – who molested the bride’s cousin when she was a child. The cousin, now an adult, sees the uncle “grooming” a very young female relative during the marathon wedding celebration, and she blows the whistle on him. What happens next: the bride’s father ignores the uncle’s prominence and clout and expels him from the wedding celebration. I loved that scene. Too bad it doesn’t happen so often in real life that a family stands up for the abused instead of making allowances for the abuser.
How do you contact this man to thank him?I’m white, but as a trans woman talking about the rape and sexual abuse I experienced was incredibly difficult. I understand how in some sub-cultures it can be harder to talk about than others and I fully believe him when he says that African American boys/men have a particularly difficult time.
For what he did for that community and for what he did for everyone who struggles with who to tell and how to get help, he deserves to be personally thanked.
I don’t have a TV, Pam, so thank you so much for bringing this to my attention.
–)->
I’m not sureThat monsoon wedding qualifies as a favorite movie of mine, but only because my movie tastes are so shallow. I loved watching it once, but it’s too honest for me to watch over and over like Bad Boys II or the Matrix.
I watch movies mostly when life becomes too excruciating and I have to escape. (Most of my life is spent knee-deep in the muck of anti-violence work and political activism). But when I have energy & interest I do watch movies with actual intelligence and wit. And though I don’t watch them over and over, they sometimes make an impression:
the scene you described is one of those that made a lasting impression on me. I’m with you – it was absolutely wonderful to get that on film and in front of the world’s eyes. Thank you for reminding me of it.
30 is very seriousBut if you think that there weren’t multiple Catholic priests with more than 30 victims, you haven’t had a chance to read up on how horrible that scandal is.
There are hundreds of thousands of victims worldwide.There are 10s of thousands in Ireland alone, and it’s not a big country. Long does not make that look like a tea party.
Assuming arguendo that Long is guilty, that’s a sick trail of evil and a hideously large amount of human damage. But don’t minimize what happened elsewhere.
Deep/shallowAnother good film is the Australian 1980s production Shame, about an attorney’s struggle in a rural town where rape is prevalent and the victim is always blamed.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t view films for entertainment/escape. For every Shame I watch there’s also a Little Miss Sunshine. When I want encouragement I watch films like Whale Rider. (Speaking of Whale Rider, New Zealand boasts the world’s first openly transgender member of parliament, Georgina Beyer.)
Total DenialSad, that some people are so taken in by the cult of individuals that they deny what sometimes it right in front of their face. I hope that eventually some good can come out of this tragic incident.
I was shockedat how many people were applauding Eddie Long at the Sunday morning service.
I guess my expectations are higher. I was expecting lots of empty pews.
At the same time….these are African-Americans and it seems like LOTS of African-Americans have a cult like relationship with religion.
::sigh::
it’s not pedophiliaHis victims (identified to date) are too old for him to be classified as a pedophile. A pedophile’s victims are prepubescent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P…
The proper term for this molester is ephebophile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E…
every abuser is not a pedophileI would in no way try to ameliorate the abuse Long is alleged to have commited. The young men’s stories sound true to me…. but they do not claim, as some here have suggested, that Long abused them as young children, which would make him a pedophile. They all make it clear that Long approached them in their late teens.
That would still make him an abuser, but of a different type. It’s important to make the distinction, not to ease up on the abuser, but to better find and help victims. Those abused by powerful people in their lives when they are children face different roads to recovery and redress than those who face such horrors as teens, young adults or adults.
I have read up on the Catholic scandal…And I’m not minimizing it. It’s horrendous, with thousands or even millions of victims. I’m talking about the press reaction to this as opposed to the Catholic situation. At first, the media was like “ho-hum” about the Catholic child molesters, and then the Boston Globe (goddess bless ‘em)started acting like REAL journalists and got on the case. This one is being reported from the get go, unlike the Catholics.
And I’m sorry-a pedophile is a pedophile. Yes, his victims were older, so the proper term is ephebophile, but is it less destructive to his victims? Hell, no. Therefore, that’s why I call this guy a pedophile.
there is nothing in using the proper term that implies a lesser destructive act. In fact, you yourself used a proper overall term in your post when referring to the Catholic “child molesters”.
Both pedophiles and ephebophiles are child molesters. But, all child molesters are not pedophiles.
In fact there is a thrid term, hebephilia that defines those who are sexually interested in children during puberty. Around ages 10 – 14.
Pedophile – prepubescent
hebephilia – pubescent
ephebophilia – post puberty or young adolescent
OK-got your point, but whatever name is used for it…It’s still disgusting. And it’s still a crime-although these guys are suing Mr. Long rather than having his behind tossed in jail-like they should. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. Does anyone know why these guys chose to sue rather than going after him through the cops?
I appreciate DonGood for Don for doing what he did. I have to be honest, though. I know very few adults (with whom I am comfortable to discuss the matter) who haven’t been sexually abused in some degree.
My mom, my sister, myself, my brother. Every woman I know. Many men I know. As far as I can tell, abuse is the norm.
And I was raised in a really protected environment. My dad is a cop and kept a very close and watchful eye. Nobody suspected the nice neighbor man.
probably because the boys were of the legal age of consent in Georgia. So, there likely isn’t anything illegal about the sexual contact.
I wasn’t trying to be argumentative. The reason I think it’s important to use the correct term is because in general when they start tossing around the term pedophilia, they also tend to conflate it with gay when it is a man abusing boys. And, there is nothing gay about pedophilia no matter what the sex of the abuser or the victim. Pedophiles (Men or women) who abuse children are not doing it based on their sexual orientation or based on the sexual orientation of the victims. Lots of pedophiles abuse BOTH boys and girls. And, the vast majority of pedophiles are straight in their adult relationships even when they abuse boys.
“open their minds to think for themselves.” Not likely. The essence of religious thought is belief in impossible things. Sky Pixies, thunder gods, the immaculate conception, devils, demons and etc.
It’s very unlikely that this one incident will make a dent in that wall of submission to superstition and lies but, as events in places like Europe have shown, over time they have a profound effect. Ireland is still a priest infested country but when the Irish Independent recently asked “Do you think Pope Benedict’s apology to victims of clerical sex abuse in Ireland goes far enough?” a resounding 68% answered no.
One comment on the poll said “Too little too late. The church in Ireland is damaged beyond repair and will never recover, regardless of words or actions. As for those looking to somehow return to a “Catholic Ireland” – that will never ever happen again. People have seen the true catholic church and it will never be allowed to run its disease through the veins of Irish society again.”
Lemon is a hero. But CNN? The home of Anderson Cooper?
That is an unlikely place.