ABSTRACT
EMPIRICAL RESEARCH, clinical reports, the media, and social movements soundly maintain that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is one of the most serious forms of interpersonal violence among both boys and girls (see, e.g., BoneyMcCoy & Finkelhor, 1995b; De Bellis, 2001; Gartner, 1999; National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, web page [www.childabuse.org]; National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization, web page [www.malesurvivor.org]; SNAP: Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, web page [www.survivorsnetwork.org/~snapper/SNAP]). Data and messages from these same sources, historically and currently, minimize and, in some cases, promote the incidence of CSA by way of muting its occurrence and abridging to the smallest degree its effects (see, e.g., Masson, 1984; the North American Man/Boy Love Association, web page [www.nambla.org]; Riegel, 2000; Rind, Tromovitch & Bauserman, 1998). These two contributaries of information merge to produce a confusing history. Following is a brief (and noninclusive) synopsis.
1849 The Texas Supreme Court rules in favor of a father who allegedly incested his daughter. The court can not conceive that incest occurs in this day and age in the United States of America (Ashby, 1997).
