Lawyers for Donald Trump’s former faith advisor Robert Morris accused a 12-year-old girl of initiating “inappropriate” sexual conduct with the ex-Dallas megachurch pastor, new documents have revealed.
Morris resigned in June after admitting to the incident. His accuser Cindy Clemishire previously claimed that the pastor had begun abusing her on Christmas Day in 1982.
Clemishire, now 52, said that Morris and his wife had been staying at her family home at the time when he asked her to come into his room, whereafter he told her to lay on his bed and then began touching her inappropriately.
She said the abuse had continued until 1987 when she told her parents.
However, 25 years after the incident, a lawyer for Morris – J Shelby Sharpe – claimed that it was the child who was actually to blame.
Even if she did, so what? A 12-year-old cannot consent. The adult cannot engage. This is not a defense.
The fact that this post has a downvote is legitimately worrying to me. I really hope that’s not someone who disagrees with this statement.
Whoever downvoted has definitely used the word “ephebophilia” unironically int he past.
People genuinely are twisted about sex and age and consent, and there is no truer view into our massive flaws as a species. That we have anyone at all in this age and at this point in our evolution targeting children for self-gratification tells me all I need to know about the Fermi Paradox. We are NOT an advanced species. The very worst of us represents all of us.
The right thing to do if a 12-year-old makes sexual advances on an adult is for the adult to report it because the 12-year-old is probably being abused!! Not to have sex with them!! What the fuck?! (Not that I believe this shit for a second but even if it were true that makes him just as much of an abuser.)
the 12-year-old is probably being abused!!
Eh. I dunno. I was engaging in explicitly sexual activities with other children my own age when I was 7, and I wasn’t being abused. To the best of my knowledge, they weren’t either. Sexuality is pretty well baked into our DNA, and sexual exploration, sex play, and yes, sexual intercourse is something children tend to do because it’s so biologically coded into us.
On the other hand, parents should probably have a frank, shame-free discussion with children about what is, and is not, appropriate behavior with adults, how consent works with peers, and discuss time and space constraints on behaviors.
A 12-year-old cannot consent.
The people who need to hear this the most are also the ones who will respond to this statement with “No you idiot, it SAYS she initiated!” Or at least inside they will think this.
I used to think that this kind of statement would carry all the necessary information to teach people about consent, but no, it’s not nearly enough. We have several whole generations that skipped PBS and education and reading and life experiences entirely, they have withdrawn to isolated spaces that indulge whatever twisted passions they have and people make far, far less effort to understand concepts than they used to.
What you have to explain is that what a child thinks they want versus what you, an adult with adult perspectives wants, are not aligned and will lead to massive, massive power imbalances, and we protect children from their own foolish ideas ALL DAY LONG about other things.
You can do massive damage to a child psychologically by taking away their natural pace of growth and self-discovery and replacing them with your own ideas of what a sexual relationship is. A twelve year-old has another DECADE TO A DECADE AND A HALF to go before they finalize growth and development for the most part. In that time, they will draw on all their life experiences to guide them to a healthy future and a positive attitude about themselves and sex. If someone out there is reading all this and still does not get it, you need to haul yourself to therapy yesterday.
“and so what was he to do, Your Honour? Say no to a twelve year old? Report their conduct to their parents?”
And this neatly illustrates the grotesquely destructive delusion that lies at the heart of religious fundamentalism - it’s ultimately, and I’m tempted to say without exception, an attempt by overtly evil people to place the blame for their evil on others, or on society as a whole.
The underlying issue is not that other people feel lust, for instance, but that they themselves feel lust, and they consider that to be so shameful that their self-images cannot tolerate the idea that it’s a part of their own makeup. It must and can only be, to them, a thing that’s been imposed on them by “evil” people or an “evil” society, so the solution, to them, is to stamp out that “evil.” Solely in the belief, ultimately, that if that “evil” could somehow be made to not exist, it would no longer plague them.
Buddy of mine’s 12-yo stepdaughter was flirting with him when they watched movies. He was horrified and confused.
“Dude, she’s just testing her feminine wiles on you since she sees you as safe, kinda testing her attractiveness. Doesn’t even have a clue she’s doing it. Just ignore it or gently push back if she goes too far.”
And of course all was well. Thought it was a cute and funny story.
And we have lawyers trying to slide this defense?! Not to mention the guy who took it seriously and raped a child! I swear to god they used to threaten disbarment over stupid shit like this.
tl;dr Kids do stupid shit when they start puberty. It’s on the adult to see what’s happening.
I’m in my late thirties and I have to remind myself when a younger twenty-something girl comes on to me, that is never going to work and I have to be the mature one to shut it down.
lol I like the comment but it comes across a little “look what I can do still”
That is not what I meant but I don’t know how to explain it without sounding like a douche.
The point I’m trying to make is that you have to recognize your place in life and use that as reference to help other people around you.
I get what you’re saying, but let’s chill out on the infantilization of women.
A 20-something-year-old woman doesn’t compare to a 12-year-old.
And maybe the 20-something-year-old woman hitting on you just wants to have fun and is not thinking about anything working out with you. Presume much?
How old are you? I agree with your infantilization comment but you’re wrong here. I’m middle aged. A girl in her 20s literally looks like a child to me and the older I get, the more I see it’s fucking gross when older men date women that make them feel like they’re fucking little girls.
I get what you’re saying. The way I look at it is that it’s different phases of life. At nearly 30 I really can’t relate to someone still in college. Maybe a senior at best. I’d be flattered if they came onto me, but they’re just too young for me. That doesn’t mean they’re like a 12 year old. It just means I want to date someone I can more closely relate to and who’s had experience living and working after college.
There’s a maturity factor too. I was waaaaay less mature back in my early 20s and drank and partied a lot. That’s how it should be, I’m not knocking people for doing that. Being less mature isn’t a bad thing when you’re actually young, and you should have fun while you are. There’s nothing wrong with that.
This is why I can’t fathom 30+ year old men being interested in even 18 or 19 year olds. They’re less mature (again, as they should be!) and at a very different stage in life. It’s creepy to actually want to date them.
interesting-- and where was their all-powerful, all-seeing sky-wizard during all of this? why was it powerless to stop this from happening? where was their “superior morality” to stop them? why it is, with an all-powerful sky-wizard, a superior morality, and an adult - a pastor - present, is it the fault of a 12 year-old?
I’m pretty sure the answer is that sky-daddy sent the little girl to test the pastor, that he might endure this challenge and come out a better man for the lesson. Sky-daddy doesn’t give agency to women or children - they serve only as props in the narrative of men’s lives.
