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The Strange case of Frank Lombard
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by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | December 8, 2009 at 07:14 am
1133 views | 30 Recommendations | 21 comments
Little media attention has been given in the case of Frank Lombard, the Duke University employee arrested for the sex abuse and attempted prostituting of his 5 year old adopted, African American son.
Lombard is gay, and the media may have feared a scenario in which he would - wrongly - become a poster boy for gay adoption.
Nevertheless, the story, lurid and chilling in its details, merits some attention: While the blogger below may go into a suspicion of the media which I do not wholly share, the fact that Lombard, a homosexual, adopted an African American boy, and by age 5 had committed numerous sex acts on him, and was at least attempting to loan him out to others - all documented in the police investigation, which accessed his chats and his emails - seems to be something which ought not be swept under the rug.
Indeed, Lombard is said in the media to be only a man, age 42, who will plead guilty to indecent acts with a minor. No mention that the minor is not 15, but 5; that the minor is not a white female, but an African American infant, and that Lombard is a homosexual who adopted the child.
I do not believe justice is served by silencing the fact of this case. Most gay males would not do as Lombard did; why not stress that? There is a kind of confession in silence, and gay advocates should rather emphasize why Lombard is NOT the typical gay male. When a heterosexual father molests his daughter, does it follow that all will? There is a way to handle this without covering the story up, and without casting suspicion on gay adoptions, one would think.
Update: Oddly enough, the gay publication, the Edge, Boston, MA, has indeed bravely given coverage to the case; to their credit, with the title, Gay Adoptive Father faces arraignment in abuse case. I have just found this item:
A former Duke University employee and adoptive gay father charged with molesting his five-year-old son--and offering the boy as a sex object to pedophiles online--is expected to make a plea bargain, according to a Dec. 1 article in local newspaper the Durham Herald Sun.
Frank Lombard faces charges stemming from alleged instances in which he molested his young adopted son and chatted about the deeds online even as he carried them out. It’s thought that the U.S, Attorney’s Office is positioning the case for a plea arrangement because the Office is set to file an "information," which allows the prosecution to sidestep a grand jury indictment. The "information" will be filed in Washington, D.C., and will charge Lombard with sexual exploitation of a minor, the Herald Sun reported.
Typically, guilt is tacitly acknowledged in the "information" filing, which serves as a first step toward a plea agreement. The "information" regarding charges against Lombard says that the former Duke University administrator
"engage[d] in sexually explicit conduct ... for the purpose of transmitting a live visual depiction of such conduct." Sentencing for such crimes is typically about a decade and a half, but Lombard could have faced 20 years if the initial charges of sexual offense involving a child and inducement of another party to cross state lines for illegal sexual purposes had been pursued.
Lombard was arrested in June at the culmination of an online sting that state and federal investigators, during the course of which Lombard allegedly bragged about the sexual offenses he had carried out against his son. Lombard has not been charged in connection with any crime involving the other boy that he and his partner adopted; nor has Lombard’s partner been implicated in the alleged abuse. Lombard has been detained at a Washington, D.C. jail since his arrest.
Some right-wing bloggers jumped in with anti-gay accusations when the news of Lombard’s arrest broke, leveling charges against gay parents in general and holding Lombard up as an example of why gays should not be allowed to adopt children. A June 29 Christian News Wire article titled "Lombard Demonstrates Why Gays Should Not Be Able to Adopt" reported the broad outlines of the case, in which Duke University Center for Health Policy Associate Director Frank Lombard allegedly offered an undercover officer the sexual services of his young adopted son.
The article also used the case to decry, in equally broad terms, adoption by same-sex couples, taking the occasion to promote a purported study reportedly done by discredited researcher Paul Cameron, a long-time anti-gay activist and chairman of the Family Research Institute who was quoted in the article as saying, "The cant that ’gay parents are no more likely to molest’ is not based on evidence but liberal ideology."
A former Duke University employee has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of sexual exploitation of a minor, authorities said Tuesday.”Here, the “sexual exploitation of a minor” is not described in any great detail. That is good because the sexual exploitation Lombard inflicted upon his own child is simply too graphic to reprint fully. I have read all of the documentation in this case. It contains descriptions of conduct, which can only be described as sub-human.
“Frank M. Lombard, 42, of 24 Indigo Creek Trail in Durham, will enter the plea in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 17, authorities said. He likely will face 15 years in prison, authorities said.”
It is interesting that the first demographic mentioned is age, as opposed to race or sexual orientation. As I proceed with my commentary it may be worthwhile to ask, once again, a question I will ask now: Is Frank Lombard’s age the most relevant demographic variable in relation to the charges to which he agreed to plead guilty?
“Authorities on Tuesday filed a criminal information in the case, indicating that they were negotiating a plea and didn't want to pursue an indictment against Lombard. According to the filing, Lombard coerced a minor, identified only as ‘M.L.,’ into engaging in sexual conduct so that Lombard could transmit a live video of it over the Internet.”
And now we have another mention of the “minor” followed by the assertion that the criminal information only identifies the minor as “M.L.” But WRAL knows precisely what the “L” in “M.L.” means. It means Lombard. It is his adopted black son.
But to acknowledge that “M.L” is the son, not daughter, of Frank Lombard is to acknowledge that Lombard is gay. And the Gods of Diversity frown upon the notion that males can be victims of rape and that the perpetrators can be homosexual men.
And to acknowledge the race of the victim is to suggest that homosexuals might be capable of committing hate crimes, even if they do not play Lacrosse. Hate crimes legislation is supposed to protect, not prosecute, gay men.
And, finally, there should be no mention (yet) that his son was adopted. The public, when confronted with such information, might use it to form dangerous opinions – such as the opinion that gay men should not be adopting little boys.
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Hugh Askew
Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
Redwater, Alberta, Canada
marianmo
Mission, Canada
Jessica Tucker
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Spydermonkey
huntsville, Alabama, United States
Rhonda J Mangus
North Tonawanda, New York, United States
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (21)
at 07:22 on December 8th, 2009
Read somewhere a few years back, that something like 95% of homosexual males had been molested as a child, or as a young teen. Sick and sad as it is, i guess that is as close as they can come to reproduction.
at 07:39 on December 8th, 2009
Hugh, it is always helpful to provide a link to stats:)! In any event, Sexual Abuse: A Major Cause of Homosexuality.
Please keep in mind, I am only providing the information for the reader to consider. It does not mean that in any way I agree with it:)
at 07:27 on December 8th, 2009
Well, I understand, but I still believe an apt analogy might be: Look at the numbers of heterosexual males who have molested their young daughters, age 3-15, etc.-- would that of necessity mean that straight males ought not be around their daughters? Pedophilia is its own anomaly, with its own peculiar traits, and I do think many heteros fit this profile as well. Which is why I think the gays should speak out on Lombard, lest their silence is taken as some sort of identification with him. Does them a disservice....
at 07:41 on December 8th, 2009
No argument on pedophilia - gay, straight, or otherwise.
The molestation-homosexual link is obviously ignored. Just doesn't seem to fit the argument.
at 07:52 on December 8th, 2009
smk, "Pedophilia is its own anomaly, with its own peculiar traits, and I do think many heteros fit this profile as well." Is this what you meant to say?
Information on Sexual Abuse/Trauma that covers both hetero and homosexuals. It is just one of many 'studies'.
at 09:20 on December 8th, 2009
Yes, isn't that what I did in fact say? *confused* :(
at 07:27 on December 8th, 2009
Thanks for this, smk!
at 07:29 on December 8th, 2009
You are most welcome, Rhonda: Would you agree with my remarks just above yours here?
at 07:40 on December 8th, 2009
SMK, I most hardily agree, & I'm sure that this creep will get exactly what he deserves behind bars...
I understand that prisons have their own since of justice, & it ant kind...
at 07:46 on December 8th, 2009
Right you are spyder----and I think gays should speak out at how much he is NOT a representation of the norm, because silence is making the Christian right wag their tongues, which is why I chose to post this.
at 08:00 on December 8th, 2009
Sexual Abuse: A Major Cause of Homosexuality... I find little in this that agrees with my own life experience
I know several gay men & women that were not abused as kids (myself & partner are included)
The sites proclamation that " Our next response should be to provide therapy to homosexuals to help them cope with their problems" Only if the person wants to be "helped". The forced "straight therapy" can truly be torture to someone that is not their of there own free will & should be prosecuted as such.
at 08:05 on December 8th, 2009
Keeping in mind the distinctions between incest, child sexual abuse, sexual assault and rape.
at 08:09 on December 8th, 2009
Yes, the distinctions are important, and as I have said to others, I think gays should speak openly on Lombard, as why should they become his victim? The number of heterosexual men who molest their daughters does not reflect on all straight men; neither should Lombard's behavior speak for gay men. Silence only allows the Christian right to say, "Guilt by association"---If I were a gay man, I would want to be very upfront about Lombard's departure from mainstream gays.
at 08:18 on December 8th, 2009
What I have pasted (with source) below, is to me the main reason this case OUGHT to be spoken openly about by gay advocates, and Democrats: The silence is causing remarks such as these:
"I think we can now see why WRAL has withheld certain relevant information. Lombard was a high-level administrator in the area of health policy. To reveal his sexual orientation would raise certain questions, which might violate someone’s right to feel comfortable at all times. For example, “Are certain sexual practices both detrimental to individual health and prevalent in the gay community?” And, “Could such practices, if widely adopted (no pun intended), be detrimental to the public health?” Finally, “Is a homosexual man the best candidate available to help run a Center for Public Health and teach a course about AIDS at Duke University?”
According to the people at WRAL, and many at Duke University, Frank Lombard is no ordinary white racist. Nor is he an ordinary white rapist. He is gay and entitled to special treatment in the court of public opinion. To refuse to treat him differently would promote hatred and discrimination."
http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeAdams/2009/12/07/wral_white_rapists_and_lombard?page=full&comments=true
at 09:10 on December 8th, 2009
Thanks for the additional information, smk! The Opinion in its entirety is very interesting!
at 09:12 on December 8th, 2009
it is not homosexuality which causes a person to molest children but pedophilia which is the cause of child molestation...to say that all homosexuals shouldnt be allowed to adopt is as ridiculous as saying all people should not be allowed to adopt because of some sexual seviants in society...it is time to take a close look at those spouting hate in today's society
at 09:47 on December 8th, 2009
Thanks for getting to the real issue, marianmo:)!
at 09:21 on December 8th, 2009
Yes, marianmo, that is the point I have been trying to make....
at 09:46 on December 8th, 2009
One of the posters on the Opinion site left this interesting remark:
Lombard was not a single parent. He had a partner (gay), who was horrified by what happened and left him immediately. Fancy that, Mike Adams: a gay parent with a conscience, one who is not a child molester!
[Some of you here will doubtless wonder why I appear to be attacking Adams. I'm not. I'm pointing out how bad his arguments are. Lombard is about as low as a human can get. "Liberals" don't believe anything like that he's good at heart, or misunderstood as a gay man, yadda yadda. Those are straw man positions. And some may wonder why I care. As a professor, I care that Adams seems to believe he represents us. And, as a (straight) parent who has several gay colleagues with wonderful families, I am sickened that he tends to paint them all with one brush. These are people who cannot even legally be a family unit, but have persevered. Against the ugly, endless hatemongering of people like Adams.]
at 09:04 on January 14th, 2010
Anyone who holds the position that rapists and molesters generally get their comeuppance while doing time in our prison systems is woefully out of touch with the present day realities of our penal systems.Once upon a time someone like Lombard could be pretty much assured that he would face everything from a simple beat-down to possible death once sent to prison, this has not been the case for a couple of decades as these types of criminals are kept completely separate from the rest of the prison population in order to keep them safe from exactly the kind of acts some posting about it here want them to suffer.So if that is your measuring stick of justice, you can expect Lombard to get away with his crimes. Anyone who feels a plea deal that sets him free in 10-15 years is justice served also has a warped sense of what is actually just punishment for his horrendous crimes.For those who proclaim that anyone who finds his behavior or acts to be not only abhorrent, but a justifiable reason to question homosexuals ability to adopt in the first place "hatemongering" and "homophobia" that can all be laid on the backs of that liberal monster of destruction: The Christian Right - grow up and rip off your rosy little glasses. There are many many people in this country and the world that hold the viewpoint that homosexuality is wrong, sick even, who are neither Christians (or even theists of any stripe) nor right-winged conservatives. In fact, there are even homosexuals themselves who believe that their lifestyle is wrong, self-destructive, and even sick. I have over the course of my life had (and still have) numerous homosexual people as both family members and friends, and though it shows a serious dichotomy with what the homosexual media present and claim - many of them do not believe that homosexuals should be allowed to marry, nor adopt children. A number of them hold to the belief that even among the elite and intelligentsia of homosexuals, the well to do society gays as it were, there always remains a dark undercurrent to the life they live that can only be defined at best as deviant.Of course, I have heard (as will likely be said here) that these men and women I'm speaking of are traitors, self-haters, and so on. That is always the easy argument to make: they aren't real or representative of the group as a whole. And it's just crap. The same illogical nonsense that says it is okay to hate people you think are "haters", to be intolerant and want to silence or even jail people you think are intolerant, or to ostracize people whose views and beliefs don't line up with yours because you think that they are bigots. It's all a bunch of crap. The level of disingenuousness that permeates the entire politically correct arena in this country is nothing short of pathetic.
at 04:28 on February 11th, 2010
I have to agree with everything Disgusted Observer says. Christians are (by far) not the only group in the world that understands the dark side of homosexuality and its negative impact on society. Men of Frank Lombard's ilk were once identified more clearly as the disgusting, predatory creeps they really are. And, although I'm afraid Disgusted Observer is right about the odds that Lombard will be protected from the old-fashioned sort of prison justice, I hope that turns out to be wrong and that he gets to experience a fraction of the horror he inflicted upon this innocent child.