One of the issues raging through the political landscape these days, stirring up passions on the left and the right, is the Equality Act, passed by the United States House of Representatives on May 17, 2019.
Proponents of the law generally say that everyone should be treated the same, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Objections to provisions of the law are often based on opponents’ views on biology or religious convictions.
But this law should also be evaluated in the context of the millions of psychopaths living among us, who I believe will have a great time exploiting it. And that’s what Lovefraud’s research — highlighted below — indicates.
What the Equality Act says
Federal laws currently prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age and military service.
The Equality Act creates two new protected categories in federal anti-discrimination law — sexual orientation and gender identity. It would prohibit discrimination based on these characteristics — as some states, such as California and Massachusetts, already do.
The introductory text of the law recently passed in the House, under “Findings and Purpose,” states:
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (referred to as “LGBTQ”) people commonly experience discrimination in securing access to public accommodations—including restaurants, senior centers, stores, places of or establishments that provide entertainment, health care facilities, shelters, government offices, youth service providers including adoption and foster care providers, and transportation. Forms of discrimination include the exclusion and denial of entry, unequal or unfair treatment, harassment, and violence. This discrimination prevents the full participation of LGBTQ people in society and disrupts the free flow of commerce.
This all sounds nice, portraying the law as making the United States a more civil, open and accommodating place for everyone. But if it passes in its current form, the Equality Act will make it easier for psychopaths to harass, exploit and take advantage others.
Gender identity and women’s sports
A visible example of what the law will allow is transgender females — people who were born male but identify as female — competing in women’s sports.
A few years ago, when federal government issued regulations prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity in education, opponents argued that boys would claim to be girls and participate in girls’ sports with an unfair advantage. Personally, I didn’t think it would happen — I couldn’t imagine teenaged boys wanting to do that. But they did.
At the Connecticut high school indoor track state championships in February, transgender runners placed first and second in the girls’ 55-meter dash. Connecticut is one of 17 states that allow transgender students to compete without restrictions. Yes, biology makes a difference — had the transgender winners competed as boys, they would not have ranked in the top 100.
Connecticut runners part of debate over transgender athletes, on APNews.com.
Tennis great Martina Navratilova, who came out as a lesbian in 1981, was heavily criticized by the gay community when she spoke out against allowing transgender females to compete as women. I think she has a point.
I’ve played sports all my life. For almost 20 years, I sponsored a co-ed softball team (three women had to be on the field at all times). I’m still a rower, and was competing up until a few years ago. In rowing, due to their superior muscle mass, men have a significant advantage over women. I certainly would not want to be racing against a man — or a transgender female.
Gender identity in the law
So the Equality Act includes “gender identity” as a protected category. Now, I get it when it comes to employment law, equality in housing, and protection against sexual harassment. But the Equality Act also mandates that people access to sex-segregated facilities and activities based on their gender identity.
There are no formal criteria for gender identity. It is not necessary for someone to have sex-change surgery or hormone treatment therapy. All that is necessary for someone to claim a gender identity of male, female or other is a “sincerely held belief.”
What does this mean in practice? Massachusetts issued Gender Identity Guidance for Public Accommodations on September 1, 2016:
Massachusetts law now explicitly prevents places of public accommodation from discriminating against, harassing, or providing different or inferior service to an individual based on gender identity. It also protects the right of all people – including transgender people – to use sex-segregated facilities that are most consistent with their sincerely held gender identity. In states with similar laws, reports of the improper assertion of gender identity have been exceedingly rare. Therefore, in most circumstances, a place of public accommodation should presume that an individual is using the appropriate facility. When there is a legitimate reason to believe that someone is not using the appropriate facility, a limited inquiry may be warranted in order to ascertain that person’s gender identity.
Again, the law sounds noble, and downplays any risks. But what will it mean for the millions of psychopaths in our society? Open season on the rest of us.
Fun and games for psychopaths
Here are the sincerely held beliefs of psychopaths:
- They are entitled to whatever they want, whenever they want it, and however they want it.
- The rules do not apply to them
- If the rest of us are stupid enough to give them an opportunity, they are justified in taking advantage of it.
So how will psychopaths react to the Equality Act?
First of all, please understand that when it comes to sexual orientation, psychopaths would probably check the “all of the above” box. Sex, for a psychopath, is just another opportunity to manipulate targets and exert power and control. Yes, they like the physical stimulation, but they don’t necessarily care whether it comes from a man, woman or other. For more on this, read:
Sociopaths and sex: What you need to know, on Lovefraud.com.
Some psychopaths will have sex with anyone
Lovefraud has collected data on this topic. I conducted three online surveys of people who were romantically involved with individuals whom they now believe to be disordered.
The survey respondents described their experiences with the disordered individuals, and rated the individuals’ level of psychopathy. It was clear from the ratings that the vast majority of survey respondents were describing psychopaths.
In each of the surveys, I asked about sexual orientation:
What is the individual’s sexual orientation, according to what you know now?
Romantic Partner Survey (N=1,261)
- Straight — 74.15%
- Gay — 2.30%
- Bisexual — 5.95%
- Pretended straight but had gay sex as well — 9.28%
- No preference; sex with anyone — 8.33%
Female Sociopath Survey (n=679)
- Straight — 60.97%
- Gay — 5.30%
- Bisexual — 14.14%
- Pretended straight but had gay sex as well — 11.93%
- No preference; sex with anyone — 7.66%
Senior Sociopath Survey (n=1,061)
- Straight — 76.91%
- Gay — 1.70%
- Bisexual — 3.68%
- Pretended straight but had gay sex as well — 10.84%
- No preference; sex with anyone — 6.88%
Therefore, according to our surveys, almost 8% of sociopaths had no sexual preference at all, and more than 10% pretended to be straight, but also had gay sex. So here’s how I’d describe the “sincerely held beliefs” of these psychopaths: Anything goes.
Sexually deceptive psychopaths cause more harm
In each of the three Lovefraud surveys, I also asked a related question:
Did the individual tell the truth about his/her sexual orientation?
Romantic Partner Survey (n=1,251)
- Yes — 81.53%
- No — 18.47%
Female Sociopath Survey (n=675)
- Yes — 79.41%
- No — 20.59%
Senior Sociopath Survey (n=1,067)
- Yes — 82.18%
- No — 17.82%
So almost 19% of psychopaths lied about their sexual orientation to romantic partners. Furthermore, a closer examination of the data revealed that the psychopaths who lied about their sexual orientation caused more harm for their romantic partners than those who didn’t.
I presented this research as a poster to the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy in 2013.
On almost every measure, individuals who were sexually deceptive displayed more antisocial traits, more antisocial behavior, and caused more harm to their romantic partners, than those who were not sexually deceptive.
The results were particularly striking when comparing sexually deceptive vs. not sexually deceptive in regards to physical violence and sexual demands. Victims reported:
- More physical abuse or injury (46% vs. 33%)
- Having their lives threatened more often (49% vs. 30%)
- More pets injured or killed (23% vs. 12%)
- More cheating (87% vs. 72%)
- Uncomfortable sexual demands (53% vs. 37%)
View the complete poster here:
In Love with an Exploiter: Sexual Deception Correlates with Increased Harm to Romantic Partners
More problems in single-sex facilities
The federal Equal Access Rule of 2012 allowed homeless transgender people to be housed in single-sex shelters according to their gender identities. In 2016, when the final rule was published, HUD noted that only 30% of shelters were willing to house transgender women with other women. The Department of Housing and Urban Development recently proposed rescinding that rule.
The situation is also difficult for transgender women in prison. Late last year, Strawberry Hampton, a transgender female, was moved to a female facility in Illinois. She claimed that she endured repeated abuse, as well as sexual assault, in men’s prisons.
But then there’s the case of Karen White, 52, a transgender female prisoner in the UK who was placed in a female-only prison. She had not undergone any surgery and was still legally a male. She was a convicted pedophile and had been charged with multiple rapes and other sexual offenses against women.
During three months in the female prison White sexually assaulted two other inmates. According to The Guardian:
Those who met White were shocked that she was moved to a female prison, describing the convicted sex offender as “manipulative and controlling”, and questioned her commitment to her transition. The Ministry of Justice has since apologised for the placement.
In March, the UK solved the problem by opening its first transgender prison, housing three prisoners
After Karen White’s prison assaults, the court heard that she used her “transgender persona” to access vulnerable women. A judge described Karen White as a “predator.” She’s probably a psychopath.
Psychopaths will game the system
So here’s the bottom line: The Equality Act opens the door for psychopaths to game the system, and some of them absolutely will.
Remember, many psychopaths are neither straight, gay or bi — they will have sex with anyone. If they get bored with one kind of sex, they’ll try another. And if they get bored with being male, they’ll switch to female (or vice versa), just to entertain themselves.
Psychopaths want to win. If they aren’t good enough in a sport to win on their own, they’ll cheat by competing as a woman.
Psychopaths are predators. If they can get thrills by using a women’s restroom or locker room, they’ll do it. If they can get easy access to vulnerable women in a shelter, they’ll claim to be female.
It’s sad, but we need to examine these issues with clear eyes. Psychopaths are fundamentally different from the rest of us — they have no conscience and no ability to love. They add a layer of complexity to national debates that should not be ignored.
Superhero creator Stan Lee allegedly a victim of elder abuse