After lecturing on the benefits of “pederasty” and lowering the age of consent for adults to have sex with children, a University of Texas professor was met with angry students calling for his termination. Now, the school has come forward with a decision regarding the man whom the community has labeled a “pedophile.”
For years, Thomas Hubbard has studied and produced works concerning the consequences of modern consent laws versus those of ancient Greek culture. Ultimately, the University of Texas College of Liberal Arts classics professor has come to the conclusion that there are far more benefits to allowing minor children to engage in sexual conduct with adults than there is harm.
Hubbard has written a number of works arguing in favor of not only lowering the legal age of consent in the U.S. but also the inherent moral good of allowing children, mainly young boys, to explore their sexuality with adult male partners. Of course, his efforts haven’t been without serious scrutiny.
According to an investigative column by The College Fix, Hubbard is combatting calls for his removal as a professor from UT for preaching that “statutory rape and age of consent laws are burdens” as well as “being celebrated in online communities for pedophilia views.” The protests have largely come from his own students, who have accused him of proselytizing extremely unsettling claims.
One student has claimed that Hubbard required pupils to “write a paper over lowering the age of consent and lowering the punishment for sexually assaulting a child under the age of 6.” This claim has not been verified. In a course called “Mythologies of Rape,” the professor allegedly had students detail their experiences with sexual assault and “made them argue whether or not it is actually rape under Texas penal code.” However, Hubbard denies the allegation that he had students write about personal sexual abuse.
“Students were given a paper topic that asked them to evaluate the legal status of two hypothetical scenarios, and how they would have advised the parties if they had been actual friends. Students were given the option of discussing a real case about which they had knowledge, with names changed to conceal identities,” he said.
Hubbard’s published works are disturbing. In a favorable review of Philip Jenkins’ “Moral Panic: Changing Concepts of the Child Molester in Modern America,” the professor wrote that he believes the “‘protection’ of children from sexuality had its origins in paternalistic regimes for controlling children’s sexuality.” He subsequently argued that pederasty leaves a positive impact on “fatherless boys.”
Hubbard has written that “contemporary American legislation premised on children’s incapacity to ‘consent’ to sexual relations stems from outmoded gender constructions and ideological preoccupations of the late Victorian and Progressive Era.” He has also argued that “pederastic intimacy” once functioned as a “social mechanism” for dealing with fatherless boys.
Hubbard’s efforts caught up with him. After numerous protests, mainly stemming from the university’s student body, the professor fled his home under police protection. However, the demands for Hubbard to be removed from his professorial position failed. Eventually, the school ultimately decided that Hubbard’s teachings are protected by the First Amendment.
“The university condemns ideas or world views that exploit or harm individuals,” UT spokeswoman Shilpa Bakre said. “However, the study of controversial and even offensive ideas is protected by the First Amendment — as is the right of others to strongly disagree with and draw attention to those ideas. If someone is alleged to violate university policy or takes actions that threaten the safety of the campus community, the university will respond swiftly, investigating allegations thoroughly and imposing sanctions as warranted.”
Hubbard’s teachings are still promoted in online communities and organizations that campaign for the acceptance of sexual relationships between men and boys, including the notorious pedophile advocacy organization NAMBLA. However, Hubbard says that he neither supports these groups nor shares their sexual views.
One post on the site BoyChat.org, a website that describes itself as a forum for people who have “a particular affinity for pubescent and/or prepubescent boys,” describes Hubbard as “a great man — fearless on speaking out against today’s phobic persecution of boylove.”
Hubbard continues to advocate for the lowering of the U.S. age of consent. He claims that this is his most extreme position and that his critics are exaggerating his stance.
“I have never said anything more radical than that we should consider moving in the direction of what most European states do, which is to maintain an age of consent of 14 or 15 with special protections against prostitution of those under 18 or involvement with an adult who is in a position of trust (family members, teachers, therapists, clergy),” he said.
Thomas Hubbard completely ignores the scientific evidence that children do not have the mental capacity to consent due to their underdeveloped brains’ inability to comprehend long-term consequences. He fails to recognize that laws regarding consent are to protect the child not only from their own desires but from the abuses of external influences.
Just as we prevent children from consuming alcohol, driving a car, or making many other life-altering decisions with impactful long-term consequences, we prevent them from engaging in sexual activity with adults who seek to infringe upon their rights to safety and security.
