To the editor:

Although I am not surprised by Cal Thomas’ conflation of pedophilia and homosexuality, it is appalling to read his take on the events at Penn State in the column by him published in your newspaper (“Penn State’s shame — and America’s too,” Nov. 15).  Shame on you, Mr. Thomas, for suggesting that lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender citizens are somehow part of a larger conspiracy to debase the moral standards in this country and for linking an episode of the television show “Glee” to what you regard as the decline of decent behavior in the United States.

Jerry Sandusky did cross “a line,” and he crossed it because he is a pedophile, who like many other secular and nonsecular pedophiles may engage in same-sex and opposite-sex rape of children. Pedophiles will not be stopped by banning abortion, prohibiting football games on the Sabbath, persecuting gays or condemning television shows. Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder whose etiology is complex and nonpolitical. Of course, the allegations against Sandusky must be pursued, but not by throwing everyone else in jail with him.