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A Reader Weighs in on Chemical Castration

Note from Amy: I posted a comment from convicted serial rapist Brent Brents about chemical castration, and it prompted an interesting response from a reader in Montreal, Canada, who wrote to this Diary of a Predator website that he turned to that as an alternative after having sexual relationships with both women and men. The original post from Brent Brents and the reader’s response to it are below:

Well my only real issue lately is my OCD. It’s real real hard (No Pun intended) to Not want to masturbate or Push the fantacies out of my head. I can’t masturbate because of the meds anyway. Chemical Castration so to speak. You might i would be sad or upset by that. Honestly No I couldn’t be happier about that part of my life. It sure makes it easier to push the fantacies aside and eases the compulsion to masturbate or wash my hands every 5 minutes. Because I equate the fantacies with dirty hands.

 

-Brent Brents 3-13-2013

Reader comment:

Castration is not all that bad, there are some bad and some sides. I’m not a sex criminal but I’ve used anti androgen for 8 years. I can’t produce testosterone any more.

In 1995 at 42 y.o. I search infos on the web about castration. I’ve discovered Yahoo groups and Eunuch .org. I found out about chemical castration and I started to used a natural product called “Saw Palmetto”  this acts like “finasteride” an anti androgen. The transition went smooth. Within few months I could no longer get an erection and it didn’t bothered me because I had no desire for sex. Like other chemical castration this doesn’t eliminate all sex drive but brings it to a low level not enough to have an urge for sex. So I was satisfied being sexless. This went on for 8 years, this is why I said castration is not all that bad, other wise I’d have quit long before. During that period I was doing office work. I already had some side effects but they were bearable. I switched jobs to field work, first I thought I was out of shape but it went from bad to worst and I couldn’t do it any more. The castration side effects were just unbearable and I was very depressed. I quit the anti androgen, after few months my T level remained close to castration level. In 2005, my doctor suggested me to start Testosterone Replacement Therapy and I am on it since then. I’ve regained my sexual functions but my libido is still under control. I rarely have sex, perhaps once a year. I suggest to all castrated men to be very cautious about theirs health, eat healthy, take vitamin D and calcium, exercise everyday, keep your weight under control and don’t expect to work as hard as intact men. Castrated men are diminished men. If you remain fit you should avoid castration side effects. Good luck to all.

You may post it if you want perhaps this could help others. I’m opposed to mandatory castration for sex criminals but I support castration as therapy not only for criminals  but for all men who ask for it. There are a lot of men that wish to be castrated , we all have our own reasons.
-Jacques 6/28/2013

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South African Reader: “Parents make their kids into killers”

Note from Amy: The following comment was sent to this website, Diary of a Predator, after the South African viewer watched the Paula Zahn show about the Brent Brents case:

I have watched Brents story and as i view this site and read everyones comments i notice that what Amy is trying to explain is that its not about Brent but everywhere, he is the guinea pig. We dont know how many become like brent in the world, there isnt just a black and white but many shades in between.

What is more disturbing about this is the amount of abuse happening and mostly to children. Look at how many of you wrote saying you were abused. I am truly saddened and this all boils down to 2 people being careless, getting pregnant and going through with it even though they dont want kids. Then taking it out on them! People who are labelled parents earn it! By providing a safe haven, loving and protecting no matter how poor you are.

I have a son who is 4 i live in a tiny home, but my God i dont know what the future holds but i make sure my son has food, shelter, education and that he is loved and that he is not a burden and that even though i too was in an abusive home where my father did drugs, drank, got abusive etc, and raped by men. I make it my goal to not let my son become like that. That he will know his home is safe.

I live in south africa which has the highest rape, murder etc in the world but you dont hear what happens here. Everyone says brent had a choice, no he didnt! From the time he was born he didnt, so how can you expect him to know how to make a choice or expect him to know what that means or have logic or any other in this situation. Parents make their kids into killers . They learn from what they see and experience, not from what they are told.

Time: Monday May 13, 2013 at 2:09 am

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Help Stop Rape in the Military: Call Your Senators!

Note from Amy: The following is from the filmmakers of “The Invisible War,” the searing documentary about military sexual assault. Please read it and then click on the link to find the phone number of your senator–and call to tell them they need to support legislation to help end this crisis of rape in the military:

It’s come to light that not one, but two, officers in charge of sexual assault prevention in the military have themselves been accused of sexual assault. These are the very people who are meant to help ensure our servicemen and women are safe from the very crimes they have allegedly perpetrated.

Bill Briggs, an NBC News contributor, summed it up pretty well:

“The U.S. military seems increasingly incapable of policing itself or ridding its ranks of sexual predators…”

If you’re ready to move forward, call your Senators now and ask that they support legislation to move the decision to prosecute out of the chain of command.

Ask them to co-sponsor the Military Justice Improvement Act – the bicameral legislation introduced this morning by Senators Gillibrand, Boxer, Collins, Johanns, Blumenthal, Begich, Coons, Franken, Hirono, Mikulski, Shaheen and others.

That NBC news clip sums up exactly what our community has been arguing for over a year now. You know the saying… ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.’ Well, we’re not calling the military’s leadership insane, but there’s some pretty damning evidence out there.

The Pentagon needs an intervention. Enter the US Senate. With champions like Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Barbara Boxer, Richard Blumenthal, Mark Begich, Susan Collins, Mike Johanns, Al Franken, Chris Coons, Mazie Hirono, Barbara Mikulski, and Representatives Tulsi Gabbard, Dan Benishek, Richard Hanna, and Kyrsten Sinema banding together, today there’s a bill before Congress that CAN and WILL help to break the cycle.

This new bill has the power not only to break the cycle of military sexual assault and end years of sweeping this issue (and its survivors) under the rug – it also creates serious accountability and protects future service members from suffering retribution from their commanding officers.

You can help make this bill into law. Call your Senator today and tell them to join the fight and sponsor this bill to take this out of the chain of command, once and for all.

Every 21 minutes another service member is assaulted. Let’s make sure they see the justice they’ve earned.

Thank you for making our fight #NotInvisible,

Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick
Filmmakers, THE INVISIBLE WAR

http://www.notinvisible.org/

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Documentary Exposing Military Rape Scandal Premieres on PBS Tonight

Note from Amy: This email was from the filmmakers who made “The Invisible War,” a groundbreaking film that dives into the difficult issue of military sexual assault. I’m on their email list as someone who cares about the issue and because they interviewed me as a journalist for the film. I hope you take their plea to heart and tune in to watch this very worthy documentary:

Tonight, our award-winning investigative documentary – the film that sparked this movement to expose the epidemic of rape within the military – premieres nationally on PBS.

 

You’ve been with us through this long fight, and tonight is a moment we can all share as a community. But not everyone knows the importance of this issue. In addition to tuning in, will you help spread our message once more and find a friend to watch with? CLICK HERE to get details and find your local TV listing.

 

Having THE INVISIBLE WAR broadcast on national television, providing public access to stories like Trina and Kori’s, couldn’t come at a more critical time.

As you may have heard, last week, the Department of Defense released the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) annual report, and it showed a significant spike in assaults – an increase of 35% over the last year. Over 26,000 service members were sexually assaulted in 2012 alone. Moreover, the report came out two days after an Air Force officer in charge of sexual assault prevention was himself arrested for sexual battery. It’s clear as ever: the military does not understand the plague within its ranks.

One of our champions in Congress, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said it best:
“If the man in charge for the Air Force – in preventing sexual assault – is being alleged to have committed a sexual assault this weekend, obviously there’s a failing in training and understanding of what sexual assault is and how corrosive and damaging it is to good order and discipline.”

Military sexual assault isn’t just making headlines on Capitol Hill. Over the past week, President Obama also spoke out, saying that he has “no tolerance” for sexual assault. Adding, “they’ve got to be held accountable – prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged, period.”

For those 26,000 servicemen and women who survived assault last year, and the thousands more survivors, the news is promising but the fight is far from over. We must keep up the momentum and continue to take action until change is realized and “Zero Tolerance” becomes “Zero Occurrence.”

So tonight, as you tune in to PBS, share why this fight means so much to you – enlist one friend to help ensure military rape is #NotInvisible.

Onward,
Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering

http://www.notinvisible.org/

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trying to hurt Them

Time after time from the age of 5 until I was in my 20s
I was betrayed by men and women, family and so-called
friends. Around the age of 10 I became them and I’ve been
trying to hurt Them ever since I think.
—Brent Brents, April 22, 2005

From the book Diary of a Predator: A Memoir

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Because Thoroughly Tackling the Topic of Military Sexual Assault is No Small Feat: The Invisible War is Nominated for an Oscar

If you had told me ten years ago that rape in the U.S. military would become a mainstream topic, I’d have laughed at you.

Decade after decade, after each sexual assault scandal such as Tailhook or the Air Force Academy, politicians would trumpet their outrage and military officials would swear they’d muster reform, like a hardened criminal making desperate, insincere promises to a parole board.

In 2003, while Miles Moffeit and I were researching for,  “Betrayal in the Ranks,” our three-part series about military sexual assault and domestic violence, reporters in Kentucky called us with a cautionary tale of how their publisher pulled a similar story of theirs, axing it because the U.S. had invaded Iraq and it seemed unpatriotic to call the military to task.

Thankfully, that love affair is over.

invisible warLast January, a film premiered at Sundance called “The Invisible War.” It tackled the crisis of sexual assaults within the U.S. military and dissected it with a painstaking, surgical attention to detail.

The filmmakers invited me to attend the premier because I’m interviewed in the film about my work covering the issue of military sexual assault, primarily the series I coauthored with Miles called “Betrayal in the Ranks.”

Afterward, I listened to all the talk from the politicians and the military officials, inwardly rolled my eyes, and waited for the apathy to once again roll in.

Well, halleluiah, my cynicism has been smacked down.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta viewed the film on April 14, 2012.  Two days later, Panetta ordered that all military sexual assault cases were to be handled by senior officers, ostensibly taking such cases away from potentially biased commanders who wouldn’t want the notoriety or disruption of a sexual assault investigation in their own unit.

Then over the summer, the Marines put together a new protocol for combating sexual assault. And just this month, President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for this fiscal year. This time, it included reforms aimed at the issue of military sexual assault, including policies to prevent retaliation against those who report.

Meanwhile, the public and the media have flung themselves fully into the fray, backing “The Invisible War” with enthusiastic reviews and using social media to propel the issue forward.

Now “The Invisible War” has oh so deservedly been nominated for an Oscar.  As a result, I’m heartened that a whole new audience will now pay attention–and that someday, soldiering in the U.S. will no longer be associated with rape.

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What’s More Important: Rape of Tens of Thousands of Soldiers or Somebody’s Affair?

I wish everyone would calm down about the CIA adulterous scandal and become enraged over a much more important issue: sexual assault, including sexual assault in the U.S. military.

-This is what I’ve been thinking for several days now, and then someone did an excellent job of putting that into words by writing about the stunning documentary, “The Invisible War,” a film about the crisis of sexual assaults within the U.S. military, giving it proper context over the latest salacious story about Paula Broadwell.

I’m on the email list for director Kirby Dick and producer Amy Ziering, the creators of that outstanding Sundance award-winning documentary, “The Invisible War,”, and they sent me the below link to the piece that ran Monday in the Huffington Post.  I’m interviewed in the film because of my work covering the issue, primarily the series I coauthored at the Denver Post called “Betrayal in the Ranks.”

So please, take the time to read the story, and then forward the link to a friend. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta needs to turn his attention to “The Invisible War” and the issues it exposes, not media hype about emails and affairs.

From The Huffington Post: “The real scandal is that this type of behavior — stumbled upon via highly questionable investigative practices — is what garners nonstop media coverage and glaring headlines while a real military sexual scandal, our U.S. military’s horrific rape epidemic, affecting tens of thousands of our service members (annually!!), goes unreported and ignored.” Read more.

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Sundance, The Invisible War, Mary J. Blige and Compassion

Talking with Mary J. Blige

A very tired me (right) talks with Mary J. Blige the night of the Sundance premier of the documentary The Invisible War. | Photo by Matt Claussen

After the Sundance screening of the incredibly powerful documentary The Invisible War, Mary J. Blige gave an interview where she talked candidly about being abandoned by her father and being sexually abused in her childhood, and how she’s worked at healing.

Mary J.’s song “Need Someone” plays over the documentary’s closing credits as they scroll over photo after photo of soldiers who have suffered military sexual trauma. It packs an emotional wallop at the end of a film that grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go. Mary J. has also announced plans to write an original song for the film.

I talked to her afterward–I was at the premier because I’m in the film talking about what I learned as a journalist reporting on military sexual trauma–and I found her to be an amazing woman. I have huge respect for her.

She told me that she has forgiven her father, a Vietnam vet, for leaving his family, and that after years of estrangement they now stay in touch.

“If you hang on to that anger,” she said, “it’s poison-like drinking Draino.”

I’m always heartened, and humbled, when I encounter people like her.  Those beliefs of compassion and forgiveness are threaded throughout Diary of a Predator: A Memoir, as demonstrated by some of the inspirational people in the book.

Hate gets you nowhere. Compassion and forgiveness heal. People who join together for a worthy cause can accomplish great things, which The Invisible War has already shown–there is now legislation pending to correct a flawed military justice system regarding sexual assaults.

And finally, one person’s caring can make a difference. Thanks for the reminder, Mary J. I’m really looking forward to your song.

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The fear is often not exclusive to the victim.

So what i was going to finish this with is that there’s a sick irony in this. The fear is often not exclusive to the victim.

I should know.

The fear can also be exciting for the attacker. It was for me at times. So Women Should try Not to panic. It’s scary but Most attackers are Not expecting a brutal fight from a woman. All victims have the right to fight with every bit of their being to fend off an attacker.

Well enough of my thoughts.

-Brent Brents 11-28-11

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Boys

All those girls and the women out there waiting for these boys and childish men. The ones who call them bitches and hos and broads. Who are only in it for the money. Or to keep themselves from being caught in the death of loneliness. There are the occasional ones that truly love one another and actualy make it.
Brent Brents, 12-22-10 12:17 A.M.

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