Do Clergy Have the Highest Child Sexual Abuse Rates? A Data-Driven Analysis8 min read

When discussing child sexual abuse, the media often highlights high-profile cases involving Catholic clergy, leaving the impression that religious leaders represent the most abusive group. What makes this heinous is not only the supposed superior morality expected of clergy, but the shame of coverups that often follows.

We should not be surprised by that, since such coverups exist nearly everywhere such crimes are committed, but what does the data actually reveal about the rates of abuse across different groups of men, including clergy, educators, and LGBTQ+ individuals? This article aims to provide a data-driven overview to answer the question: Do clergy have the highest child sexual abuse rates? 

Here’s a summary chart to reference as we discuss each perpetrator group:

Group	Percent of Offenders	Percentage Who Were Molested as Children
Catholic Priests	4.0%	30-40% (John Jay Report, 2004)
Protestant Clergy	2-3%	Unknown
K-12 Educators	5-7%	Unknown
Boy Scout Leaders	4.4%	Unknown
Sports Coaches	2-4%	Unknown
General Adult Male Population	5%	7-16% (Finkelhor, 1994) 8% (Pereda et al., 2009)
Gay or Bisexual Men	20-40%	46% (Staats et al., 2020)
Transgender Offenders	30-50%	Unknown

Sources: ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9}

1. The National Average for Men in the General Population

Child sexual abuse is predominantly committed by men. Studies estimate that 2–5% of men in the general population have committed child sexual abuse. This provides a baseline against which other groups can be measured. ¹⁰

2. Clergy Abuse Rates: Catholic, Protestant, and General

The widely cited John Jay Report (2004), which investigated Catholic clergy abuse from 1950–2002, found that approximately 4% of Catholic priests were accused of sexual abuse—a rate consistent with the general male population.

Protestant clergy abuse rates are harder to quantify, but available studies suggest they fall within the same 2–5% range as Catholic clergy. No significant statistical difference between Catholic and Protestant clergy has been documented. ^{11 12}

A factor that may contribute to the abuse rates among Catholic clergy is the significant number of homosexuals within the Vatican and the broader priesthood, since, as discussed below, they offend at a higher rate. In In the Closet of the Vatican (2019), Frédéric Martel documents a pervasive culture of secrecy and widespread homosexual activity among clergy, including at the highest levels of the Catholic Church. While not all homosexual priests are abusers, the book raises questions about how such a culture might create an environment of silence and cover-ups, potentially enabling predatory behavior. ¹³

If this is the case, the rate of abuse within the Catholic church may be impressively low (even though average) based on the fact that they have heightened risk factors, not least of which is the perhaps unbiblical celibacy rule for priests.

2.1 Why the focus on clergy?

Several factors explain why clergy abuse—especially in the Catholic Church—has been more widely publicized than abuse in other contexts:

1. Anti-Religious Bias in Media: Secular media outlets often treat religious institutions with suspicion, while progressive institutions like public schools or LGBTQ organizations are treated with more leniency.
2. Centralized Record-Keeping in the Church: The Catholic Church’s hierarchical structure made it easier for abuse records to surface, unlike decentralized systems like public schools.
3. Scapegoating Religious Morality: The idea that religious people are hypocrites makes for a more compelling scandal than abuse in more socially progressive environments.

3. Educators: The Hidden Epidemic

One of the least-discussed groups with the highest rates of child sexual abuse is educators. According to the Shakeshaft Report (2004) commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, 6–10% of students experience sexual misconduct by school employees during their school years—mostly by male teachers and coaches.

However, more recent studies have refined this estimate. Denney et al. (2022) found that 5-7% of K-12 educators are implicated in sexual abuse cases involving students, aligning with the upper range of earlier findings. This places educators at a comparable or higher rate of abuse than both Catholic priests and Protestant clergy, despite receiving far less media scrutiny. These numbers highlight that child sexual abuse is not a uniquely religious problem but one that spans many secular institutions as well. ^{14 15}

4. Homosexual Men: Overrepresentation Among Victims and Perpetrators

Multiple studies have shown that homosexual and bisexual men are 3–4 times more likely to have been sexually abused as children compared to heterosexual men. While the vast majority of homosexual men are not abusers, several studies suggest they are overrepresented among perpetrators relative to their population size.

5. Transgender Individuals: The Highest Victimization Rates

Transgender individuals—especially biological males identifying as female—report the highest rates of childhood sexual abuse, with up to 50% of transgender people having been molested as children. However, no significant statistical data links transgender individuals to higher rates of perpetrating child sexual abuse.

However, research shows that those molested as children are significantly more likely to become offenders themselves. One study found that children abused between the ages of 3 and 7 were at the highest risk of becoming abusers later in life. This raises a concerning possibility that transgender individuals, due to their higher victimization rates, may be at higher risk of becoming offenders in the future, though more research is needed. ^{16 17 18}

6. Drag Queens and Recent Incidents

Though rare due to the size of the transgender population, several recent incidents have involved drag queens accused or convicted of child sexual abuse, and so accusations of the danger of such grooming activities as Drag Queen story hour may have merit.

• Albert Garza (Tatiana Mala-Niña) – Convicted sex offender who participated in a Houston library’s Drag Queen Story Hour. (Houston Chronicle, 2019)
• William Travis Dees (Sasha) – Arrested for soliciting minors online. (The Eagle, 2019)
• Brett Blomme – Former judge and LGBTQ+ leader arrested for child pornography. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2021)

Conclusion: Who Really Has the Highest Rates?

The data paints a clear picture: Clergy do not have the highest rates of child sexual abuse. Male educators statistically pose the greatest risk, with abuse rates at least twice as high as clergy. Additionally, both homosexual and transgender populations report disproportionately high victimization rates—a sobering reality that deserves more attention in public discourse.

Moreover, the well-established link between childhood victimization and future offending raises concerns that transgender individuals, as the most victimized group, could be at higher risk of offending—a possibility that demands further research and thoughtful, compassionate discussion.

The narrative that clergy are uniquely prone to abuse is not supported by statistical evidence. Instead, society should broaden its focus to include educators, vulnerable LGBTQ+ populations, and other groups where abuse is more prevalent.