The talk of the town of late isn’t the pandemic any more. Instead, the buzz is all about the arrest on child pornography changes of a high profile community member, Brett Blomme. Elected last spring as Milwaukee County judge, Bloome is best known for his role as president and CEO of Cream City Foundation (CCF), the LGBTQ community’s philanthropic organization. Since his arrest on Tuesday, March 14, recipients of CCF funding, have been quick to distance themselves from Blomme. Using social media platforms, Miltown LGBT Families and Drag Queen Story Hour have made statements to the effect that Blomme had no direct association with their respective organizations and their activities. CCF itself has denounced Blomme’s alleged crimes and reiterated its commitment to the community. Elsewhere, some members of the Black community reacted with “we don’t party with his kind…privileged white guys who like young boys.”
The general response among the greater population spans the expected denunciation of the alleged crime but in many cases has also included attacks on the LGBTQ community. Some have directly tied Blomme to recipients of CCF funding, misrepresenting his role in their programming and leadership. Of course, the situation has handed anti-LGBTQ proponents the fodder for future attacks on our rights. Whether on the federal level, opposing the Equality Act for example, or locally, with a renewed effort to thwart a statewide ban of conversion therapy, the repercussions will continue to reverberate.
But beyond denunciations and bewildered reaction to the apparent criminal child exploitation, ultimately, the news has us shaking our heads in recoil to the incredulous horror for the child victims. We know little of the actual nature of pornographic material Blomme allegedly possessed but according to some sources it was graphic.
How Could it Happen?
The obvious question has been repeatedly asked, how can someone of such prominence and high profile in the LGBTQ community, the legal community and government, risk so much? The man seemingly had it all: a husband, children, a career, wealth and prospects for continued success in the future. I posed the question to a friend of mine, a recently retired psychiatrist who worked in the state corrections system and treated incarcerated sex offenders, including those whose crimes involved children. Why some people are attracted to child pornography is still under study, he explained, but it could be in part a result of the subject’s own experience of abuse. Other physiological issues could play a role as well. He then described the sense of reward people achieve by indulging their sexual additions. It is so irresistible that affected individuals lack all sense of risk or consequence. They also are unable to resist the urge. That may explain what appears to be Blomme’s seemingly brazen behavior of using an office computer as well as that of an unwitting friend.
Unfortunately, the accessibility to outlets where child pornography is available encourages acting on the urge to view it. Under the user handle DomMasterBB, Blomme used the messenger service app Kik. In 2016, the New York Times had already warned of Kik’s notoriety for its appeal to both youth and predators. Searching Kik online, one finds a slew of recent articles about other child pornography cases following a national news report published just a few weeks ago about predators on the site. In fact, it is the app itself turning in its users.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s LGBTQ community grapples to respond and address the scandal. Those efforts have focused on damage control.
Milwaukee has the resources in place to address the actual problem. The GALANO Club has a nearly 50 year history of offering support to those with problems across the spectrum of addiction. You can visit their website. There is also the Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-422-4453.
