- An Honorable Profession
"An Honorable Profession", is a
1991 novel by John L'Heureux.Miles Bannon is a popular High School English teacher in
Boston who enjoys the respect of his students. His mother is dying and he is involved in a deep heterosexual relationship with Margaret. But he is also plagued by a deep insecurity about his sexual orientation, both in his untoward feelings for boys at school and hishomosexual leanings that result in aone-night stand with Robert, a practicing homosexual whose boyfriend is, unfortunately, a student at Miles' school.When Billy Mack, a boy who has been sodomised with a broomstick by a group of older students, develops a crush on Miles, he fails to discourage it, leaving the boy little notes and taking him off jogging in the surrounding hills. Billy's father accuses him of behaviour that must have led on his abusers and this further depresses Billy.
Miles knows that Billy has fallen in love with him and on one of their jogging expeditions, Billy embraces him and has an
orgasm in hisjockstrap . Miles rejects the boy's advances and Billy runs off, committing suicide two hours later in his bedroom. Billy leaves an unfinishedsuicide note for Miles and not for his parents. Jack, Billy'spolice officer father, is determined to pin the blame on someone outside the family and starts avendetta of child molestation allegations against Miles.Miles confronts his own nature as he faces the opprobrium of his colleagues and the
homophobia of the local community and media.ee also
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List of books portraying paedophilia or sexual abuse of minors
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