We”ve seen interesting discussions on our website regarding the case of the Sulligent, Ala., football coach who is accused of child molestation charges, both in federal court and in courts in Monroe and Itawamba counties.

Dwight Bowling pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the federal charges in Oxford, and is awaiting court dates on the county charges. He allegedly molested male students under his charge, and then tried to convince them to lie about what had happened.

One story commenter online likened the Bowling case to the acceptance of gays and lesbians in society. The more the acceptance, the more cases like this will be seen, the commenter alleged.

We were glad to see other commenters point out the folly of this argument.

“The only thing unnatural about homosexuality is the misdirected hatred it inspires in a segment of our population,” one story commenter said on our website.

There”s a difference between gays and pedophiles (That said, Bowling, in particular, is innocent until proven guilty of these charges).

Pedophiles come in both gay and straight varieties. Their actions are sick and beyond explanation. As the saying goes, they belong not in the jail, but under it.

Let”s be grown-ups, and draw a thick line between what allegedly happened in the Bowling case, and the sexual orientation of a large segment of society — a segment that doesn”t deserve to be ostracized or discriminated against.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.