pretty much this.
I feel like people's emotional reaction to the topic keeps them from thinking logically,
- a pedophile is a not equal to a child molester
- people should be educated on the topic
- pedophiles should be provided more opportunity to mental health support
- child molesters should be punished but also treated (medication, therapy, etc)
I kinda agree with this.
But don't wait for them till they touch a child to make action
Sickening. Todd Nickerson may not be a child molester, but by writing an article that legitimizes pedophilia as a sexual orientation and not the mental illness that it truly is (it's based on a sick, disordered need for power and control), he is encouraging the very people who might turn out to be molesters. People who are attracted to children need psychological counseling and therapy; they do NOT need to be enabled. Nickerson should be ashamed of himself for writing this, and Salon should be ashamed of themselves for publishing it.
pretty much this.
I feel like people's emotional reaction to the topic keeps them from thinking logically,
- a pedophile is a not equal to a child molester
- people should be educated on the topic
- pedophiles should be provided more opportunity to mental health support
- child molesters should be punished but also treated (medication, therapy, etc)
There's really little to no support for them and the longer the medical field continues to stigmatise and ignore it, children will continue to be molested.
I agree with classifying pedophilia as a mental illness and I agree that people should not let their initial reaction to the topic cloud their thinking but it should not be classified as a sexual orientation.
The article is interesting overall but I have an issue with this:
Quote:
But none of this would compare to the final insult the universe would deal me. I’ve been stuck with the most unfortunate of sexual orientations, a preference for a group of people who are legally, morally and psychologically unable to reciprocate my feelings and desires. It’s a curse of the first order, a completely unworkable sexuality, and it’s mine. Who am I? Nice to meet you. My name is Todd Nickerson, and I’m a pedophile. Does that surprise you? Yeah, not many of us are willing to share our story, for good reason. To confess a sexual attraction to children is to lay claim to the most reviled status on the planet, one that effectively ends any chance you have of living a normal life. Yet, I’m not the monster you think me to be. I’ve never touched a child sexually in my life and never will, nor do I use child ****ography.
You may have an inclination toward children but it's not a full-blown orientation.
I read this article a few months ago and I believe he says that he was also molested as a child and the person who molested him was never confronted or brought to justice, which may have given him the idea that molesting children was "okay". I'm sympathetic to this fact but that obviously doesn't give him an excuse to be a pedophile.
He hasn't actually done anything illegal and I applaud him for resisting his urges but he should definitely get help
I understand the mindset to just lock them all up and throw away the key, but pedophiles who admit their impulses and but don't act them, those who understand the kinda damage they would inflict and refuse to hurt a child and seek help to control themselves are super brave people.
If you have those desires you shouldn't go around admitting them.. you should totally suppress it and try to be a normal member of society. Labelling yourself as a pedophile is basically acknowledging those desires & giving credit to them when you should be trying to repress them as much as possible.
& I'm not comfortable with legitimising it as a "sexual orientation" It's a mental disorder.
Its so damaging to real sexual minorities too.