

You’re 16. You’re a Pedophile. You Don’t Want to Hurt Anyone. What Do You Do? - geedy
https://medium.com/matter/youre-16-youre-a-pedophile-you-dont-want-to-hurt-anyone-what-do-you-do-now-e11ce4b88bdb

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jokoon
I sometimes think pedophiles are as much persecuted and hated today as
homosexuals were 500 years ago.

When science can't explain things, it's up to society to be the judge. Never
pretty.

~~~
cauterized
The difference between the two is that homosexuality can be acted on between
consenting adults. One can argue about exactly what the age of consent should
be (18? 17? 15?) but it's difficult to argue that the difference in levels of
maturity and in control over ones own life between an adult and a young teen
makes their relationship sufficiently unbalanced that it can be impossible to
prove that there is no coercive element. And pre-pubescent children are not
emotionally mature enough to engage in sexual activity with full understanding
- most would not choose to voluntarily and those who do participate even
without coercion are typically traumatized.

