The Million Dollar Question: Age of Consent

[FairBlueLove]

I recently read O'Carroll's "The radical case" book, and I found myself in strong agreement with the proposal there exposed, which involved the removal of the age of consent, with some well thought caveats. I think I should go back to the book to pull out the main points, even if probably many on this forum know them by heart. I will try to do that in the next few days and I would be interested to hear your criticisms about it.

[PorcelainLark]

In my case 12 is largely anecdotal and coincides with the end of elementary education. And it roughly correlates with an age where most youths have started maturing sexually (puberty). And it's the age that exists as an absolute age of consent in multiple English-speaking jurisdictions already.

If you ask "when do some kids naturally start playing around sexually?" most progressively minded people will admit that it starts to happen "around 12".

There are, of course, debates to be had about earlier ages. Some non-Western tribal cultures have practised sexual acts with pre-pubescents with no observable harms. Yet in our western context "12" is a pretty big deal. The Netherlands set it at 12 for slightly over a decade and the political move to change it from that "12" was not based on harms caused by the old system, as far as I'm aware.

Fair enough. I suppose it's stepping stone towards getting people thinking about whether sex is as big a deal as we make it out to be.

[PorcelainLark]

Right now people don't even see teens as sexual- or do in some weird cognitively dissonant way. If they can't see teens as sexual, they'll never seen children as sexual. Even as a moderate pro-c I think that teen sexuality is closer to adult sexuality than it is to child sexuality.

If we're going to revamp sexual values in society in their entirety I think it has to start with breaking down some of the myths regarding who and what is sexual.

I suppose you've got to start somewhere.

[TMKnight]

I have asked youths what they think the age should be. Most of the time the number is a single digit.

I think it should be all about the will of the child. Take any age you want, some kids will have favorable or unfavorable outcomes to intimacy. Hell, we know some kids wouldn't kiss or like to be kissed by their parents. Some kids won't stop kissing or demanding kissing once one gets them going. Some kids develop no issues with their experiences and others do.

My own experiences were both good and bad. One of the youths I know had a bad experience and at his own admission with other youths had a good experience. AS a MAP, the only thing I care about is rather the youth(s) consented or not. If they did not consent I want to see the rapist put to death we have no room in this world where there are willing kids.

I have seen a video where kids would chase adults all over their community begging to be F'ed and wanting to be paid for it.
There are cases where the kids did want to criminal charges to happen to their lovers.
I think most kids who tell are looking for answers to their experiences not always trying to get someone in trouble. Sometimes kids are tricked into filing charges. They are later taught to hate and that is what people grow up to being all these anti-free-will towards children.

[Xuxa Nuit]

You need a license to drive a car, a license to get married, a license for massage therapy.

Now you need a license if you're going to woo a minor without alarm. You're going to need parenting skills, understanding child development, no prior felonies, a high school education.
First year is probationary, you and your YF have to check in with your guidance councilor for relationship advice/therapy once a month.
The Guidance Councilors are experts in CL.

[terminally_unique]

In an ideal world the AoC would be puberty, but girls start as early as 6 or 7 and boys start as late as 13 or 14. A consistent legal standard would be challenging, but if an arbitrary line had to be drawn somewhere, it should be at 12. Most children would have started puberty by then.

[BLueRibbon]

In an ideal world the AoC would be puberty, but girls start as early as 6 or 7 and boys start as late as 13 or 14. A consistent legal standard would be challenging, but if an arbitrary line had to be drawn somewhere, it should be at 12. Most children would have started puberty by then.

What do you think about our 16/12 proposal? It's a bit less arbitrary, but still potentially acceptable to non-MAPs if framed the right way.

[terminally_unique]

In an ideal world the AoC would be puberty, but girls start as early as 6 or 7 and boys start as late as 13 or 14. A consistent legal standard would be challenging, but if an arbitrary line had to be drawn somewhere, it should be at 12. Most children would have started puberty by then.

What do you think about our 16/12 proposal? It's a bit less arbitrary, but still potentially acceptable to non-MAPs if framed the right way.

I’m wholewheartedly on board with it even as a self-identified anti-contact MAP. I think it’s a very reasonable middle ground. The Netherlands had the same law as recently as 2002.

[propedoparents]

I'm opposed to any age of consent laws. If there were to be any I would say at least 5. That's the sweet spot for teaching children technique