MAP Forum

A recent shift in how the language around child sexual abuse is being framed has come to my attention, and it is deeply disturbing. The word “pedophile” is slowly being replaced in some academic and therapeutic settings with the term MAP, meaning minor-attracted person. At first glance, it might seem harmless or even compassionate. The idea is that someone can experience an attraction without acting on it, and therefore, reducing stigma might encourage them to seek help.

Heather Klein wrote: [...]
If you soften the vocabulary around a crime, you soften the public response to the harm. If you turn pedophile into minor-attracted person, you turn a predator into a patient. [...]

Learning to undeny wrote: Mon Nov 17, 2025 12:43 am

Heather Klein wrote: [...]
If you soften the vocabulary around a crime, you soften the public response to the harm. If you turn pedophile into minor-attracted person, you turn a predator into a patient. [...]

Did Heather even read the definition of MAP before writing the article?

Learning to undeny wrote: Mon Nov 17, 2025 12:43 am Did Heather even read the definition of MAP before writing the article?