This passage is not rejecting the notion of an essentialized identity, but instead advocates for the substitution of one identity based on medical notions of pedophilia for another based on “queer” sexual interests. Secondly, by comparing pedophilia to “queer” sexual attraction, it conflates arousal to non-consensual sexual activity (that is, the sexual abuse of children) with arousal to consensual sex between adults.
He seems to be implying that the comparison made by Dr. Walker suggest that similarities between both identities would include the possibility of consensual relations. I think Dr. Walker deny it on Prostasia Interview
Fragment wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 5:50 pm
This is probably going to be the only thing I'll agree with in the whole paper. I actually feel the same way with some of the NARSOL/ anti-registry arguments. They point to low rates of re-offending amongst sex offenders (that existed even prior to registry schemes) but then they also say "people who are forced to be homeless and unemployed have nothing to lose and are more likely to re-offend". Perhaps what they are trying to say is "the rate of re-offending is currently 6%, but this would drop to even lower if we got rid of the registries", but that's not stated clearly. As for MAPs, if we want to know how stigma will impact rates of offending we probably shouldn't be analysing VirPeds, rather we should be looking at offending MAPs and asking them how stigma played into their decisions. Of course, we'll need to find out if they are actually MAPs rather than situational offenders first. There's not much point asking a prison rapist about his experiences of homophobia.
I should agree too. I think that it's a little subjective, like, maybe a small portion of MAPs will felt so desperately that they will internalize the constructed image of pedophilia and think that they have no other option if not molest children. I don't think we can summarize all the reactions of MAPs to their own sexuality or the moment they discover it. It’s speculative, maybe relevantly valid, but sure need more investigation.
Also, Salter cites a survey made on Australian:
Salter M., Woodlock D., Whitten T., Tyler M., Naldrett G., Breckenridge J., Nolan J., Peleg N. (2023). Identifying and understanding child sexual offending behaviours and attitudes among Australian men. University of New South Wales & Jesuit Social Services.
https://www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/sit ... %20men.pdf
The MAPS literature assumed a parallel between pedophilia and same-sex attraction to the point where research on the minority stress experienced by gays and lesbians was regularly cited to justify the claim that pedophiles are unduly harmed by the social stigmatization of child sexual abuse. However, it is unclear that “MAPs” are a sexual minority in any meaningful sense. A nationally representative survey of almost 2000 Australian men found that one in six expressed some sexual interest in children and young people under the age of 18 (Salter et al., 2023), which suggests that sexual interest in minors is relatively common among men in the community. This research finds a strong overlap between sexual interest in children and other deviant sexual interests, including bestiality and sadism (Salter et al., 2023), which calls into question characterizations of pedophilia as a normative sexual orientation or identity. In this study, one in three men sexually interested in children had committed a child sex offense, online and/or offline, compared to one in twenty-five men who were not sexually interested in children (Author, 2023a). Hence, the widely held belief that people with a sexual interest in children are a risk to children is rational.
Someone have thoughts on this survey?
