Why I support legal reform
Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 2:42 am
I posted this in response to discussion about whether or not there is any point in supporting political candidates that are fundamentally opposed to reforming laws on AMSC. Or whether there is a point to supporting groups like MEDAL (or Mu) that don't have an explicit reform agenda. My comment:
Legal reform to me is pretty damn important. But that’s less “adults should be able to have sex with children whenever they want” (which is ridiculous) and far more about fixing the injustices that many people who have already offended face.
Whether we’re allowed to hold a camping trip openly without harassment or not is important. But it’s hardly as life defining as a 20 year sentence and life on a registry (or in civil commitment) over a mutually agreed on handjob (I won’t make assumptions about ability to consent).
Everything else is a drop in the ocean compared to legal reform. Other issues are like arguing about being to put a pride sticker on your gay bookstore's door when your friends are still in prison after being picked up for “lewd behavior” in police stings in the late 1950s. Or it’s like arguing for gay marriage to be legalized while homosexual intercourse is still illegal.
If living happy celibate lives was possible, maybe I’d think differently. But even 40% of VP users admit to having viewed CP. Most of us may not have a conviction, but I think most of us probably have broken relevant laws at some stage. At least once. Without even accounting for MAPs forced to register that don’t even realize they are MAPs themselves. Or the millions of PIM users that haven't been caught and don't realize they're MAPs.
[I made some comments about how this applies to specific political candidates but I'll leave that out this time.]
Other rights for MAPs are obviously important too. But it is possible to live a fairly good life if you're a non-offending MAP by staying in the closet. Legal reform can't be ignored just because "it's too hard". The cost to the MAPs caught up in the unjustice system is just too high.
Legal reform to me is pretty damn important. But that’s less “adults should be able to have sex with children whenever they want” (which is ridiculous) and far more about fixing the injustices that many people who have already offended face.
Whether we’re allowed to hold a camping trip openly without harassment or not is important. But it’s hardly as life defining as a 20 year sentence and life on a registry (or in civil commitment) over a mutually agreed on handjob (I won’t make assumptions about ability to consent).
Everything else is a drop in the ocean compared to legal reform. Other issues are like arguing about being to put a pride sticker on your gay bookstore's door when your friends are still in prison after being picked up for “lewd behavior” in police stings in the late 1950s. Or it’s like arguing for gay marriage to be legalized while homosexual intercourse is still illegal.
If living happy celibate lives was possible, maybe I’d think differently. But even 40% of VP users admit to having viewed CP. Most of us may not have a conviction, but I think most of us probably have broken relevant laws at some stage. At least once. Without even accounting for MAPs forced to register that don’t even realize they are MAPs themselves. Or the millions of PIM users that haven't been caught and don't realize they're MAPs.
[I made some comments about how this applies to specific political candidates but I'll leave that out this time.]
Other rights for MAPs are obviously important too. But it is possible to live a fairly good life if you're a non-offending MAP by staying in the closet. Legal reform can't be ignored just because "it's too hard". The cost to the MAPs caught up in the unjustice system is just too high.