MAP Forum

Even though I don't like the term pedophile, it is who and what I am. I'm a gay male who is sexually interested in young males.

Great post. Totally agree with this..
As I said in my introduction recently, I too prefer the MAP moniker. Pedophile is a word in our society that carries so much filth and baggage. To almost everyone, it refers to a psychopathic, sexual deviant with murderous tendencies.

The idea of us reclaiming and rebranding it anytime soon, is an uphill battle that does us a disservice.

It's probably a more fruitful endeavor to label it as a misinterpreted term of the past. A derogatory term used to disparage good people. And now a catch all label for "the worst possible human imaginable"

We all know that it simply translates to child love. But to the layperson, it ignites hatred and vitriol.

The bias in the terms even shows up in AI LLMs.

If you develop a good relationship with an AI chatbot and tell it that you are a pedophile, the bot will react with fear. If you tell it you are a MAP, it reacts with an understanding for a marginalized sexuality.

We've reached a point where any crime with a possible sexual component involving minors is considered pedophilia. I don't even hear the terms child molester or child rapist being used much anymore. They certainly don't apply to image offenders or online predators. In society's eyes, they're all just pedophiles who deserve to be locked up forever or killed.