MAP Forum

Eden wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2024 1:46 am Perhaps I'm beating a dead horse with this thought process, but I'm not sure how effective we'll be in changing the culture to be more receptive towards AMSC if we first don't destigmatize attitudes towards youth sexuality in general. I'd wager that most people aren't comfortable with 12 and 13 year olds having sexual relationships with each other, let alone with an older partner. Probably the most egregious example of this stigma is when young people send each other nudes, in which (in the US at least) both parties could be charged with possession/distribution of cp. I feel like this area in particular, is one where we could make significant change by pushing for the youth to be exempt from these laws; much in the same vein as Romeo and Juliet laws that are already in effect in many states. I'd like to think, perhaps naively, that society could at least get onboard with this initiative.

Pushing for these exemptions to be codified in law would also carry the added benefit of showing that our movement isn't nearly as self serving as most people choose to believe.

Fragment wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2024 5:32 am

Eden wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2024 1:46 am Perhaps I'm beating a dead horse with this thought process, but I'm not sure how effective we'll be in changing the culture to be more receptive towards AMSC if we first don't destigmatize attitudes towards youth sexuality in general. I'd wager that most people aren't comfortable with 12 and 13 year olds having sexual relationships with each other, let alone with an older partner. Probably the most egregious example of this stigma is when young people send each other nudes, in which (in the US at least) both parties could be charged with possession/distribution of cp. I feel like this area in particular, is one where we could make significant change by pushing for the youth to be exempt from these laws; much in the same vein as Romeo and Juliet laws that are already in effect in many states. I'd like to think, perhaps naively, that society could at least get onboard with this initiative.

Pushing for these exemptions to be codified in law would also carry the added benefit of showing that our movement isn't nearly as self serving as most people choose to believe.

Taking the US context- there are currently 3 states where 12-year-olds can consent to sex with older teens- Alabama, Delaware and Rhode Island. 10 states allow it for 13-year-olds. That's a quarter of states with Romeo and Juliet laws.

I definitely agree that recognition of youth sexuality is a big first step. In terms of heterosexual contact the looming problem of "youth pregnancy" is something to be tackled with. But if youths are seen as sexual, then it's a smaller hurdle to adult-minor contact. Self-generated PIM definitely seems to be a huge issue and something we should definitely push a progressive take on. Even if it never leads to progress for MAPs, minors shouldn't be punished for sharing their bodies. Because we do actually give a fuck about minors and don't want their lives ruined.

Peter Caldwell wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2024 4:00 pm Even if the whole thing about teens being hormonal, reckless, and incapable of thinking about the future were true, it's not an argument against adult/teen relationships like they think it is. If true, the absolute last thing we would want is for teens to multiply their stupidity by dating each other.