http://www.neontommy.com/news/2013/10/pedophilia-sexual-
orientation
People can classify themselves as heterosexual, homosexual,
asexual, metrosexual. There are endless sexual orientations
under the sun, and now, pedophilia can be added to the list.
In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM V), the American Psychiatric Association
(APA) drew a very distinct line between pedophilia and
pedophilic disorder. Pedophilia refers to a sexual orientation
or profession of sexual preference devoid of consummation,
whereas pedophilic disorder is defined as a compulsion and is
used in reference to individuals who act on their sexuality.
(ALSO READ: A Timeline Of Sexual Assault At USC)
APA's decision has given rise to numerous pedophilia-advocacy
groups, the chief of them being B4U-ACT, a non-profit grassroots
organization based in Maryland. Created in 2003 primarily as a
means for �minor-attracted persons� to be open about their
sexual preferences in a supportive atmosphere, B4U-ACT is now
widening the scope of their organization.
According to spokesperson and registered sex offender Paul
Christiano, the pedophilia-advocacy group is �working towards de-
stigmatizing the mental health community.� Christiano explained
that negative societal attitudes towards minor-attracted persons
�trickle down to policy-making and the mental health community.�
�Policy-making� is used chiefly in reference to the sex-offender
registry. Christiano is not alone in advocating change within
the system. Caitlin Myers, a doctorate student in Sociology here
at the University of Southern California, says the registry
needs to be �more senstitive to the nature of crime.� Myers
explained that the chief problem within the sex-offender
registry itself is the �one size fits all� viewpoint it bears
towards sexual offenses. �There could be a man who committed 20
consecutive rapes and a 19-year-old boy who had sex with his 17-
year-old girlfriend and they would be punished in the same
manner.�
Change to the system is understandable, yet B4U-ACT�s grounds
for such change remains murky. When questioned about the most
responsible way in which a pedophile could manage his sexual
preferences, Christiano answered that while B4U-ACT encouraged
minor-attracted persons within the organization to openly
acknowledge their feelings and desires, such sexual preferences
must remain purely a mental exercise and therefore entirely
unconsummated. In other words, pedophiles must be allowed to
fantasize about minors, as long as such acts are never
consummated.
�B4U-ACT does not condone illegal activity,� Christiano insisted.
Yet how can we be assured that such behavior remains entirely in
the mind and not carried out in the bedroom? Answer: we can�t.
Myers confirmed that it is �scientifically impossible to settle
the question of whether or not a minor-attracted person will act
on their compulsion.�
In an essay written for his senior thesis as a graduate student,
Christiano argued for the �sexual autonomy� of children, citing
that children �should not be left in the dark about their own
sexuality.� With more education about their sexuality, reasoned
Christiano, comes more knowledge of boundaries and what they do
or don�t want.
However, there is an underlying suggestion that with sexual
knowledge comes sexual consent. If children were permitted to be
more sexually autonomous, would they then be able to fully
consent to a sexual relationship or more importantly, a sexual
relationship with an adult?
While Myers agrees that open discussion and acknowledgement of
sexuality is something our current society is lacking, she
emphasizes that children cannot give consent. �In theory,� Myers
says, �pedophilia as a practiced sexual orientation walks a thin
line. There is no possibility of pedophilia becoming an accepted
sexual orientation in current culture.�
According to Christiano, people must be allowed to celebrate sex
and sexuality, �one of the few freely-given pleasures in life.�
The community of minor-attracted persons is, as a whole, �denied
their complexities.�