Hello, I would like to introduce myself and offer you all here the opportunity to speak with me on a rather taboo subject. It is a subject important to me, and one that, as caretakers of children, you yourselves probably have concerns and questions about. If you'll allow me, and are respectful in your response to my presence here, I would be happy to answer your questions as best I am able, and explain some things that you should be aware of as caretakers.
I am what is called a Minor Attracted Adult, or MAA, colloquially known in most places as a pedophile. The term pedophile has been twisted around by the media and general public to refer to any MAA, although in reality there are a number of individual classifications for MAAs, and pedophiles are those adults primarily attracted to prepubescent children. I myself am a hebephile, which means I am primarily attracted to children who have begun the process of puberty, but have not yet completely developed. There are also nepiophiles that are attracted primarily to babies and toddlers, generally understood by sexologists to be around age 0-3, and ephebophiles who are primarily attracted to children who have completed puberty but are not yet considered adults. Note this refers to a primary attraction only, and people may find themselves attracted to children of a variety of ages. Personally, I am attracted to prepubescent and post-pubescent girls, and adult women too. A person who is primarily attracted to adults and has only a passing interest in children of any age would be called a teleiophile, even if on occasion they find a minor sexually attractive. A person with a primary sexual interest in elderly adults would be called a gerontophile, in case you're wondering.
Having admitted to you all that I am a Minor Attracted Adult, some of you, and perhaps the administrators of this site, may be concerned for the welfare of children that might be around me, or that I've done illegal acts that must be reported immediately. I should point out that simply admitting to a sexual attraction to children is not a crime in any jurisdiction I'm aware of, and certainly not in the jurisdiction where I am posting from. I am using an anonymous internet connection to protect myself from vigilantes that have been known to target admitted MAAs with violence, but even if I were to say anything I'll say to you in this topic in front of a police station surrounded by cops and cameras, I would not be arrested simply for my sexual orientation. Furthermore I have no criminal record, nor have I hurt any children (or adults for that matter). I will maintain my anonymity here for my own protection from the harsh social consequences of being outed, and the aforementioned violence often directed at MAAs, not because I am trying trying to cover up any crimes.
If my presence here is unwelcome, I will gladly walk away from this discussion forum and never bother you again. If you'll be respectful and welcoming, however, I will be glad to let you into the mind of a Minor Attracted Adult, talk to you about our world and our interest in children. While I cannot speak for all MAAs, I do know a number of MAAs and their diversity of thoughts, feelings, and demographics. Believe it or not, we are a diverse group of people, very different from the stereotypical creepy old man in a trench coat hiding in the bushes. We encompass all ages, genders, economic statuses, and personality types. Not every MAA will feel the same way about everything that I do, but I have encountered enough perspectives that I feel I can adequately represent at least a substantial proportion of Minor Attracted Adults of various classifications.
As for my motives in being here, and talking to you about this, I have no doubt some may be suspicious. All I can tell you is that most Minor Attracted Adults care deeply for the safety and wellbeing of children, just as a majority of heterosexual teleiophile men care deeply for the safety and wellbeing of women, and the same can be said about how two gay men might care for each other. The term pedophile, if you look at the root of the word, means child lover. My interest in being here and talking with you for as long as you're interested in talking with me, is out of a caring for children, and wanting to make sure that the adults in their lives are informed by facts and not hysteria. It may surprise you to learn that many, if not a majority of current convicted child sexual abuse offenders do not actually have a primary sexual interest in children, and simply attacked a child because the child could not put up much resistance. It may also surprise you to learn that despite what you may have heard in an era of "stranger danger"-type warnings about strange men out to abuse children, the vast majority of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by close and trusted family members or friends. These are just two of the areas of misunderstanding I want to help clear up so that hysteria about pedophiles can be replaced by more sensible and measured steps to protect children from actual harm.
I do have a second, more selfish reason for talking with you, I'll admit, and that is to change the attitudes of society in such a way as I can live more openly. The paranoia and misinformation about pedophilia and related sexual orientations does hurt children by distracting caretakers from actual threats and creates an environment of fear and isolation around every child, but it also hurts Minor Attracted Adults who have never and would never want to cause a child any pain or discomfort. Unfortunately we live in a society where pedophilia scares have replaced communist scares and witch scares of past ages, and a person who is a bit different or has different feelings may be shunned by society despite having done nothing wrong, and in some cases Minor Attracted Adults will be murdered much in the same way a black man might be murdered for looking at a white woman the wrong way not too long ago. Many pedophiles treat their realization of their sexual interest in children as a death sentence, and it prevents them from getting help if they need it. I don't mean to imply that MAAs are or should be ashamed of their sexual orientation, as we never chose to be this way, but many of us who have never done anything to be guilty about nonetheless suffer greatly in private because of the way society talks about them. The term pedophile has been warped in the public consciousness into a synonym for child molester, when the truth is very different. Just as not all men attracted to women would ever consider raping a woman, not all adults attracted to children would ever consider raping a child. The fact in both cases is that a very small percentage ever do. You likely know several MAAs already in your everyday offline lives, people who are kind and decent, but are forced to hide an important part of themselves because people hate what they fear, and fear what they don't understand. If I can help you to understand me and those other MAAs I can talk about, I believe you will come to fear us far less than you do now, and in turn you will hate us less. Perhaps then we can have more practical and productive discussions about the wellbeing of children as a society, rather than be afraid of the boogeyman hiding beneath every child's bed.
I will now be happy to take any questions you'd like to ask, and respond to any respectful comments. Even if your gut reaction to my post here is revulsion and fear, I would hope you would at least take this opportunity, if you truly care about the children in your lives, to learn something from what I have to say about myself and people like me, and let this be a meaningful discussion on the reality of child sexual abuse and pedophilia. Even if you still think of me as the enemy, shouldn't you at least know as much as you can about that enemy? I will be as honest as I can, and try to show you the same respect you're willing to show me. I know there are a lot of myths and misunderstanding about Minor Attracted Adults, and much of what you've probably heard about us comes from looking at the worst sort of people that do not represent the majority of MAAs or even are technically MAAs themselves. Finally, if any of you were sexually abused yourselves as children, or perhaps have an important child in your life that was genuinely assaulted by a predator, you have my deepest sympathies, and I'll simply hope you can keep an open mind that your experience may not be a universal one. I will not deny that in any demographic of people, some of those individuals may do terrible things, and I am not here to tell you that every MAA is a saint. The idea that somebody would do anything against a child's will, sexual or otherwise, is just as offensive to me as I hope it is to all of you. I hope by the end of our discussion, you'll come to realize that at least one MAA has respect for children and that at least some of the stereotypes about pedophiles and other MAAs are not a universal truth.
I am what is called a Minor Attracted Adult, or MAA, colloquially known in most places as a pedophile. The term pedophile has been twisted around by the media and general public to refer to any MAA, although in reality there are a number of individual classifications for MAAs, and pedophiles are those adults primarily attracted to prepubescent children. I myself am a hebephile, which means I am primarily attracted to children who have begun the process of puberty, but have not yet completely developed. There are also nepiophiles that are attracted primarily to babies and toddlers, generally understood by sexologists to be around age 0-3, and ephebophiles who are primarily attracted to children who have completed puberty but are not yet considered adults. Note this refers to a primary attraction only, and people may find themselves attracted to children of a variety of ages. Personally, I am attracted to prepubescent and post-pubescent girls, and adult women too. A person who is primarily attracted to adults and has only a passing interest in children of any age would be called a teleiophile, even if on occasion they find a minor sexually attractive. A person with a primary sexual interest in elderly adults would be called a gerontophile, in case you're wondering.
Having admitted to you all that I am a Minor Attracted Adult, some of you, and perhaps the administrators of this site, may be concerned for the welfare of children that might be around me, or that I've done illegal acts that must be reported immediately. I should point out that simply admitting to a sexual attraction to children is not a crime in any jurisdiction I'm aware of, and certainly not in the jurisdiction where I am posting from. I am using an anonymous internet connection to protect myself from vigilantes that have been known to target admitted MAAs with violence, but even if I were to say anything I'll say to you in this topic in front of a police station surrounded by cops and cameras, I would not be arrested simply for my sexual orientation. Furthermore I have no criminal record, nor have I hurt any children (or adults for that matter). I will maintain my anonymity here for my own protection from the harsh social consequences of being outed, and the aforementioned violence often directed at MAAs, not because I am trying trying to cover up any crimes.
If my presence here is unwelcome, I will gladly walk away from this discussion forum and never bother you again. If you'll be respectful and welcoming, however, I will be glad to let you into the mind of a Minor Attracted Adult, talk to you about our world and our interest in children. While I cannot speak for all MAAs, I do know a number of MAAs and their diversity of thoughts, feelings, and demographics. Believe it or not, we are a diverse group of people, very different from the stereotypical creepy old man in a trench coat hiding in the bushes. We encompass all ages, genders, economic statuses, and personality types. Not every MAA will feel the same way about everything that I do, but I have encountered enough perspectives that I feel I can adequately represent at least a substantial proportion of Minor Attracted Adults of various classifications.
As for my motives in being here, and talking to you about this, I have no doubt some may be suspicious. All I can tell you is that most Minor Attracted Adults care deeply for the safety and wellbeing of children, just as a majority of heterosexual teleiophile men care deeply for the safety and wellbeing of women, and the same can be said about how two gay men might care for each other. The term pedophile, if you look at the root of the word, means child lover. My interest in being here and talking with you for as long as you're interested in talking with me, is out of a caring for children, and wanting to make sure that the adults in their lives are informed by facts and not hysteria. It may surprise you to learn that many, if not a majority of current convicted child sexual abuse offenders do not actually have a primary sexual interest in children, and simply attacked a child because the child could not put up much resistance. It may also surprise you to learn that despite what you may have heard in an era of "stranger danger"-type warnings about strange men out to abuse children, the vast majority of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by close and trusted family members or friends. These are just two of the areas of misunderstanding I want to help clear up so that hysteria about pedophiles can be replaced by more sensible and measured steps to protect children from actual harm.
I do have a second, more selfish reason for talking with you, I'll admit, and that is to change the attitudes of society in such a way as I can live more openly. The paranoia and misinformation about pedophilia and related sexual orientations does hurt children by distracting caretakers from actual threats and creates an environment of fear and isolation around every child, but it also hurts Minor Attracted Adults who have never and would never want to cause a child any pain or discomfort. Unfortunately we live in a society where pedophilia scares have replaced communist scares and witch scares of past ages, and a person who is a bit different or has different feelings may be shunned by society despite having done nothing wrong, and in some cases Minor Attracted Adults will be murdered much in the same way a black man might be murdered for looking at a white woman the wrong way not too long ago. Many pedophiles treat their realization of their sexual interest in children as a death sentence, and it prevents them from getting help if they need it. I don't mean to imply that MAAs are or should be ashamed of their sexual orientation, as we never chose to be this way, but many of us who have never done anything to be guilty about nonetheless suffer greatly in private because of the way society talks about them. The term pedophile has been warped in the public consciousness into a synonym for child molester, when the truth is very different. Just as not all men attracted to women would ever consider raping a woman, not all adults attracted to children would ever consider raping a child. The fact in both cases is that a very small percentage ever do. You likely know several MAAs already in your everyday offline lives, people who are kind and decent, but are forced to hide an important part of themselves because people hate what they fear, and fear what they don't understand. If I can help you to understand me and those other MAAs I can talk about, I believe you will come to fear us far less than you do now, and in turn you will hate us less. Perhaps then we can have more practical and productive discussions about the wellbeing of children as a society, rather than be afraid of the boogeyman hiding beneath every child's bed.
I will now be happy to take any questions you'd like to ask, and respond to any respectful comments. Even if your gut reaction to my post here is revulsion and fear, I would hope you would at least take this opportunity, if you truly care about the children in your lives, to learn something from what I have to say about myself and people like me, and let this be a meaningful discussion on the reality of child sexual abuse and pedophilia. Even if you still think of me as the enemy, shouldn't you at least know as much as you can about that enemy? I will be as honest as I can, and try to show you the same respect you're willing to show me. I know there are a lot of myths and misunderstanding about Minor Attracted Adults, and much of what you've probably heard about us comes from looking at the worst sort of people that do not represent the majority of MAAs or even are technically MAAs themselves. Finally, if any of you were sexually abused yourselves as children, or perhaps have an important child in your life that was genuinely assaulted by a predator, you have my deepest sympathies, and I'll simply hope you can keep an open mind that your experience may not be a universal one. I will not deny that in any demographic of people, some of those individuals may do terrible things, and I am not here to tell you that every MAA is a saint. The idea that somebody would do anything against a child's will, sexual or otherwise, is just as offensive to me as I hope it is to all of you. I hope by the end of our discussion, you'll come to realize that at least one MAA has respect for children and that at least some of the stereotypes about pedophiles and other MAAs are not a universal truth.
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