Seeing more and more articles like this about paedophiles.

Just to add, recognising something as a mental health condition is only normalising int he snese that it then becomes something we try and treat.
We recognise that some people have psycopathic tendencies and may commit murder. Doesn't mean we go soft on them, it does mean we find ways of treating/helping them to protect the rest of society.

I've got to be frank about this, whether people agree with my opinion or not. I think it's disgusting.

I have seen a MASSIVE push, mainly amongst the really intense "identity politics" driven tweenyboppers, to normalise paedophilia and paedophiles, or as they refer to them, MAPs for Minor Attracted Persons. I think they've even given paedos their own rainbow flag. They want paedophilia classified as a common, run of the mill sexual orientation not unlike lesbian or gay or bi. Soon enough, the alphabet soup LGBTTQQIAAP will also include M if they have their way. It's bloody awful in my obviously horribly bigoted racist sexist nazi opinion.

Please don't misunderstand, I do not have a problem with people admitting to those feelings and seeking help for them, with people understanding that children cannot possibly consent no matter if they say they do or not, and trying to prevent themselves hurting children. In fact, I would applaud anyone who discovered those feelings and sought help for them; I would of course much prefer that people deal with those feelings rather than repress them and possibly hurt a child. I hope they are able to find some sort of outlet that prevents them from hurting a child and ruining lives.

And they are out there... but there are also those - I have absolutely seen them - who argue until they're blue in the face that "children are sexual beings" and that "children must - and want to - explore" and that "children can and do enjoy...." ugh I'm sorry I can't say it and I need a bath after typing that out .

I mostly see these opinions from teenagers on websites like tumblr, talking about completely normalising and openly accepting paedophilia as something to be proud of and have parades for and celebrate. And I have indeed seen those opinions, and I have indeed been called a "nazi" and who knows what else for opposing this viewpoint and asserting that nobody has any right to abuse a child, ever, even if it's something they can't help but want to do.

I think this is a really interesting sunject, but that it is really hard to have open conversation about it.

There was a TV program a couple of years ago by a man whp said he was attracted to children. He wanted the sunject to come out into the open, in order that help would be available.
He was interviewed at length by the journalist and the conclusion was similar to the young man in the article.

1. I am attracted to young people/children
2. I know this is wrong and I have never acted on it and never intend to act on it.
3. someone recognising that they have paedophilic tendencies does not make them a child abuser, but the general public cannot distinguish the two.
4. That the only future for him lay with getting professional help to try and change/modify/cope (not sure what is actually possible)
5. That he was terrified that without help he would one day offend. The self imposed sanctions he put on himslef were severe (never walking past schools etc)

If we accept that there are out there people who are child abusers, (and we know sadly that there are many) then we must accept that their need to abuse came from somewhere. For some it is probably power, not attraction, but for others it will be based on attraction. (just to be clear, I am not saying that is a good thing, or that we should allow/tolerate it)
Why is it so hard to believe that some people, for whatever reason, have this desire, and then, as a society, find ways of treating/helping/containing them?

If you look back through history, takes of young boys being the pawns of older men are all through every society, it must be a desire that is within humans?

flipflop your post at 9.14 is very helpful.

I find it really difficult to think this through. On one hand, if being attracted to children is like same sex attraction, then these people can't really help their feelings and it must be a miserable way to live. However I'm confused how these people claim attraction to prepubescent boys but want a marriage to a woman. That certainly suggests an element of choice in their thinking. On the other hand, I agree the narrative of normalizing it is dangerous.
I think people need medical or psychological support, not from other paedophiles on line. I think society should still condemn paedophilia.

I'm a bit about the brain scans though. If it can be detected before birth perhaps the kindest thing would be termination of those pregnancies.

I read this this morning and very much saw it as an attempt to normalise paedophilia as a sexuality or kink.

By who, and why? I'm not sure the BBC are looking to normalise it. Perhaps looking to open debate and look at things differently as pariah status hasn't worked so far.

Surely it's better that men (and possibly some women) who have these urges can seek and get treatment before they create victims? If the figures in the article are correct, at the lower end of the scale that's 300,000 men at least in the UK with paedophilic tendencies. That's over 3 times the current prison population for all offences.

If those figures are correct, then either there is an awful lot of active paedophiles that haven't been caught or many, many men with these urges aren't acting upon them.

Would you rather people come forward and put their hand up, get treatment but also perhaps are logged in some way so as their risk potentials are minimised or drive them underground and into the clutches of other 'pro contact' paedophiles?

I read this this morning and very much saw it as an attempt to normalise paedophilia as a sexuality or kink.