Peter Tatchell excusing sex with kids

[Happypie]

Peter Tatchell runs the Peter Tatchell Foundation that is currently seeking charitable status. He is also regularly consulted on LGBT issues.

I include a picture of a letter he wrote to the Guardian in the 90s about sex with children. It is deeply disgusting. A man who has these views about sex with kids should not be allowed to run anything.

[RoseGoldEagle]

Several of my friends male and female had sex with adults from the ages of 9-13. None feel they were abused. All say it was their conscious choice and gave them great joy

You honestly believe a nine year old can consent to sex? That they enjoy it? That the people whose lives are completely fucked up by attitudes like yours are making it up? Do you actually know any nine year olds? I really hope not, actually. Jesus this has made me feel sick.

[Puzzledandpissedoff]

Anyone running a book on how long it will take this thread to disappear?

Just as with many activists, it would be no surprise if "Peter"'s hammering MNHQ with details of proposed legal action in order to silence dissent

[AnyFucker]

Come on Peter. Are you going to engage with us or not ?

[PipGoesPop]

What legal action could he bring? It's there in black and white.

[FuriousOfSurrey]

Hello Peter. Mermaids believes in full body autonomy for children under 5 and are informing our education systems 're small children with gender identity issues. If they succeed in blurring the lines 're the consent of children that would be a great step forward for child abusers wouldn't it? I read somewhere that as soon as you say "safeguarding" you're a transphobic bigot. Pie anyone?

[Lizzie48]

SA victims don't understand that they're being abused, if it started from a young age, as mine did. I didn't realise that what was happening to me was wrong and that I had the right to refuse. The one time I tried to resist, at 8, because I was scared, my abusive F told me off for being rude and made me apologise.

I used to lie down and just tell myself that it was a nightmare and I would wake up soon. I taught myself that line so well that I repressed the memories whilst coping with distressing images for most of my adult life.

So no, I was not consenting. I just didn't have a choice. It was the same for my DSis.

Please excuse my bluntness. But it has to be understood that young children are NOT able to consent. It destroys their lives.

[Puzzledandpissedoff]

You honestly believe a nine year old can consent to sex? That they enjoy it?

Rose I believe some consider this a cornerstone of paedophiles' rationale

So it's really quite interesting that someone who claims to oppose paedophilia chose to use it as an example

[PipGoesPop]

So sex between a 9 year old and a 17 year old 'child' is perfectly fine if they both 'agree' to it. Do me a favour Pete!

[AspieAndProud]

most sex involving children (under 18s) is not unwanted, abusive or harmful.

Sex between 16 and 17 year olds is legal.

Lumping 16 and 17 year olds in with 9 year olds to argue that most sex involving under 18s is not abusive is dishonest.

[FuzzyShadowChatter]

How in the universe could anyone use Papua New Guinea to use to excuse this vile ideology? Papua New Guinea is one of the worst countries for sexual violence, those "happy well-adjusted husbands and fathers" are responsible for nearly 70% of girls and women in the countries suffering domestic violence and over half will experience forced sex. Reports show half of all rape victims in Papua New Guinea are children, with a quarter being under 12. Take your ethical relativism somewhere else Peter, that's vile and no one should to live like that and pretending that millions having to are happy and well-adjusted with it is heartless.

Back-pedaling to 16 and 17 year olds when the issue is obviously about the 9-13 year olds is, as others said, dishonest and disgusting.

[LuggsaysNotaWomen]

A 16yr old and a 19yr old are not of a different generation. Stop pretending you were not excusing adults sexually abusing children.

[AspieAndProud]

There were still tribes in Papua New Guinea practicing cannibalism up until the 1960s.

[NotMeOhNo]

It is a simplistic Orientalist construction of PNG. Particularly using the term warrior, which is never done in Western contexts.
Those boys are being constructed here as 'happy, simple natives' as if they don't have the capacity for reasoned, sophisticated thought.

[Frouby]

Wtf have I just read?

A 9 year old cant consent. Not even cultures where its accepted that they take child brides do they openly admit to sexual intercourse until a year post puberty. And that is still rape in my mind if the child is under 16.

Never heard of this Peter bloke. But he is a cunt.

[SecretWitch]

Tell you what, Peter old boy, I would defend my child to the death from the likes of you.

[DTSMUMBOJO]

Hi Peter. In your press response you say: for the vast majority of children, sex with adults is neither wanted nor joyful.

Why the equivocation? Why can you not just condemn it? Why the weasely little caveats which make it perfectly clear in some circumstances you will condone it?

You also go on to say:

My letter was in response of an attempt to close down a debate – my argument was that academic discussion of these issues, based on research and evidence is legitimate.

You have connived with TRAs and condoned their attempts to prevent women discussing the impact the GRA would have on them and the no platforming of gender critical feminists.

Do you not think that when that's viewed alongside you whinging about 'debate' on whether or not little kids enjoy being abused is being 'shut down', you look like a massive great big fucking hypocrite?

[PipGoesPop]

Here here MUMBOJO

[VickyEadie]

Peter has also called women "non-transwomen" on Twitter recently.

He cannot even dignify us with our name. We're WOMEN you appalling man.

[Choccywoccyhooha]

I don't think we'll hear from Peter again.

[MadMum101]

How do people like this Tatchell freak actually become influential that anyone is interested in their opinion anyway?

Total lunatics running the asylum syndrome which is how its always been but is getting worse.

[Sparkyduchess]

He’s been C&Pingthat same meaningless, disingenuous reply everywhere - no intention of actually engaging.

There is no way his words about 9 - 13 year olds can be misinterpreted. He is condoning child rape.

[Beansandcoffee]

He is probably busy liaising with his solicitor to have us non trans women shut up.

[FairNotFair]

I wrote the letter in response to a bid to close down discussion about academic research on under-age sex. I was defending open debate.

So it's utterly unacceptable and transphobic to debate transgenderism, but the question of adults having sex with children is so terribly subtle and nuanced that Peter can't bear to see it shut down? 

[Ringbinger]

@PeterTatchell

If your Guardian letter was as badly edited as you infer, to the point where you were badly misrepresented, presumably you asked for and received a correction?

I note you made no attempt in your post here to specifically address the comments you made in the Guardian letter about 9-13 year olds and to reassure posters here, most whom are parents, that you strongly agree that adults having sex with this age group is abhorrent. Presumably you’re aware that the Sex Offences Act provides extra and specific protection for children 13 and under?

[Prawnofthepatriarchy]

Peter Tatchell a plopper, eh? Who'd a thunk it?