There is among pedophiles a major division. The pro-contact pedophiles feel that adult-child sexual contact is fundamentally OK. The anti-contact pedophiles feel it is fundamentally not OK.

Ethan Edwards is the co-founder of Virtuous Pedophiles. Blog posts reflect his personal views, and are not statements from the organization.

There is among pedophiles a major division. The pro-contact pedophiles feel that adult-child sexual contact is fundamentally OK. The anti-contact pedophiles feel it is fundamentally not OK.I am anti-contact, and it would be tempting to argue against an extreme and caricatured version of the pro-contact position, but not ultimately very helpful if the goal is understanding. I will describe the common pro-contact view in the most sympathetic and neutral terms I can.

The pro-contact view is about transforming society. They feel society should repeal laws prohibiting adult-child sexual activity and change its attitudes so that it is accepted. They feel that people's revulsion would go away if they were educated on the subject.

Proponents are not in favor of sexual activity unless the child is willing. They recognize that lots of children don't want to engage in sexual activity and assume (feeling it goes without saying) that this choice must be honored. They believe some kids are willing, and this willingness is consent that should also be honored. Prepubescent kids may not understand sex in the same way as adults, but they understand it in their own terms and that is enough. Proponents oppose anything that would be physically damaging or painful for the child, and so they oppose penetrative sex involving prepubescents. Many think primarily of the case where there is a preexisting relationship of friendship and deep caring.

So, if you have set aside your gut-level revulsion at the very idea of adult-child sex, this is a more reasonable position that needs serious rebuttal.

The anti-contact position hardly needs an explanation. It is what just about everyone in society believes. Prepubescent children just aren't inherently interested in sex, they don't understand it, they are likely to regret it later, adult pedophiles have the power to manipulate or coerce them into it as a secret activity, etc. However, no position deserves acceptance just because it is widely believed. Some widely believed opinions on the subject are wrong, for instance that all children involved in such activity are profoundly damaged and traumatized. In upcoming posts I will show why some of the arguments associated with the anti-contact position are wrong, leaving the few that really stand up to scrutiny — they are enough.

Evaluating the merits of the pro-contact and anti-contact positions is complicated and will be the subject of many posts.

About the author: Ethan Edwards is a pseudonym. I am a pedophile, always celibate, and I have never seen child pornography. My attraction is strongest to girls around 4 years old, but I am also attracted to girls and women up through their 30s or beyond. Now in my late 60s, I'm divorced and living alone. I was married for over 10 years and was heavily involved with raising my 3 daughters. For most of my career I was a successful software engineer. I am very unusual for a pedophile in that I didn't realize that I was one until I was in my 50s—but it was there all along. I am angry that we all must remain silent or risk losing everything. That was my mindset when I co-founded Virtuous Pedophiles in 2012. I soon learned of the the terror of the typical pedophile who realizes as a teenager that his attraction isn't going to go away, who has nowhere to turn for help. The injustice I am most passionate about is the harsh legal penalties imposed on pedophiles who passively view illegal images of children. I stepped down from my role as a director of Virtuous Pedophiles early in 2024 and am delighted to pass the mantle on to a younger generation. This content was taken from Ethan's longstanding blog, Celibate Pedophiles. Some of the titles and taglines have been edited for their inclusion at thepword.

You can see an earlier version of the blog at the wayback machine.

This content was removed from blogspot in 2020 because the platform banned the author's account, giving only a vague reason.

the p word is a collection of 321 articles, blogs, podcasts and threads in the voices of pedophiles and others who oppose adult child sexual contact and sexual exploitation of children. Despite our mainstream views, this content is frequently removed from social media or blog sites because openly discussing pedophile attractions or avowing them are not tolerated. Our side of the conversation continues here.

editor at the p word net | Except where stated, all images are AI and do not depict real people. | Download the whole site.

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