Why this pedophile's views on CP possession are the same as the ACLU's.

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

When I first started thinking about the social issues surrounding pedophilia, I thought that CP possession should be a crime — perhaps not as serious a crime as it is today, but still a crime. It's how I was brought up, and it's the accepted view. I think it's gross and wrong for a man to take sexual pleasure in the record of a child's abuse. But my views have evolved over time. I still think it's gross and wrong, but I have come to think it should not be a criminal offense.The ACLU, the longtime stalwart defender of the civil rights of all oppressed minorities, agrees with me. They think that possessing even pornographic material about children should not itself be a crime while they still are strongly in favor of prosecuting producers of the material.

They argue it is a privacy issue, and after some thought I have decided I agree with them. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the government wasn't looking over your shoulder when you surf the web? I suspect ordinary people who have no sexual interest in CP are still on the alert and a bit anxious that they might click the wrong link by mistake, especially if they surfing in the realm of legal porn. Some people are arrested for pictures of their tiny grandkids playing naked on the beach.

I am also aware of all too many people who have succumbed to the temptation to find CP and watch it. Some are just fascinated or horrified, and some get it precisely because it is forbidden. Some have no idea it is illegal. Once someone is caught for possession, some police allegedly look at the context and if the person does not seem to be a pedophile, they don't press charges. If, on the other hand, the person does seem to be a pedophile, then his thought crime in addition to the possession demands that he should be punished severely. Evidence of pedophilia would be a large collection that's primarily CP, stories or legal pictures of children, or evidence of browsing pedophile sites. But different police surely follow different rules, the law is clear, and anyone with CP can be facing a very stiff sentence.

But all too many pedophiles reason to themselves, "Here is a link. How can anyone possibly be hurt by my clicking on it and viewing this video?" It is an excellent question. It's a reasonable moral stance, and I can't think of any other area in life where it can get you into trouble. Especially consider teenage boys — consider how well-developed they are in terms of thinking about the consequences of their actions, especially when sexual desire is involved. Is clicking on a few links a cause for prison and a lifetime on the sex offender registry? Only if you consider him a grave threat to offend against children and are willing to ignore his civil rights.

Aside from the simple privacy concerns, we are often dealing with people who really aren't intending to do any harm — and aren't doing any harm, the way we calculate things in every other arena of life.

It's worth noting that many celibate pedophiles disagree with me and think CP possession should remain a crime. I certainly support anyone if their personal moral stance is that viewing such material is wrong. Once thing has not changed: from descriptions I've heard, I'm sure I would still find some of it horrible.

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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Child sexual abuse material, known legally as child pornography, is a blight on children's lives. But what if you're the kind of person it's aimed at?

4 of 6: I received a message from a man arrested for viewing CP. I asked him to tell me about it.

5 of 6: Anywhere that CP is discussed, no one talks about how they stopped viewing it. Now someone has.

Child sexual abuse material, known legally as child pornography, is a blight on children's lives. But what if you're the kind of person it's aimed at?