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It is not at all unusual to see minors making an impact in the movement for intergenerational love - at least online, where they have at least some degree of freedom from parental authority.
[[File:Mark.jpg|thumb|The late Mark Moffett Jr, pictured at a later date<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20211229184158/https://m.facebook.com/theaidsmemorial/photos/a.410127122659023/1419407681730957/?type=3 Mark Moffett]</ref>]]
__NOTOC__Young people below the age of eighteen were often active on blogs and podcasts such as Paiderastia/[[Pedologues]] in the early 00s era. This has continued in the era of social media with the [[Adult Attracted Minor|AAM]] phenomenon and various teenage [[Minor Attracted Person|MAPs]] now highly visible online. This fact is put into sharp focus by the pathetic spectacle of adult [[Validity Policing|LGBTQ+ community representatives]] policing social media, trying to silence or disavow minors who freely seek MAPs.


Our advocates' active age(s), sex and form(s) of verification are noted in '''(bold brackets)''':
Youth active age(s), sex and form(s) of verification are noted in '''(bold brackets)''':


[http://www.ipce.info/ipceweb/Statements/stop_protecting_me.htm David] '''(14 - M)''' Boy who was inspired by his own relationship with an older man.
==Examples post-2010==


[http://www.blogger.com/profile/24599755 Delusion] '''(14, 15 - F - mentioned on [http://www.clogo.org/Archives/Pedologues/index.html Pedologues] podcast)''' Contributor to the defunct Paiderastia Weblog (do you have an archive? Mail me!).
Do feel free to share examples on the [[PCMA]] chat server, as we maintain a presence there. Please give an overall picture of how "out of control" this is on your favored social media, and how it's being reined in by moderation. We will post examples censored to respect privacy, unless explicit [[consent]] has been given.


[http://www.blogger.com/profile/26422183 Ragwot] '''(15 - F - Once verified by photo)''' Contributor to now defunct Paiderastia Weblog, and own weblogs (do you have an archive? Mail me!).
==00s era (mainly early 2nd-wave MAP Activism)==


Chris '''(16 - M - took part in [http://www.clogo.org/Archives/Pedologues/index.html Pedologues] ep. 19)'''
*[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QJvxuWrNn2gSyQFyMY9P1AgAh9-E-_YE/view Boy] '''(14 - M)''' in the mid 00s on YouTube. We are led to believe that he is a non-MAP and does not object to the video - even as an adult.


Chelsea '''(F - took part in [http://www.clogo.org/Archives/Pedologues/index.html Pedologues] ep. 28)'''
*[http://www.ipce.info/ipceweb/Statements/stop_protecting_me.htm David] '''(14 - M)''' Boy who was inspired by his own relationship with an older man.


[http://www.blogger.com/profile/17055411 Aqua] '''(12, 13 - M - took part in many [http://www.clogo.org/Archives/Pedologues/index.html Pedologues] podcasts)''' Aqua was a contributor to the now defunct Paiderastia Weblog, although he eventually had his right to free expression and an opinion ([[UNCRC]]) infringed upon by [http://www.boychat.org/messages/1083046.htm AntiPeds and an overzealous mother].
*[http://www.blogger.com/profile/24599755 Delusion] '''(14, 15 - F - mentioned on [[Pedologues]] podcast)''' Contributor to the defunct Paiderastia Weblog (do you have an archive? Mail me!).


[Pedo Child] '''(14 - M)''' - Has regularly written to the old, and new [http://www.martijn.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl MARTIJN boards].
*[http://www.blogger.com/profile/26422183 Ragwot] '''(15 - F)''' Contributor to now defunct Paiderastia Weblog, and own Weblogs).


[http://www.angelfire.com/co2/girllove/right.html Delilah] '''(grade 6 - F)''' - Quoted on page 80 of "Children and Sex: New Perspectives" as saying: "I think that a girl can get pregnant at any age above thirteen because she should know what she is doing if her mother tells her about sex. My father thinks that I should not have a boyfriend. I think that if a girl want's a boy to feel her it is her business not her parent's."
*Chris '''(16 - M - took part in [[Pedologues]] ep. 19)'''


[[User:Brian|Brian]] on this website and [http://anu.nfshost.com ANU] started writing at 17.
*Chelsea '''(F - took part in [[Pedologues]] ep. 28)'''


Please note that we do not scan through all of the communities to which you may be contributing, so you must notify us, if you would like to be included in this list. Many additional young contributors can be found in the [[Archive]].
*[http://www.blogger.com/profile/17055411 Aqua] '''(12, 13 - M - took part in many [[Pedologues]] podcasts)''' Aqua was a contributor to the now defunct Paiderastia Weblog, although he was eventually silenced by an [[Anti]]-MAP campaign, when a distancing quote was issued on behalf of him by his mother (source: [[BoyChat]] Member Bill Evans).


An organised pressure group of minors for sexual consent or emancipation concerning other related issues would be a magnificent tool of activism.
*Pedo Child '''(14 - M)''' - Has regularly written to the [[MARTIJN]] boards (now expired - may be visible on archive.org).
 
*Delilah<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120819053803/https://www.angelfire.com/co2/girllove/right.html</ref> '''(grade 6 - F)''' - Quoted on page 80 of "[https://annas-archive.org/md5/a9a11dea785281b872ffe39d85d0a002 Children and Sex]: New Perspectives" as saying: "I think that a girl can get pregnant at any age above thirteen because she should know what she is doing if her mother tells her about sex. My father thinks that I should not have a boyfriend. I think that if a girl want's a boy to feel her it is her business not her parent's."
 
* Generation Wicked ('''Girls 12-16''') is a committee of 12 teenage girls set up to advise the UK government on youth issues. The committee's agenda includes lowering the [[Age of Consent]] to 12.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20090617214940/http://archive.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/2000/12/2/230312.html</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20090617063002/http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2000/12/29/183175.html</ref> The Web site that spawned the group, wickedcolors.com, also conducted a poll of 42,000 girls between 12 and 16 on the age-of-consent. 87% responded that it should be lowered from 16.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1376140/Girls-say-teenage-sex-campaign-is-out-of-touch.html Telegraph (paywalled)], [https://web.archive.org/web/20090617215641/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1376140/Girls-say-teenage-sex-campaign-is-out-of-touch.html Archive (not paywalled)]</ref> Later, a chatroom on the website had to be shut down pre-emptively by adults because of what the Dorset Echo described as "pervert fears".<ref>[https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/5401817.pervert-fears-shut-internet-chatroom/ Pervert fears shut internet chatroom - Echo]</ref>
 
*Aaron ('''15, M''') on blogspot. Had his first experience<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20060414034509/http://aaronhouse.blogspot.com/</ref> with an older friend at 8.
 
*[http://boychat.org/messages/1126379.htm Kadaj] on [[BoyChat]].
 
*Innormal ('''14, M''') on [[Newgon]]'s forum in the late 00s.
 
*BLueRibbon (Brian) on this website and his ATC Blog (AttractedToChildren.org) started writing at '''17'''.
 
==Pre-00s era (mainly 1st wave MAP and Queer Activism)==
 
*Mark Moffett '''(15 - M)''' - A boy who has had relationships with men offers his opinion: "I think the [[Age of Consent]] should be lowered and probably abolished. But only after coercion laws have been strengthened and there has been an adequate education of prepubescent children. As it stands now, a lot of kids would be in danger since they don't know that much about sex and sexual relationships. ..It all comes back to education. After that children can be expected and given the freedom to have sex with whomever they want to have sex with...I don't think rape is being stopped now with the age of consent laws."<ref>http://www.ipce.info/ipceweb/Library/califa_aftermath_text.htm</ref>
 
*Jesse Harrison '''(16 - M)''' - Similarly, was involved in a relationship with an older man, seeking emancipation to protect him after it was discovered by his violent father. Helped by [[NAMBLA]].<ref>[https://fstube.net/w/ssPzZgoUURhR5FtsxFQXAM Jesse Harrison, 1984 (towards end of audio)]</ref>
 
*"11-year-old faggot" '''(11 - M)''' - A boy talks to NAMBLA in "[[Boys speak out]]." Order: Nambla, P. O. Box 174, Midtown Sta. New York, NY10018. "My first statement is that I want to dispel the image that a child is an ''innocent little puppy dog''. Children have plenty of knowledge about life, the universe and everything. But adults tend not to listen to their children. This ''innocent puppy'' syndrome represses the child's social, sexual, political, economical, and emotional desires. Children are not taken seriously and are expected to conform to a society in which they can't question its validity. This has got to stop! [...] A child is a sexual being. Therefore, children should have the right to explore any aspect of sexuality they desire to engage in. Why do parents, politicians, and police (the 3 p's) feed guilt into children that are sexually active? [...] Many people have been destroyed because of intergenerational relationships, people who could offer the world a lot if they had just not been persecuted for being different. Burning witches is a pastime which is just regaining popularity in the States."
 
*Gay Liberation Front '''(Organization, Youth Wing)''' In August 1971 young members of this British Organization organised a public rally in London to protest in favor of abolishing the age of consent.<ref>Williams, Clifford (2021) Courage to Be: Organised Gay Youth in England 1967-1990. The Book Guild Ltd. ISBN 9781913913632</ref>
 
*Various young gay people are quoted in the Kids Club Anthology from publications of the late 70s to the mid 90s:<ref>[https://www.brongersma.info/images/Anthology_01.pdf Kids Club Anthology]</ref>
:*Michael Alhonte ('''18 - M, sexually active from 15''') "Most of what has recently been said and written about man/boy love has come from adults. Few think to ask young people whether this issue is important to them and, if so, what their thoughts about it are.  This oversight is directly traceable to two things: the adults who feel the opinions of children would be worthless anyway (since they canʹt fully understand the implications of these relationships), and the children who normally would speak out but who instead have internalized the ageism of their adult neighbors and discredit their own thoughts and feelings." He goes on to call for boy-lovers to be ''less'' ageist in their approach towards youth.
:*Amy ('''16 - F''', after describing a positive lesbian relationship at age 12 with her teacher) "Both of the other relationships were with older women.  I enjoyed the relationships but the other women didnʹt.  I really liked them and thought they were very sexy and attractive. But both of them called me a ʺbaby dyke,ʺ and couldnʹt handle having a relationship with me. I think they felt guilty, and felt they were making me do something I didnʹt want to do ‑ which isnʹt true. My teacher never called me a baby dyke and never hesitated about me being her lover, even though I was very young. I guess the feelings I have about being a young lesbian come from being rejected by those two women. But I have also met adult lesbians who are not even interest in being a friend to me. Maybe they are afraid theyʹll be a:racted to me and try to seduce me. Or that I will try to seduce them. Young women have enough problems trying to sort out their sexual feelings, and dealing with their parents and other people who donʹt like their being a lesbian without adult lesbians giving them hassles about being underage.  I am disappointed in lesbians for not caring for us young lesbians. My lover and I are very happy, but we really would like to associate with older lesbians."
:*Jim '''(19 - M)''' "They could make (the age of consent) 16 or 14, or abolish it altogether [AoC was 21 at time of writing].  Itʹs probably less important to have an age of consent for gay males than for heterosexual couples ‑ after all, there are no babies."
:*Unnamed '''("under 16" - F)''' "I think this is ridiculous and am against the age of consent laws for both heterosexuals and homosexuals, because I believe that all people who give their [[consent]] to sex, both young and old should have the right to determine their own sex lives."
:*Lee '''(14 - M)''' Lee has personal experiences from a young age: "I don’t get on with people my own age (...) Theyʹre too immature. I like men in their 20s or early 30s. They are more experienced and serious. With them, you can get into a closer relationship than with a teenager (...) The law is stupid (...) If I know what Iʹm doing and Iʹm not harming anyone else, I should be allowed to have sex with who I want (...) The paedophiles I knew always asked me if I wanted sex. They didnʹt pressure me. If you consent to having sex with a paedophile, itʹs fine. If you donʹt, it’s not."
:*Sky '''(15 - F)''' "Iʹve never felt any guilt about my lesbianism, but Iʹve been hurt many times by the ageist and anti‑gay attitudes Iʹve encountered. For example, many adults (gay or straight) repress sexual feelings they have toward young people, and ignore any sexual desires that young people have toward them. Gay adults are especially afraid of showing any sexual or physical affection to young people because of the danger of being labeled a ʹchild molesterʹ. Statutory rape laws contribute to this fear, while effectively taking away young peopleʹs rights to sexual lives. Adults can be convicted of statutory rape (having a sexual  relationship with a minor) regardless of the young personʹs consent. One of my woman lovers flatly admi:ed that it was fear that had made her reject my crush on her four years earlier. Even my motherʹs lover, Catherine, refrained from touching or kissing me, or my mother in my presence, despite the love she felt for both of us. The sexual exclusion I experienced is very much tied to the social limits placed on me because of my youth. None of my motherʹs lesbian friends developed a relationship with me independent of my mother. Ageism infects the gay community just as it does the straight one."
:*Youth Liberation '''(Organization)''' "Youth Liberation believes that children should have the right to control their bodies. We are immediately suspicious of anyone who claims to protect children by restricting their rights (including their ʹrightʹ to be a prostitute or to have sex with an adult). Generally, neither children nor any other oppressed group is truly helped by such protection. One peril that young people certainly donʹt need to be protected from is sexual experience with other young people.  We support the right of young people to engage in sex with other young people.  In fact, we encourage it.  We know of no evidence that child sex is dangerous or harmful, and we feel there is ample research which shows that children enjoy sex and participate in it fully and freely unless repressed by adults. We also feel that there is nothing inherently wrong with sexual relationships between adults and young people.  Again, we donʹt know of any valid evidence that consensual sex between adults and teenagers, or sex play between adults and very young children, is harmful. Our own experience, knowledge, and intuition suggest that sex between adults and children is enjoyable and can be helpful for later sexual development. The major problem, as Kinsey discovered about 30 years ago, is not the fact that sex takes place, but the reaction of the community, laying on its ʺold tired ethics.ʺ (...) The question of child prostitution presents many questions, the most important of which is what opinion should one have of prostitution in general?  We feel that prostitutes provide a service that is important and valuable in this society. We hope that wonʹt always be the case, but since it is now, prostitution is work that should be respected, legal, well‑paid and free from danger. It is as valid as modeling or professional sports or other jobs where one sells oneʹs body."
:*Unnamed '''(13 - F)''' "After living with an American family for three months I moved in with Anne, against the familyʹs wishes.  She is 42 years old and we are now lovers. We have some problems, because people are mean and do not approve. (...) I want to tell you there is nothing wrong with her or me. I am not looking for a mother, nor I am replacing my mother with her, like someone said to me. We have a commitment to each other. We have a full sex life which is very satisfying for both of us. People donʹt understand that young people have sexual feelings too (I am usually the aggressive one). I have learned to be careful and discreet with certain people. We know of one other similar couple (they are 15 and 29), and we visit them. And we are most happy when we are together."
:*Unnamed '''(Teenager, writing for an organization)''' "As a queer teenager Iʹm often expected to support other gay and bisexual men in their quest for an equal age of [[consent]]. When I give the ʹpolitically incorrectʹ stance of not supporting them they seem to have a look of complete disbelief on their faces and often a:ack me and patronise me as a young child who ʺjust doesnʹt understand politics.ʺ  Any age of consent oppresses me, allowing the state to have control over when Iʹm allowed sex.  I wanted sex at 11 and would have taken it had it been offered.  As I see it, an age of consent protects no‑body. It doesnʹt stop abuse or give young people (straight or gay) the power to say ʺno,ʺ or report the abuse. All it does is create an aura of fear around sex for the queer under 21 or the straight woman under 16. Once 21 or 16 are reached, itʹs almost as if we must have sex to be considered normal or just because weʹve reached the age when we should be consenting. The age of consent doesnʹt do anything other than oppress, create fear, and allow the state to control our most personal feelings and desires. Itʹs as if they have created the law to make sure we feel ashamed and keep to their morals. Itʹs up to each person whether they have sex at 8 or 12 or 16 or 21 or 89 or never, and there should be information about sex and access to safer sex materials at any age. So whenever they ask me about the age of consent Iʹll say NO to 21, NO to 18, NO to 16, and NO to the age of consent itself. Abuse canʹt be stopped by the law, neither can protection be given; but control, guilt and fear can and will occur. (...) As a young faggot Iʹm meant to be proud of the age of consent reduction from 21 to 18 for us men loving men contained within the Act. Iʹm meant to rejoice at the kindness and tolerance of the State in allowing me to follow my perversion. Well all I feel is sick in the gut that so many gays sold out to the State. It was more important to get permission from the state to love and fuck their own sex than to stick with everyone like squatters, travelers and so on who lost what security they had when this became an act. The only permission I need for having sex is my own. No‑one has the right to decide when, how or who I fuck. As long as we both consent itʹs none of their business. The State is assimilating queers the same way it turned punk, the politics and lifestyles, into punk ‑ the fashion‑accessory. For many queers who advocate marriage rights, army rights, church rights and so on the mental assimilation is almost complete."
 
==References==
 
[[Category:Official Encyclopedia]][[Category:Censorship]][[Category:Gay]][[Category:Child Advocacy]][[Category:Cyber Activism]][[Category:Youth]][[Category:People]][[Category:People: Adult or Minor sexually attracted to or involved with the other]][[Category:People: Sympathetic Activists]][[Category:History & Events: Personal Scandals]]

Latest revision as of 00:15, 3 May 2024

The late Mark Moffett Jr, pictured at a later date[1]

Young people below the age of eighteen were often active on blogs and podcasts such as Paiderastia/Pedologues in the early 00s era. This has continued in the era of social media with the AAM phenomenon and various teenage MAPs now highly visible online. This fact is put into sharp focus by the pathetic spectacle of adult LGBTQ+ community representatives policing social media, trying to silence or disavow minors who freely seek MAPs.

Youth active age(s), sex and form(s) of verification are noted in (bold brackets):

Examples post-2010

Do feel free to share examples on the PCMA chat server, as we maintain a presence there. Please give an overall picture of how "out of control" this is on your favored social media, and how it's being reined in by moderation. We will post examples censored to respect privacy, unless explicit consent has been given.

00s era (mainly early 2nd-wave MAP Activism)

  • Boy (14 - M) in the mid 00s on YouTube. We are led to believe that he is a non-MAP and does not object to the video - even as an adult.
  • David (14 - M) Boy who was inspired by his own relationship with an older man.
  • Delusion (14, 15 - F - mentioned on Pedologues podcast) Contributor to the defunct Paiderastia Weblog (do you have an archive? Mail me!).
  • Ragwot (15 - F) Contributor to now defunct Paiderastia Weblog, and own Weblogs).
  • Aqua (12, 13 - M - took part in many Pedologues podcasts) Aqua was a contributor to the now defunct Paiderastia Weblog, although he was eventually silenced by an Anti-MAP campaign, when a distancing quote was issued on behalf of him by his mother (source: BoyChat Member Bill Evans).
  • Pedo Child (14 - M) - Has regularly written to the MARTIJN boards (now expired - may be visible on archive.org).
  • Delilah[2] (grade 6 - F) - Quoted on page 80 of "Children and Sex: New Perspectives" as saying: "I think that a girl can get pregnant at any age above thirteen because she should know what she is doing if her mother tells her about sex. My father thinks that I should not have a boyfriend. I think that if a girl want's a boy to feel her it is her business not her parent's."
  • Generation Wicked (Girls 12-16) is a committee of 12 teenage girls set up to advise the UK government on youth issues. The committee's agenda includes lowering the Age of Consent to 12.[3][4] The Web site that spawned the group, wickedcolors.com, also conducted a poll of 42,000 girls between 12 and 16 on the age-of-consent. 87% responded that it should be lowered from 16.[5] Later, a chatroom on the website had to be shut down pre-emptively by adults because of what the Dorset Echo described as "pervert fears".[6]
  • Aaron (15, M) on blogspot. Had his first experience[7] with an older friend at 8.
  • Innormal (14, M) on Newgon's forum in the late 00s.
  • BLueRibbon (Brian) on this website and his ATC Blog (AttractedToChildren.org) started writing at 17.

Pre-00s era (mainly 1st wave MAP and Queer Activism)

  • Mark Moffett (15 - M) - A boy who has had relationships with men offers his opinion: "I think the Age of Consent should be lowered and probably abolished. But only after coercion laws have been strengthened and there has been an adequate education of prepubescent children. As it stands now, a lot of kids would be in danger since they don't know that much about sex and sexual relationships. ..It all comes back to education. After that children can be expected and given the freedom to have sex with whomever they want to have sex with...I don't think rape is being stopped now with the age of consent laws."[8]
  • Jesse Harrison (16 - M) - Similarly, was involved in a relationship with an older man, seeking emancipation to protect him after it was discovered by his violent father. Helped by NAMBLA.[9]
  • "11-year-old faggot" (11 - M) - A boy talks to NAMBLA in "Boys speak out." Order: Nambla, P. O. Box 174, Midtown Sta. New York, NY10018. "My first statement is that I want to dispel the image that a child is an innocent little puppy dog. Children have plenty of knowledge about life, the universe and everything. But adults tend not to listen to their children. This innocent puppy syndrome represses the child's social, sexual, political, economical, and emotional desires. Children are not taken seriously and are expected to conform to a society in which they can't question its validity. This has got to stop! [...] A child is a sexual being. Therefore, children should have the right to explore any aspect of sexuality they desire to engage in. Why do parents, politicians, and police (the 3 p's) feed guilt into children that are sexually active? [...] Many people have been destroyed because of intergenerational relationships, people who could offer the world a lot if they had just not been persecuted for being different. Burning witches is a pastime which is just regaining popularity in the States."
  • Gay Liberation Front (Organization, Youth Wing) In August 1971 young members of this British Organization organised a public rally in London to protest in favor of abolishing the age of consent.[10]
  • Various young gay people are quoted in the Kids Club Anthology from publications of the late 70s to the mid 90s:[11]
  • Michael Alhonte (18 - M, sexually active from 15) "Most of what has recently been said and written about man/boy love has come from adults. Few think to ask young people whether this issue is important to them and, if so, what their thoughts about it are. This oversight is directly traceable to two things: the adults who feel the opinions of children would be worthless anyway (since they canʹt fully understand the implications of these relationships), and the children who normally would speak out but who instead have internalized the ageism of their adult neighbors and discredit their own thoughts and feelings." He goes on to call for boy-lovers to be less ageist in their approach towards youth.
  • Amy (16 - F, after describing a positive lesbian relationship at age 12 with her teacher) "Both of the other relationships were with older women. I enjoyed the relationships but the other women didnʹt. I really liked them and thought they were very sexy and attractive. But both of them called me a ʺbaby dyke,ʺ and couldnʹt handle having a relationship with me. I think they felt guilty, and felt they were making me do something I didnʹt want to do ‑ which isnʹt true. My teacher never called me a baby dyke and never hesitated about me being her lover, even though I was very young. I guess the feelings I have about being a young lesbian come from being rejected by those two women. But I have also met adult lesbians who are not even interest in being a friend to me. Maybe they are afraid theyʹll be a:racted to me and try to seduce me. Or that I will try to seduce them. Young women have enough problems trying to sort out their sexual feelings, and dealing with their parents and other people who donʹt like their being a lesbian without adult lesbians giving them hassles about being underage. I am disappointed in lesbians for not caring for us young lesbians. My lover and I are very happy, but we really would like to associate with older lesbians."
  • Jim (19 - M) "They could make (the age of consent) 16 or 14, or abolish it altogether [AoC was 21 at time of writing]. Itʹs probably less important to have an age of consent for gay males than for heterosexual couples ‑ after all, there are no babies."
  • Unnamed ("under 16" - F) "I think this is ridiculous and am against the age of consent laws for both heterosexuals and homosexuals, because I believe that all people who give their consent to sex, both young and old should have the right to determine their own sex lives."
  • Lee (14 - M) Lee has personal experiences from a young age: "I don’t get on with people my own age (...) Theyʹre too immature. I like men in their 20s or early 30s. They are more experienced and serious. With them, you can get into a closer relationship than with a teenager (...) The law is stupid (...) If I know what Iʹm doing and Iʹm not harming anyone else, I should be allowed to have sex with who I want (...) The paedophiles I knew always asked me if I wanted sex. They didnʹt pressure me. If you consent to having sex with a paedophile, itʹs fine. If you donʹt, it’s not."
  • Sky (15 - F) "Iʹve never felt any guilt about my lesbianism, but Iʹve been hurt many times by the ageist and anti‑gay attitudes Iʹve encountered. For example, many adults (gay or straight) repress sexual feelings they have toward young people, and ignore any sexual desires that young people have toward them. Gay adults are especially afraid of showing any sexual or physical affection to young people because of the danger of being labeled a ʹchild molesterʹ. Statutory rape laws contribute to this fear, while effectively taking away young peopleʹs rights to sexual lives. Adults can be convicted of statutory rape (having a sexual relationship with a minor) regardless of the young personʹs consent. One of my woman lovers flatly admi:ed that it was fear that had made her reject my crush on her four years earlier. Even my motherʹs lover, Catherine, refrained from touching or kissing me, or my mother in my presence, despite the love she felt for both of us. The sexual exclusion I experienced is very much tied to the social limits placed on me because of my youth. None of my motherʹs lesbian friends developed a relationship with me independent of my mother. Ageism infects the gay community just as it does the straight one."
  • Youth Liberation (Organization) "Youth Liberation believes that children should have the right to control their bodies. We are immediately suspicious of anyone who claims to protect children by restricting their rights (including their ʹrightʹ to be a prostitute or to have sex with an adult). Generally, neither children nor any other oppressed group is truly helped by such protection. One peril that young people certainly donʹt need to be protected from is sexual experience with other young people. We support the right of young people to engage in sex with other young people. In fact, we encourage it. We know of no evidence that child sex is dangerous or harmful, and we feel there is ample research which shows that children enjoy sex and participate in it fully and freely unless repressed by adults. We also feel that there is nothing inherently wrong with sexual relationships between adults and young people. Again, we donʹt know of any valid evidence that consensual sex between adults and teenagers, or sex play between adults and very young children, is harmful. Our own experience, knowledge, and intuition suggest that sex between adults and children is enjoyable and can be helpful for later sexual development. The major problem, as Kinsey discovered about 30 years ago, is not the fact that sex takes place, but the reaction of the community, laying on its ʺold tired ethics.ʺ (...) The question of child prostitution presents many questions, the most important of which is what opinion should one have of prostitution in general? We feel that prostitutes provide a service that is important and valuable in this society. We hope that wonʹt always be the case, but since it is now, prostitution is work that should be respected, legal, well‑paid and free from danger. It is as valid as modeling or professional sports or other jobs where one sells oneʹs body."
  • Unnamed (13 - F) "After living with an American family for three months I moved in with Anne, against the familyʹs wishes. She is 42 years old and we are now lovers. We have some problems, because people are mean and do not approve. (...) I want to tell you there is nothing wrong with her or me. I am not looking for a mother, nor I am replacing my mother with her, like someone said to me. We have a commitment to each other. We have a full sex life which is very satisfying for both of us. People donʹt understand that young people have sexual feelings too (I am usually the aggressive one). I have learned to be careful and discreet with certain people. We know of one other similar couple (they are 15 and 29), and we visit them. And we are most happy when we are together."
  • Unnamed (Teenager, writing for an organization) "As a queer teenager Iʹm often expected to support other gay and bisexual men in their quest for an equal age of consent. When I give the ʹpolitically incorrectʹ stance of not supporting them they seem to have a look of complete disbelief on their faces and often a:ack me and patronise me as a young child who ʺjust doesnʹt understand politics.ʺ Any age of consent oppresses me, allowing the state to have control over when Iʹm allowed sex. I wanted sex at 11 and would have taken it had it been offered. As I see it, an age of consent protects no‑body. It doesnʹt stop abuse or give young people (straight or gay) the power to say ʺno,ʺ or report the abuse. All it does is create an aura of fear around sex for the queer under 21 or the straight woman under 16. Once 21 or 16 are reached, itʹs almost as if we must have sex to be considered normal or just because weʹve reached the age when we should be consenting. The age of consent doesnʹt do anything other than oppress, create fear, and allow the state to control our most personal feelings and desires. Itʹs as if they have created the law to make sure we feel ashamed and keep to their morals. Itʹs up to each person whether they have sex at 8 or 12 or 16 or 21 or 89 or never, and there should be information about sex and access to safer sex materials at any age. So whenever they ask me about the age of consent Iʹll say NO to 21, NO to 18, NO to 16, and NO to the age of consent itself. Abuse canʹt be stopped by the law, neither can protection be given; but control, guilt and fear can and will occur. (...) As a young faggot Iʹm meant to be proud of the age of consent reduction from 21 to 18 for us men loving men contained within the Act. Iʹm meant to rejoice at the kindness and tolerance of the State in allowing me to follow my perversion. Well all I feel is sick in the gut that so many gays sold out to the State. It was more important to get permission from the state to love and fuck their own sex than to stick with everyone like squatters, travelers and so on who lost what security they had when this became an act. The only permission I need for having sex is my own. No‑one has the right to decide when, how or who I fuck. As long as we both consent itʹs none of their business. The State is assimilating queers the same way it turned punk, the politics and lifestyles, into punk ‑ the fashion‑accessory. For many queers who advocate marriage rights, army rights, church rights and so on the mental assimilation is almost complete."

References