"Pedophile Activism" hoaxes

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Due to the highly speculative and paranoid culture of anti-pedophile posturing, it is perhaps unsurprising that a number of hoax pedophilia organizations have been put forward by scaremongers and trolls. While it is true that some activism took place under the pedophile banner in the 1970s and 80s, this was during a period where there existed far less of a stigma on the term. While the term "pedophile" was often used, most of the members of such organizations were technically hebephiles - as in the case of NAMBLA and Paedophile Information Exchange (see surveys of members).

"Pedophile Activist" hoax groups range from failed ideas and folded websites, rejected proposals, to utter contrivances from boards such as 4Chan. As conservative grooming panic has spread in the 2020s, the LGBTQ+ community and adjacent people have even alleged Russian propaganda to deflect these attempts. Much earlier, fringe conservative groups had produced a list of hoaxes, which were nevertheless described as "Pro Paedophilia Movement [...] A Few Of The More Notorious And Better-Known Boy-Love/Girl-Love Or Paedophile Associations And Organisation Web Sites". Oftentimes, these hoaxes are based on a grain of truth, and are perpetuated by right-wing organizations/trolls who are attempting to "own the libs" by promoting the idea that the LGBTQ+ community are seeking to realign with MAPs after distancing them in the 1990s.

Modern hoaxes

The more obvious hoaxes we cover below are to be distinguished from present initiatives within the MAP Movement that deploy baiting and psychological tactics to incite online controversies. At that point, accounts typically attempt to engage responders with good-faith information campaigns, including peer-reviewed literature. One of many baiting strategies appears to involve proposing that the LGBTQ+ community realign with MAPs (or chastises them for a lack of tolerance - see "MAP perpetuated hoaxes" below).

There are, nevertheless, as many, if not more genuine hoax pedophile activist initiatives, in which the motive is not sympathy towards pedophiles or MAPs. A few examples follow:

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  4Chan working on some fake posters for the LGBTP hoax
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  A LGBTP hoax poster
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  Fake 2017 Demo
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  Fake pedophile pride poster
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  Fake 2020 posters - examples
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  HeartProgress type trolling
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  The double-omega employed by HeartProgress - not to be considered a genuine symbol of MAPs
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  Doctored image of a TikToker advocating "decriminalization of pedophilia"
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  Example of bait being used to draw attention to a genuine MAP website (NewgonWiki)
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  A profound 2022 triggering, executed by the fake account of a genuine MAP Activist
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  One example of sock puppets being used by hostile actors to astroturf a MAP-friendly site (FreeSpeechTube) with unfavorable opinions
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  A member of the same sock network posts an OP and then confects a 20+ reply sock discussion praising rape
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  2023 Warwick Pride MAP hoax

LGBTP and HeartProgress

LGBTP, also known as HeartProgress or LoveIsAgeless, is a fake outrage campaign manufactured by 4chan's /pol/. The campaign added "P" (to represent "pedosexuals") to the LGBT abbreviation (not be confused with "LGBTP" to include pansexuals). Characteristically, Snopes.com have used this example to promote their own misinformation about the LGBTQ+ movement, claiming, hilariously that "[never] has any LGBT group condoned pedophilia". In 2022, radical anti-trans activist Kellie-Jay Keen circulated a hoax transgender advocacy blog in the style of Heartprogress, flaunting a display of solidarity for NAMBLA.

Fake demonstrations

The alt-right has also framed student protesters as "pedophiles", convincing even Donald Trump Jr. of the hoax's veracity. Mike Cernovich, an alt-right personality, arrived at Columbia University in October 2017, to give a speech to the school’s College Republicans club. But when students protested outside the event, trolls posed in front of them with a banner promoting NAMBLA. Cernovich and other alt-right figures quickly copied a journalist’s picture of the sign and tweeted it as evidence.

Doxxing and defaming by impersonation

In early 2023, Newgon identified an unsophisticated sock-puppet campaign pushing rape apologetics and misogyny on FST

Fake pedophile advocacy has been used in the doxxing and defamation of individuals by impersonation, notably among them, the UN and Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese in March, 2023. The popular 2SM radio station fielded no less than three "shock jocks" to repeat false claims that left their callers "incandescent with rage", convinced the PM had engaged in "pedophile apologia" (audio example of response). In 2023, Barack Obama was attacked in a similar way, using fake tweets in which he called for destigmatizaton of MAPs.

Similar methods were also used against the British Dancer and TikTok personality, Joshua Hubbard in 2022. Hubbard had made comments in support of trans people, supposedly penning a campaign of negative and derogatory reviews of gay venues that were visibly sympathetic to radical/gender-critical (i.e. conservative) feminists. While those who oppose such feminists within the gay movement are often suspected of engaging in pedophile advocacy, the doxxing campaign against Mr Hubbard (cited in our gallery) was particularly implausible, as no known MAP Activist describes their activity as decriminalization of pedophilia. MAP Activists typically point out that attractions such as pedophilia are by their very definition legal, as opposed to some actions associated with attraction to minors.

Large groups of sock puppets have been created simultaneously and then deployed by hostile actors (suspected to be anti-MAP NGOs planning a documentary) on MAP-sympathetic websites such as FreeSpeechTube in the gallery above. In this case, the negative optics of rape apologism, misogyny and illegalism were used to misrepresent the MAP Movement. Bizarrely, the campaign also included the first concerted attempt to revise the acronym "MAP" to "YAP", after some users had suggested it as an alternative.

MAP-perpetuated hoaxes

MAPs sometimes use fake personas to draw attention to themselves online - Newgon being one organization that uses these techniques. An example of this strategy, was the Twitter account "Andy Parkinson" - a fictitious and flamboyant British TV "gay agony uncle" who expressed his support of James Cantor - a Canadian Psychologist who famously advocates that pedophiles should be included under the LGBTQ+ umbrella on principled grounds.

In another, unrelated event (some time around 2021 or 2022), Chris Hansen - a former Dateline NBC front-man for the online stings of Perverted Justice, was himself conned into supporting the MAP/lolicon Fediverse instance and suite of peer support facilities, Youjo.love, via cameo.com, a "personalized video" platform upon which he now performs for his fans.

Wiki-based misinformation

The proliferation of Wiki-based information has contributed somewhat to pedophile activism hoaxes. In some cases, this has been well-intentioned, and in others, politically-motivated.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia had for much of the 00s, published an article with ever-changing and glaringly neologistic names including "Pedophile activism", "Childlove movement", "Pro-pedophile activism" and "Pedophile movement" - supposedly in a vain attempt to distance historic manifestations of the MAP Movement from their LGBT former allies. This article got bogged down with misinformation and was eventually deleted after steady erosion of information following the pedo-wars. Indeed, by Wikipedia's own definition of pedophilia, most of the organizations they list, or listed, drew mainly from a hebephile membership base. Wikipedia were also the source of the below mentioned Indian National Man Boy Congress Party hoax.

RationalWiki

RationalWiki has made a good-faith attempt at documenting "online pedophile activism", that was partly influenced by Nathan Larson. Until recently, they came unstuck on outdated, superfluous and unverified information, resulting in a disjointed, piecemeal effort. In 2023, even after considerable improvement, the RW article still expressed a generally irrational approach to distinguishing pedophilia from other chronophilias.

Hoax organizations

The hilarious AboveTheHate/Heart Progress right-wing false flag; also note NAMBLA's deceased Tom Reeves as the avatar.

Pedophile activism hoaxes are not exclusive to the social media era.

Modern, second-wave fakes

• Heart Progress, AboveTheHate and LGBTP (examples above) - Right-wing professional troll ops on social media, intended to embarrass mainstream progressives. The terms "Love Is Love" and "Love Has No Age" must be viewed with extreme suspicion, as they have been co-opted by similar trolling campaigns.
• Clovergender - a fake "xenogender" used by 4Chan trolls to "legitimize pedophilia" as "children stuck in adult bodies".
• Agefluid, similar to the above, is sometimes used by credible Fediverse personas, but should be viewed with suspicion. Agefluid appears to be related to the "transage" phenomenon, genuinely embraced by a few online otherkin.
• North American/Indiana Freedom Alliance, like LGBTP, used "pedosexual".
• Pedophile Associates of America. This was a tax-exempt charity set up by what appears to be a mentally disturbed individual/sex offender who was later convicted for extreme pornography. It was unheard of, and carried out no day-to-day activities associated with the MAP Movement.
• Indian National Man Boy Congress Party (1985-2008) - A hoax that originated on Wikipedia, being pushed for half a decade behind false citations in a now deleted article. Now said by various Wikis to have run its own magazine, the "Herald". No record of this organization exists, and none of the cited papers even mentioned it.

Disputed, first-wave fakes

These are disputed examples from the first-wave (LGBT-aligned) MAP Movement. If they did exist, membership would have most likely been minimal and short-lived.

• Rene Guyon Society - there is some debate concerning the reliability of this organization's membership figures. In reality, the René Guyon Society was a one-man operation (Tim O'Hara) blown to mythical proportions by right-wing scaremongers.
• Lafayette Society - a bizarre idea. The organization is said to have included a regression to the dress and mannerisms of historical aristocracy, provision of an environment in which children could engage in sex with adults, and use of glass instruments that reduce the girth of a grown man's phallus for the penetration of an infant.

First-wave fakes

First-wave fakes often came about as a result of confusing genuine gay and pederast activist activity with criminal organizations that shared Child Pornography. A number also appear to have been entirely fabricated.

• Paedophile Liberation Army - At no point in history have a group of pedophiles formed a military organisation. The concept has been suggested by an outspoken webmaster calling himself Ronald McDonald.
• Children's Liberation Railway - May have been a concept of BLAZE, the successor of the Australian Paedophile Support Group.
• The Outcasts - Gayle Rubin's group had nothing to do with pedophilia.
• Chocolate Star Fishermen
• Kids Liberation Front
• Kimeta Society
• Mancunians
• Oedipus Boys
• Orchid Club - Criminal ring unrelated to activism, see "Wonderland Club".
• PapaBears
• Queerlanders
• SIN - Sexual Inequality Networkers.
• Streetkids Club
• The Bunnymen
• The Choirboys
• The Circle of Friends
• The Freemen - This seems like a reference to Frank Herbert's Dune.
• The Love Brothers
• The Moonlighters
• The Peacock Club
• Eulenspiegel Society (actually a BDSM org)
• The Society of Janus (actually a BDSM org)
• The Tail Enders
• The Uranians
• UPIE (United Paedophile Information Exchange)
• Wizards Lair
• Wonderland Club - Was a child pornography organization of disputed size (Wikipedia repeats numerous unsubstantiated claims, some of which are contradicted by its own sources) and unrelated to activism.

See also

• San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus