As the year draws to a close, the internet is confronted with one more social movement: the MAP, or “minor-attracted person,” movement. Yes, you read that correctly. The latest movement to dominate the internet is a pedophilia advocacy movement.

The argument coming from the pedophilia activist community is mostly that not all pedophiles are child molestors. Many MAPS also refer to themselves as NOMAPS, which are “no contact minor-attracted persons.” MAPS believe that their attraction to minors should be considered a sexuality, and that they should be openly accepted into the LGBTQ community.

Glenn Wilson, a writer for Independent, defended pedophillia in a 2015 article saying, “It is possible to be attracted to children as a sexual orientation without acting upon those desires.” He continues on to defend the number of pedophiles that do not act upon their sexual desires by claiming that many take their special interest in children and put it towards “social good,” such as becoming teachers or social workers.

What a truly terrifying thought to have, Glenn, thank you. Even the mere idea that some people are going into social work to have close connections with the children they are sexually attracted to is enough to discredit the entire argument in favor of pedophiles.

Children should be able to go to school and interact with the adults in charge without fear of being sexually objectified, regardless of if sexual contact is made. 

According to the American Academy of Experts of Traumatic Stress, children are three times more likely to be sexually abused than adults, and the Incest Survivors Resource Network also says that, “the erotic use of a child, whether physically or emotionally, is sexual exploitation in the fullest meaning of the term, even if no bodily contact is ever made.”

Furthermore, Psychology Today claims the most common effect of sexual abuse is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

Children are meant to be in a safe environment at school where they can trust the faculty around them. Any person sexually attracted to children has absolutely no business thinking that they are doing “social good” by going into social work.

Frankly, pedophiles should not have any comfortable place in society. They have a long standing history of desperately trying to connect themselves with the LGBTQ community. This has never served to help pedophiles, but rather hurt the queer community by association. 

Let’s make this very clear. Pedophiles are not and should never be accepted as a part of the queer community. 

The queer community, gay men and trans people especially, have been historically demonized as being predatory and pedophilic. One of the biggest arguments against giving trans people the right to choose which bathroom to use is that they will sexually assault other people in the bathroom. To include “pedosexual” as a part of the LGBTQ spectrum would only serve to hurt almost all progress that the queer rights movement has achieved. It almost seems as if the pedophile community is less about advocating for themselves and far more about furthering the villainization of the LGBTQ community. 

Pedophiles should not feel comfortable admitting to their sexual attraction to children. So please, if you consider yourself to be a MAP or a NOMAP, do society a favor, and never come near another child again.