Backyard politics for minor-attracted adults

If we are looking only at attraction to pubescent and pre-pubescent individuals, research suggests that between 25 and 30% of men are attracted to children in these age categories to an extent that is at least equal to the attraction they feel for sexually mature individuals. (See, for example, Godeon, C, Hall. N. [Gordon C Nagayama Hall], Hirshsman [Hirschman], R. and Oliver, L., "Sexual Arousal and Arousability to Pedophilic Stimuli in a Community Sample of Normal Men." Behavior Therapy, 1995, 26). That is a very large number of people. But society now defines "children" as people up the age of eighteen - which obviously includes a very large number of sexually mature individuals.

The number of men who are attracted to these older "children" is much larger. It seems reasonable to surmise that virtually all males who are not exclusively child-oriented feel attracted to people who are socially defined as "children" but who are sexually mature. Hormones, after all, are not controlled by social definitions and norms. So depending on how we define "children" and thus understand who is a "pedophile" we find that anywhere from 25% to almost 100% of men fall into this category. That's an awful lot of people to demonize.

source: Essay 'Backyard Politics For Minor-attracted Adults' by Jay Edson; newgon.com/wiki/Essay:Backyard_Politics_For_Minor-attracted_Adults; Newgon.com; 21 October 2009