The ABC of perversions - A plea for sexual pleasure

The fear of pedophilia is, at its core, a fear of sex. In a society and with the influence of media that are thoroughly sexualized, such fear results in hysteria, hypocrisy and violence. For children, sexuality changes from being slightly problematic or exciting to being a traumatic act. Negative attitudes towards sexuality have not been dispelled by the sexual revolution. Both pedophiles and young people suffer the consequences. The political and educational fields, families, all citizens collectively ought to turn the tide.

Instead of demonizing sex by, with and between children, we would do better to confront them with it at an early age. They should be initiated into sexual culture in a timely fashion, for instance with sexual citizenship classes which help them make their own decisions, for instance about relations with older people. The silence which governments and citizens currently try to enforce with regard to the sexual dreams and acts of children reinforces heterosexual norms, as well generating nightmarish notions of different forms of sexuality. This does not at all suit budding queers and kinky young heteros.

source: Article 'The ABC of perversions - A plea for sexual pleasure' by Gert Hekma; Koinos, no. 67, 2010 # 3; 2010