General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why are there so many pedophiles? [View all]Prism
(5,815 posts)I had a friend years ago who didn't see anything wrong with wanting to sleep with 14-15 year old boys. As far as I know he never acted on it and never would, but I had the longest, most frustrating conversations with him. He was convinced that it was fine since when he was that age, he wanted an older man to have sex with him. Nothing I said about consent, sexual development, or emotional and psychological harm really sank in with him. He was convinced it was love and that "initiating a teenager into adulthood in a loving manner" (barf) was actually a moral good.
I still encounter him once in awhile through acquaintances, and last I saw he had married a man who was very, very, very young looking. Legal and all that, but it still creeped me out. I know this is technically ephebophilia, but the rationalizations he presented were mortifying.