Abstract
On the online forum Virtuous Paedophiles, experiences of being sexually attracted to children are discussed based on the belief that ‘adult-child sex’ is wrong. Having explored the forum’s culture of support, advice, and negotiations, we find that the stigmatised paedophile character limits both the understanding of being a paedophile and the ability to remain virtuous. Additionally, ideas about the paedophile character allow the formation of a counter discourse: the virtuous paedophile character. We argue that the justifications used in the forum differ from those in pro-contact communities and that the forum can help paedophiles be offense-free.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Sexualities |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 5-6 |
| Pages (from-to) | 598-614 |
| ISSN | 1363-4607 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Keywords
- Faculty of Social Sciences