Human sexuality is a touchy subject. There are those who would talk about it openly and often while others would never speak of it. So we have to walk a fine line when talking about human sexuality. This article might, in some eyes, cross the line but we’ll see.
I would like to discuss what I call the human sexuality continuum. Now, the human sexuality continuum is a large subject. It covers everything from every kink and fetish that consenting heterosexual couples can engage in to every kink and fetish that consenting homosexual couples can engage in.
There is a large area in which consenting adults of either sexual orientation can engage in sexually. Now I could go on and explain all this but that might be for another article. Here I would like to add something to that continuum that most people never think of and when they do think of it they are appalled, as they should be.
Allow me to make this clear, I am as appalled as the next person by this part of the continuum but I feel it needs to be spoken of. Pedophilia. This is perhaps the touchiest of subjects when speaking of human sexuality.
I believe that pedophilia is as much a part of the human sexual continuum as anything is. The reason for this is simple. Religious groups aside, there is no way to change a persons’ sexual desires. By this I mean, you can not change a homosexual and make him into a heterosexual. Just as you can not change a heterosexual into a homosexual. It just can not be done. Well, you can not change someone who has a sexual propensity for children. Studies into aberrant sexual behaviors have shown this time and time again.
Given that you can’t change ones sexual desires what does this mean when we have to deal with child sexual predators? Firstly, I believe that society must accept that these kinds of changes can not be made. Once we accept that pedophilia is part of the human sexual continuum we need to determine how we are going to handle these people. I don’t think any of the current methods are working.
I think we must acknowledge that a much longer term solution must be devised when dealing with these people. We must think beyond the current 5 10 year threshold that we currently think of and begin to think of lifetimes.
Sex crimes against children must be taken more seriously by lawmakers and the judiciary. They must find a way, constitutionally legal, to keep these people in some kind of custody for a much longer period than they currently are. I don’t believe you can talk of punishment for these people just as you can not speak of punishment for homosexuals or heterosexual folks. It must be seen as something that is simply part of being human and dealing with it on those terms.
