We found it hard to pick a name for this group that did everything we wanted.
Pedophile is a word carrying some of the most intense negative associations in the English language, and it was certainly tempting not to use it. Other organizations have used such terms as minor attracted person (abbreviated to ‘MAP’). We thought the general public would see that as trying to avoid negative associations in the most transparent way. ‘Pedophile’ has an ongoing scientific definition that describes people who are sexually attracted to children, and that’s exactly who we are.
Virtuous to us just means that we can be good people as opposed to monsters. Some people have misinterpreted our message as saying we’re better than other people, or deserve praise for not acting on our desires. Being viewed as average is all we seek. In virtue, we cover the same range as non-pedophiles, some better and some worse. We considered ‘celibate’as an alternative, but that implies we are having no sexual relations at all, while many of us are also attracted to adults and have relationships with them.
The force behind the negative associations of ‘pedophile’ comes from its confusion with ‘sexual abuser of children’ At the heart of our message is that these two must be separated. ‘Virtuous Pedophiles’, in just two words, makes that point.
We want society to recognize that we are not monsters waiting to pounce on unsuspecting children. We are people who have a sexual attraction that we did not choose and cannot change, but are capable of controlling.