Deconstructing the Trope of the “Dangerous Online Pedophile”

• In Event: Exploring Queer Stigma and Resilience

Abstract

In an era where children access the internet at younger and younger ages, concerns about pedophiles on the internet abound. The common image of the “online pedophile” is one of a dangerous and predatory individual resolved to commit crimes against children. To deconstruct this trope, this paper utilizes data from a qualitative study with 41 individuals who are preferentially attracted to minors and who have abstained from sexual contact with minors throughout their lives. Ways in which minor-attracted people use the internet to cope with their attractions and to encourage one another to remain resilient to offending are explored.

Author

• Allyson Walker, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY