Monday, February 18, 2013

Peter Tatchell. Paedophile apologist? You decide.

Peter Tatchell is a well known civil liberties and gay rights campaigner.

I have reproduced the text of a letter which Peter Tatchell wrote to the Guardian in 1997, defending the publication of a book called  "Dares To Speak", on the subject of paedophilia. I have done this because the full letter is now difficult to find on the Internet. I have come across several Tatchell supporters who were unaware of the letter and it's content and who were shocked by it.

In view of the fact that many Tatchell supporters claim he is against paedophilia and fights against abuse, I think it's important that the full text of the letter is available for interested parties to read.

Is Peter Tatchell against paedophilia, or is he, in fact, a paedophile apologist? I know what I think. I invite you to read and decide for yourself.



Peter Tatchell's letter to the Guardian, dated 26 June 1997, is reproduced in full below

ROS Coward (Why Dares to Speak says nothing useful, June 23) thinks it is “shocking” that Gay Men’s Press has published a book, Dares To Speak, which challenges the assumption that all sex involving children and adults is abusive. I think it is courageous.
The distinguished psychologists and anthropologists cited in this book deserve to be heard. Offering a rational, informed perspective on sexual relations between younger and older people, they document examples of societies where consenting inter-generational sex is considered normal, beneficial and enjoyable by old and young alike.
Prof Gilbert Herdt points to the Sambia tribe of Papua New Guinea, where all young boys have sex with older warriors as part of their initiation into manhood. Far from being harmed, Prof Herdt says the boys grow up to be happy, well-adjusted husbands and fathers.
The positive nature of some child-adult sexual relationships is not confined to non-Western cultures. Several of my friends – gay and straight, male and female – had sex with adults from the ages of nine to 13. None feel they were abused. All say it was their conscious choice and gave them great joy.
While it may be impossible to condone paedophilia, it is time society acknowledged the truth that not all sex involving children is unwanted, abusive and harmful.
Peter Tatchell.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

One Billion Rising. But not you please, Peter Tatchell.


I'm really looking forward to the taking part in the "One Billion Rising" event tomorrow, 14th February. It's going to be the biggest demonstration in history, where people across the world will be dancing in a show of solidarity with girls and women who have suffered violence and injustice. We're dancing to say "enough is enough". It's going to be ace! I have been practicing the dance steps, I'm bringing my friends, we're geared up. 

Searching for "One Billion Rising" on Twitter, I found some unexpected support from one Peter Tatchell, who tweeted "One Billion Rising! Oppose rape & violence against women ". It made my flesh crawl. Keep reading, you'll see why.

For those of you who are not familiar with Mr Tatchell, he introduces himself thus on Twitter: For human rights, democracy, global justice and LGBTI Freedom. He's a well known campaigner and activist. He's got more than 30,000 followers on Twitter. Some might remember him from when he tried to do make a citizens arrest of Robert Mugabe and got beaten up by security guards. To many people, he's a hero. So far, he sounds like a pretty good egg, wouldn't you say?

Thing is, Peter Tatchell has expressed opinions in the past that he's quite keen for us to forget. In his eagerness to protect "freedom of speech" and "civil liberties", he appears to have forgotten about the rights of children not to suffer sexual abuse. Perhaps those rights came into conflict with the rights of adults who enjoy having sex with children. Oops.

Below is an extract from the Daily Mail, 13 September 2010 written by Peter Hitchens. When you've read it, you might forgive me for, or even join me in, saying this: Peter Tatchell, tomorrow, when I dance to express my support for girls and women who have suffered violence and abuse, I don't want you there. I just don't.

Finally, just so that there's no confusion. Peter Tatchell is not condoning paedophilia. He just thinks it's OK for adults to have sex with children as young as 9 years old and that this can bring the children "great joy". Incidentally, Mr Tatchell is also campaigning to lower the age of consent to 14, so as to not "criminalize children". How thoughtful. 

EXTRACT:

For on June 26, 1997, Mr Tatchell wrote a start­ling letter to the Guardian newspaper. In it, he defended an academic book about ‘Boy-Love’ against what he saw as calls for it to be censored. 

When I contacted him on Friday, he emphasised that he is ‘against sex between adults and children’ and that his main purpose in writing the letter had been to defend free speech. 

He told me: ‘I was opposing calls for censorship generated by this book. I was not in any way condoning paedophilia.’

Personally, I think he went a bit further than that. He wrote that the book’s arguments were not shocking, but ‘courageous’. He said the book documented ‘examples of societies where consenting inter-generational sex is considered normal’.

He gave an example of a New Guinea tribe where ‘all young boys have sex with older warriors as part of their initiation into manhood’ and allegedly grow up to be ‘happy, well-adjusted husbands and fathers’.

And he concluded: ‘The positive nature of some child-adult sexual relationships is not confined to non-Western cultures. Several of my friends – gay and straight, male and female – had sex with adults from the ages of nine to 13. None feel they were abused. All say it was their conscious choice and gave them great joy.

‘While it may be impossible to condone paedophilia, it is time society acknowledged the truth that not all sex involving children is unwanted, abusive and harmful.’

To read the Daily Mail article in full, please follow the link below
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1311193/PETER-HITCHENS-Question-Who-said-Not-sex-involving-children-unwanted-abusive-Answer-The-Popes-biggest-British-critic.html


The following article sets out Tatchell's argument in favour of lowering the age of consent to 14, and also includes his original 1997 letter to the Guardian in full (it's the only source of the original letter I've found remaining online):
http://www.christian.org.uk/news/tatchell-reiterates-call-for-lower-age-of-consent/

PS: Before you head over to Wikipedia to read the glowing profile of Peter Tatchell's life and works, note that the profile also states: 





Still keen for more info? Here's a link to an article published by....
(you guessed it) The Guardian in honour of Peter Tatchell's 60th 
birthday last year. The article concludes 

"Happy birthday, comrade. If the British are slightly more tolerant than we once were, it is in part because we had the good fortune to have you live among us".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/22/nick-cohen-peter-tatchell-birthday







Sunday, February 10, 2013

What are you looking at?


I went shopping with a friend the other day. It was cold. Tempted by the idea of some wooly jumper warmth, we walked into Bennetton. On a big table full of jumpers in different colours, two beautiful young ladies were having a bit of a cuddle. They were naked from the waist up. No jumpers.

What were they doing there? And why were they doing that? Were they lesbians, or just cold? Perhaps a bit of both? You might have sussed by now that I’m talking about a poster. But it was really big and lifelike. It felt like the ladies in question were jumping out of the poster and right into my face in all their jumperless glory. It was kind of embarrasing.

I asked my friend what she thought about the poster, and the young ladies, and the fact that between them, they had very little clothing. My friend gave me a quizzical look. She hadn’t noticed the poster. And having been made aware of it, she wasn’t particularly interested.

We went on shopping.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

A nudge and a wink to Wordpress




Dear Sir/Madam

It has come to my attention that you are hosting blogs with pedophile content, and have refused requests from a concerned public to close these blogs down when they have been reported to you.

I am outraged by this, and I hope you will reconsider, and soon. The blogging and Twitter communities are discussing your lax attitude to this on a daily basis. We will make sure that it builds up to a perfect storm if you don't take action. 

I was thinking about migrating from Blogger to Wordpress, but this has made me think twice. 

Kind regards
Concerned Blogger