Gay men, pedophilia and age of consent

[Dekusta]

Consider that girls finish the process of maturing the brain around 10-12 years old, and that boys might take 15-20 years old to reach the same level of maturity[1]. Also consider that this process is linked to better decision making and pondering skills.

Let's assume now that gay men and straight men posses similar levels of attraction (both relatively low) on average, to children, preteens and teenagers[2].

If the legal age of consent is to be one that reflects the time when teens are better decision makers, and know the risks of their actions while engaging in activities like sex, isn't there a problem?

I mean, granted all of the above, the age of consent should be lower for girls. It might be the case that a straight men into 16-year olds is less bad that a gay man into 19 year olds.
And by looking at the levels of attraction that each group has, it is safe to assume that homosexual men tend to be more pedophilic than straight men, since the former group is more attracted to non, fully matured individuals.
In the porn industry, both gay and straight men are into teens. By these lights, 18 year old boys gay porn is to be considered pedophilia. 16 or 17 year old girls straight porn might not be that problematic.

What are your thoughts? I have some problems with the conclusions, I'll share them as the discussion progresses. Here's the science used to back this up:
[2]http://sexresearchhoneypot.blogspot.com.br/2011/02/do-gay-men-have-more-sexual-interest-in.html?m=1
[1]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/10529134/Girls-really-do-mature-quicker-than-boys-scientists-find.html

 

[untermensche]

No two 16 year olds have the same level of maturity.

One might be at the emotional level of the average ten year old and one might be at the level of a 20 year old.

Any age limits will be arbitrary and any restrictions will be too early for some and too late for others.

 

[J842P]

Consider that girls finish the process of maturing the brain around 10-12 years old, and that boys might take 15-20 years old to reach the same level of maturity[1]. [1]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/10529134/Girls-really-do-mature-quicker-than-boys-scientists-find.html

You are misinterpreting your source. Firstly, you are not actually linking to any "science," but to a popular science article, which is at best insufficient and usually simply wrong and misleading. Second, all that study has shown is that a single aspect of brain development starts, on average although with a lot of overlap, earlier in girls than boys. This is one study with a tiny sample of people. It does not show that girls "finish the process of maturing the brain at around 10-12 years old." That is ludicrous.

ETA:

Here's the actual paper:
http://cercor.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/12/13/cercor.bht333.full

Also, note, in for purposes of "decision-making":

Individual edge analysis revealed sex-specific age effects in the occipital and parietal lobe but to a much lesser extent in the frontal lobe. This is consistent with a previous WM study where mainly the occipital lobe development varied with sex while the growth trajectory in the frontal lobe was similar for both genders

So, growth trajectory seems to be a bit delayed in males in occipital and pareital lobe, which are mostly related to visual processing and somatosensory processing/sensory integration, respectively.

 

[Valjean]

Your presumptions are wrong.

 

[Trausti]

Meh.

Show

 

[Toni]

No it is not ok for men or women to fuck children or teenagers.

 

[Trausti]

No it is not ok for men or women to fuck children or teenagers.

Right. This is only 2016. That social enlightenment won't occur until 2018.

 

[fast]

nm

 

[Dekusta]

Thanks. I clearly misinterpreted the information at telegraph. If I find any other reliable source, I'll post them here.

 

[thebeave]

No it is not ok for men or women to fuck children or teenagers.

Right. This is only 2016. That social enlightenment won't occur until 2018.

Well, that social enlightenment is sorta already here, at least for some people *cough*muslims* cough*. Rotherham anyone?

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Thanks. I clearly misinterpreted the information at telegraph. If I find any other reliable source, I'll post them here.

Or you could ... not try to find them.

It's been said that if someone knows too much about the specifics of age of consent laws and how young teenagers mature sexually, there's a good chance that there's something wrong with that person. It might be best to find another topic of interest.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

Thanks. I clearly misinterpreted the information at telegraph. If I find any other reliable source, I'll post them here.

Or you could ... not try to find them.

It's been said that if someone knows too much about the specifics of age of consent laws and how young teenagers mature sexually, there's a good chance that there's something wrong with that person. It might be best to find another topic of interest.

Until last year I didn't know I could have sexual relations with 16 year old (provided I am not in a position of authority)... and I think of a girl I knew when I was 18. She's got to be 48 now.

 

[Metaphor]

Or you could ... not try to find them.

It's been said that if someone knows too much about the specifics of age of consent laws and how young teenagers mature sexually, there's a good chance that there's something wrong with that person. It might be best to find another topic of interest.

Until last year I didn't know I could have sexual relations with 16 year old (provided I am not in a position of authority)... and I think of a girl I knew when I was 18. She's got to be 48 now.

Not if she got in a rocket and moved away from the earth at near the speed of light and then returned recently.

 

[JonA]

Thanks. I clearly misinterpreted the information at telegraph. If I find any other reliable source, I'll post them here.

Or you could ... not try to find them.

It's been said that if someone knows too much about the specifics of age of consent laws and how young teenagers mature sexually, there's a good chance that there's something wrong with that person. It might be best to find another topic of interest.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse, as they say.

 

[Toni]

No it is not ok for men or women to fuck children or teenagers.

Right. This is only 2016. That social enlightenment won't occur until 2018.

No. It's actually enlightenment to recognize that children are children, developmentally, cognitively, socially, in every aspect distinct from adults and that this needs to be respected rather than exploited as it was for millennia.

 

[JonA]

Until last year I didn't know I could have sexual relations with 16 year old (provided I am not in a position of authority)... and I think of a girl I knew when I was 18. She's got to be 48 now.

Not if she got in a rocket and moved away from the earth at near the speed of light and then returned recently.

There was a young lady named Bright
Who speed was much faster than light;
She set out one day,
In a relative way,
And returned on the previous night.

 

[Angra Mainyu]

Thanks. I clearly misinterpreted the information at telegraph. If I find any other reliable source, I'll post them here.

Or you could ... not try to find them.

It's been said that if someone knows too much about the specifics of age of consent laws and how young teenagers mature sexually, there's a good chance that there's something wrong with that person. It might be best to find another topic of interest.

How much is too much?
For example, the person might be interested in the matter because the issue is brought up constantly in arguments against male homosexuality by anti-gay debaters in on-line forums in Brazil, and he's taken part in many such debates. That hypothesis - or something along those lines - seems to have a reasonably good chance of being correct in this particular case, as far as I can tell.

 

[J842P]

Or you could ... not try to find them.

It's been said that if someone knows too much about the specifics of age of consent laws and how young teenagers mature sexually, there's a good chance that there's something wrong with that person. It might be best to find another topic of interest.

How much is too much?
For example, the person might be interested in the matter because the issue is brought up constantly in arguments against male homosexuality by anti-gay debaters in on-line forums in Brazil, and he's taken part in many such debates. That hypothesis - or something along those lines - seems to have a reasonably good chance of being correct in this particular case, as far as I can tell.

Yes, but then you are expecting people to think reasonably, which isn't a reasonable expectation.

 

[Angra Mainyu]

How much is too much?
For example, the person might be interested in the matter because the issue is brought up constantly in arguments against male homosexuality by anti-gay debaters in on-line forums in Brazil, and he's taken part in many such debates. That hypothesis - or something along those lines - seems to have a reasonably good chance of being correct in this particular case, as far as I can tell.

Yes, but then you are expecting people to think reasonably, which isn't a reasonable expectation.

That's not true. I never said or suggested people in general think reasonably. Some people think always or nearly always reasonably. Most people think unreasonably a good number of times. But that doesn't have anything to do with my point. My guess was based on previous interactions with Dekusta. It's a reasonably good hypothesis.

 

[Angra Mainyu]

By these lights, 18 year old boys gay porn is to be considered pedophilia.

If "pedophilia" means something like "predominant or exclusive sexual attraction towards prepubescent individuals", attraction to 18 year old males surely isn't that.
If "pedophilia" means something else by "pedophilia", a definition might be helpful.

By the way, if an 18 year old female (or a male) is attracted to an 18 year old male, would that count as pedophilia, under the concept you're using?