No, we don't have it ass backwards.

As long as youths are not liberated and judged on their individual merits as full human beings, MAPs are not going to be fully liberated. No matter how much respect the public may gain for us, it will always be under a watchful eye of social control, and the continuation of these laws, and with the condition and caveat that we not engage in any type of behavior that may upset the cultural paradigm that younger people would still be forced to adhere to. That is not true freedom.

Until the youths get further out of that ravine you describe, society is going to see itself as having a good reason to continue to oppress and stereotype MAPs to at least some degree. If they didn't do that, then too many uncomfortable questions would arise about why society needs to continue doing that if we are not inherently evil, and our respect for younger people would clash with the lack of respect that most teleiophiles would have for them.