"While you are certainly entitled to your opinion, you are the only person I have ever heard make a distinction between the two. I think you are playing a very dangerous semantic game by trying to distinguish between them, but that's just me"

The problem is, that your friend was right. Anyone who tries to make a distinction between these killers of children and lovers of children IS playing a dangerous semantic game. They will tend to channel their hatred toward you if they for a moment think that you find children sexually attractive.

One of the problems is the assumptions by many people that children cannot enjoy/want/desire/initiate sexual activity, therefore, whoever has sex with children must be forcing themselves upon their 'vicitm'. However, whenever the topic comes up, you cannot argue the point of these assumptions, because any knowlege to the contrary calls into question your status as a law abiding citizen.

This assumption therefore allows them to lump REAL sick people who tourture and murder others with those who want to have a consenting relationship with someone technically under legal age.

I personally don't know how much activism will help the cause, but I sense a huge campaign of intollerance like ive never seen before. People who cross the line, arent getting punished. They are being crucified. I particularly was horrified by the 'cool mom' getting 35 years plus for having sex with 14 year old boys! The horror....the horror.....