Maryland-based non-profit hosts Ohio conference to 'affirm' pedophiles

A conference for MAPs, or "minor-attracted persons," traditionally known as pedophiles, is set to take place in Ohio from May 2-4. The goal of the concerned is to teach attendees how to become "empowered to work confidently and affirmingly with MAPs." The conference is being run by B4U-ACT, a non-profit from Maryland. 

The conference is designed to train mental-health providers in "affirmative MAP therapy," reports Christina Buttons for City Journal. "Affirmative MAP therapy" is the practice of encouraging those who are sexually attracted to minors to view their predilection as "an intrinsic part of their identity," she writes, instead of trying to cure them of it.

The program is called "Demystifying and Thriving: Understanding MAPs and Fostering Fulfilling Lives." It reads: "Although awareness of minor attracted persons (MAPs), their mental health needs, and effective therapeutic approaches to meet them is growing rapidly, many mental health providers feel unequipped to provide affirmative MAP therapy. This conference will allow attendees, both new and experienced, to have their questions and concerns addressed openly, and to become empowered to work confidently and affirmingly with MAPs."

The two-day program will address "the nature of attraction to minors, the multilevel stressors to MAPs’ mental health, their lived experiences and needs, and effective therapeutic approaches." There will also be "thought-provoking and practical sessions about topics such as day-to-day issues MAPs face, self-acceptance, and thriving."

Professionals who attend the program will get continuing education credits through the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners.

Presenters at the conference include Murray Quinn, who lists pronouns as he/him and claims to be "a 20 something, Transmasc, Queer MAP." Murray "has been involved with the MAP community since 2014."

They/them pronoun-using Nadav Antebi-Gruszka is also a presenter at the conference and is "the co-founder of Heartspace Therapy, a private group practice in NYC proudly serving and celebrating sexual and gender diverse people, and especially MAPs."

Presenter Kristin Spooner, who lists she/they pronouns, states that one of her "biggest passions is offering sex-positive and judgment-free treatment to individuals navigating minor-attraction." In graduate school, Spooner focused on "addressing social worker stigma towards MAP individuals, specifically creating an anti-stigma curriculum for master’s level students." Spooner also became the "program coordinator for the MAP Support Club (MSC) with the Prostasia Foundation and serves as Co-Chair of the Minor-Attracted Persons Special Interest Group through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists."

One presenter goes by just "Matt." Listing he/him pronouns, his bio says that he "has been active in the MAP community since 2023, facilitating the formation of an in-person support and social group for MAPs."

Prostasia is a US-based non-profit group that seeks to destigmatize sexual attraction toward minors and those who have this attraction. They say that they do not advocate for pedophilia or pedophiles and make a distinction between those who have the attraction and those who act on it.

B4U-Act is "a collaborative effort of therapists, researchers, and minor-attracted people, B4U-ACT’s mission is to promote a science-informed understanding about people in our communities with an attraction to children or adolescents, and to support them living in truth and dignity."

Per Buttons, the "group believes that attempts to alter pedophilic desires are not just ineffective but unethical, and it insists that efforts to reduce patients’ attraction to children through 'reconditioning methods' or sex-drive-reducing drugs are harmful—drawing direct comparisons to conversion therapy for homosexuality. The organization discourages clinicians from diagnosing clients with Pedophilic Disorder and instead claims that pedophilia is a 'sexual age orientation.'"