The Hypocrisy Files

Misconceptions concerning intergenerational relationships permeate throughout society. Many of these false assumptions emanate from genuine ignorance, but many more are due to willful ignorance and outright hypocrisy. This page has been created to expose the many hypocrisies that have poisoned a clear understanding of the views that NAMBLA presents. The feature we call The Hypocrisy Files will depend on the input and contributions of our supporters. Please feel free to add your own examples of the "double think" so prevalent in our current "false news" environment. It is only with your input that we can create enlightenment.

Hypocrisy in Social Media Sex Ed by Onyx Sex educators on social media platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok have taken up sex-positive rhetoric which nevertheless turns out to be, upon inspection, newly refurbished sex-negativity and justification for further surveillance and control. While it’s important to recognize where they get things right, it bears highlighting that these sex educators are also often on the front lines of “abuse prevention,” which we all know more often means ruining trust and preventing love. In a blog post on “Power to Decide,” [https://powertodecide.org/news/power-talking-any-age] a website focusing mainly on preventing unwanted teen pregnancies, sex educator Erica Smith (@ericasmith.sex.ed) writes this about the purpose of her work: Author Brene Brown has famously said that shame thrives in secrecy, and the only way to resolve shame is to talk about it. That’s exactly what happens in sex education spaces. Sex educators bring to light the topics that people feel a lot of shame and embarrassment about. When we teach and talk about them in compassionate, truthful, medically accurate, and inclusive ways (meaning we include all sexual identities and genders), we help people overcome shame. When we give people the information and skills needed to make their own decisions about their bodies, we empower them. This is all well and good when applied to conventional sexuality. In fact, when this kind of work reaches far-flung communities it undoubtedly has a net positive effect for many people, especially young queer folks growing up in repressive environments. However, this commitment to overcoming shame through honest and accurate education goes out the window when applied to Y/A (youth/adult) relationships. Suddenly in those cases whoever is older is assumed to be a malicious or duplicitous predator, either violently coercing or subtly manipulating their victims into sexual encounters. Shame and stigma compound to the point where the humanity of those involved is forgotten, as “perpetrators” are thrown in prison for decades, and young people are dragged through a court system that requires them to expose humiliating and personal details with no regard for their wishes or wellbeing. Progressive sex educators who claim the mantle of fighting the powerful sex-negativity of our times must follow their commitments through to the end: those who love children are some of the most stigmatized people alive today. Many of these people are children themselves; teenagers grappling with often confusing and shameful feelings towards younger children. Ignoring the stigma against youthlove, even reinforcing it, is betraying the very young people these sex educators purport to care about. The platforms we’re discussing reach hundreds of thousands of people. Erica Smith’s instagram alone boasts over thirty thousand followers, while her peer Julia Feldman (@givingthetalk) has over forty thousand. Other prominent pages reach even more, such as Sex Positive Families LLC (@sexpositive_families) with over two-hundred and sixty thousand followers. It’s time these creators addressed their hypocrisy and applied their own lessons to the people most desperately in need of them.