"As of shortly after the launch of his new Twitter account, Snowden was only following one other account:@NSAGov. But @NSAGov was not — at least not officially — following him back."

via Kaj Sotala

Interesting: frequency of sexual fantasies per gender. From http://sploid.gizmodo.com/graphic-the-frequency-of-usual-and-unusual-sexual-fant-1654350250 , based on a 2014 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

via Peter Kasting

Worth reading.

http://www.salon.com/2015/09/21/im_a_pedophile_but_not_a_monster/

The article hits on a couple of truths, which might not be so comfortable when we hear them coming from a pedophile, but I believe remain true nevertheless:

* Sexual attractions and proclivities are shaped by many factors, but are rarely "under one's control".  It's not as easy as just choosing to not be attracted to one kind of person, and deciding to be attracted to a different kind of person instead.  You do have a choice in how you act on your desires, but that's a very different thing.  As a society we seem to be coming to grips with this as it applies to homosexuality, but it's really true of all sexuality, not just the inclinations that are socially or morally acceptable.

* For any desire that one wants to regulate, it's far better to be known and deal openly than to live in secrecy.  Secrecy feeds depression and powerlessness, which work against one's ability to choose one's behavior.  It also robs people of support systems that can provide encouragement and understanding.  We want to be known and loved for who we are, even when who we are might not be ideal.  That's a healthy desire and one common to all humans.

As a childhood sex offender, my ears are always pricked by discussions of topics like sex offenses and pedophilia.  Over the years I've heard bitter, often violent statements from people who not only don't know but don't want to know anything about any of these topics; there's a strong sense of revulsion and a tendency to advocate "lock 'em up and throw away the key" if not something worse, a la "these people deserve to be slowly tortured to death".  In response I try to approach the issue from the angle of self-interest: if we want a safer society, with fewer children harmed, then endless harsher punishments won't achieve it, any more than fighting drug abuse by simply imprisoning all abusers will end drug problems.

People like the author of this article, who struggle with desires they cannot act on, don't need to be condemned and shunned; they need to be heard, and then supported in their efforts to avoid harming children.  They need help for the other psychological problems they may be suffering from.  They need communities of people willing to accept them and, yes, to watch their behavior, not to condemn but to keep safe.

One reason I love my Christian faith is that in teaching that all of us are sinful in God's sight, it encourages us not to put ourselves on pedestals above others.  We can love one another, even when others are broken, unhealthy, or revolting in some way, because each of us is also broken somehow.  God's response to our feelings of moral superiority is to say, "but look at how much I have also forgiven you."

But even people who aren't Christians can hopefully understand that there is far more power in compassion than there is in condemnation.  If we want to live in a better world, people like this author need to be able to speak out about who they really are.

I don't envy this man.  I've had a few flashes of sexual desire for children in my life, and they scared the hell out of me; I can't imagine living with that as a constant reality.  For that reason, I'm glad he's written this article.  I need to be reminded that other people are struggling with problems I don't have.  By passing this on to you, I'm trying to do what I can to help with those problems.  Maybe in turn when I'm struggling at some point, others will be willing to turn and help me.

(via +Juha Kopsa)