Here is what I posted on another forum.
Watching the video and reading the transcript, this is what I gather Milo is saying. I don’t necessarily agree with it all, but I can see how he came to the conclusions based on his [positive] experiences with his sexual activity at the age, and some facts/distinctions that are made ethically, legally, and clinically.
- Pedophilia is not the same thing as Hebephilia and Ephebophilia.
- Some post-pubescent minors under the legal age of consent do have sufficient social, mental, and sexual development to consent to sexual activity, even with older people.
- He personally feels as if he was sexually mature enough to consent to his interactions at that age.
- The legal age of consent is probably right, as it is.
- There is a particular exception for gay men and post-pubescent teens? [I have to admit he is not quite clear about this?]
When one understands that is the argument he is making, it is clear why he views this as not defending pedophilia, while others view it as quite clear-cut.
So with understanding the points Milo made, I will try to predict whether or not he can deflect the damage done. These are probably the things he can do:
- Make the distinction between the legal age of consent and an ethical or psychological claim of whether or not a minor can consent to sexual activity. Milo seems quite satisfied with the legal norms (which remember are quite diverse anyway: see map below.) His defense of his interactions were mostly ethics-based. Making this distinction will harm how social conservatives view him, but I suppose those who aren’t social conservatives can see where he is getting at.
2. Make it as clear as possible that he was not defending pedophilia, but rather certain instances of hebephilia and ephebophilia, which can have a status that is not strictly illegal in many developed countries.
3. Play the European card. It seems to me as if European countries — in general — have more lenient age of consent laws than the United States (albeit the U.K is not among them.)
4. Make it an issue of the mainstream conservative movement silencing him.
How effective this will be, it is too soon to tell. I predict he’ll recover.
