A Seattle-based activist collective is drawing outrage for attempting to rebrand pedophilia as a legitimate sexual orientation under the euphemism minor-attracted persons (MAPs).
Beyond the Plus (BTP), a group operating in the citys progressive Capitol Hill enclave, has been actively campaigning to normalize adults who are sexually attracted to children, insisting that pedophilia is a sexual orientation and that it is normal for adults to be sexually attracted to kids. According to The Post Millennial, the organization, led by trans-identifying male Ally Kotetsu, has been hosting bi-monthly outreach booths at Cal Anderson Park, promoting itself as an advocate for beings who are romantically or sexually attracted to beings who are below the age of 18.
On its website, BTP explicitly classifies minor attraction as a sexual orientation on par with heterosexuality and homosexuality, and asserts that MAPS are among the world's most marginalized people. The group further claims, A number of MAPs, usually ones who are intersectional with other queer identities (though not always), consider age-based attractions to be another, less recognized type of orientation.
The organization attempts to draw a distinction between attraction and criminal conduct, arguing that Importantly, this only refers to attractions, without implying harmful or illegal actions - most MAPs are law-abiding and don't want to harm anyone any more than non-MAPs do. Its website blames intense social stigma for keeping most self-identified MAPs hidden, stating, However, due to intense social stigma, the overwhelming majority of these MAPs remain closeted and are never known to be MAPs unless involuntarily outed. This lack of visibility is what allows harmful misconceptions and stereotypes to persist.
Images published online show Kotetsu, a white male who also claims a Japanese identity, seated at a BTP information table alongside another trans-identifying male colleague. On the table, rainbow-colored pamphlets and LGBTQ+ style buttons are visible, including symbols associated with paraphilias such as pedophilia, necrophilia, and sadomasochism, underscoring how far fringe activists are willing to stretch the pride label.
BTPs event policy instructs members to keep gatherings as concealed as possible, warning that giving the exact time and place is subject to harassment by some people, according to its website. The group also openly celebrates Alice Day, a date created by online pedophile communities to honor pedophilia each year on April 25, a practice that will alarm parents who already distrust radical sexual politics in public spaces.
The groups terms of service go so far as to forbid any discrimination against age attraction, a formulation that directly collides with long-standing legal and moral protections for children. As debates over parental rights, gender ideology, and sexualization of minors intensify nationwide, efforts like BTPs will likely fuel calls from conservatives for stronger safeguards, clearer laws, and a firm rejection of any attempt to sanitize or mainstream adult sexual interest in children.
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