Martijn Association has decided not to attend the Pink Saturday this year: Difference between revisions

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<i>source: 'MARTIJN Association Has Decided Not to Attend the Pink Saturday This Year' by Board of the MARTIJN association; This letter was sent by MARTIJN to politicians, media and several other organizations; Martijn.org; 9 June 2003</i>
<i>source: 'MARTIJN Association Has Decided Not to Attend the Pink Saturday This Year' by Board of the MARTIJN association; This letter was sent by MARTIJN to politicians, media and several other organizations; Martijn.org; 9 June 2003</i>


[[Category:Martijn Association]]
[[Category:Vereniging Martijn]]
[[Category:Vereniging Martijn]]
[[Category:Roze Zaterdag]]
[[Category:Roze Zaterdag]]

Latest revision as of 14:44, 11 July 2017

Integration of individuals with pedophilic feelings

We recently decided to go to the Roze Zaterdag (Pink Saturday) in Deventer (in the Netherlands), even though the organizers of the event expressed earlier that we are not welcome. However, because of the arisen commotion with regard to this choice we have decided not to go after all. At present, we have received and still receive threats by e-mail and via other channels. We further picked up from gay groups and organizations that they are afraid to get a bad reputation or lose procurements by our presence. Also, the chairman of the organizational board, Rik Görtemöller, stated he would request the police to remove us from the information market, if we promoted our organization there.

Therefore, we think that our presence would be provoking, which is not exactly constructive to the integration and acceptance of people with pedophilic feelings. For gays, the Roze Zaterdag apparently is not just about the acceptance of their preference, but also about their sexual freedom. The latter points out why we believe the organization does not want to be associated with us.

The MARTIJN association wanted to be present at the Roze Zaterdag to make clear that, even though the homophilic preference may be accepted, the pedophilic is not. And we think that is strange, since in both cases it is about feelings, for which each has to find a way to deal with in an acceptable manner.

Pedophilia is commonly referred to as 'sex with children' and not regarded as a preference, which is the case with homophilia and heterophilia. Unfortunately, this thwarts the integration of people with pedophilic feelings. Most pedophiles deal with their feelings in a decent way. Nonetheless, these pedophiles live in fear for persecution and they can expect (death) threats if they openly admit to their feelings.

The way politics and the media deal with "pedophilia" leads to demonization of all pedophiles. A DJ of Radio 538 recently said on that station - after an interview with a board member of the MARTIJN association - that this kind of people used to be shipped to an island and could then expect a bomb on it. Such remarks hit pedophiles hard, especially since they are already in hot water. We do not all have a hide like rhinoceros.

Providing information at, for example, secondary schools or via Postbus 51 (the Dutch government's central information point) would help to paint a clearer picture of pedophiles. A pedophile is namely not by definition a child rapist! This distinction has to be made, as is adapted in, for example, the www.clogo.org/Pedophiles/index.html enclosed pamphlet of the CLogo team. This pamphlet speaks of 'self-oriented pedophiles' and 'child-oriented pedophiles'. It may also help a lot if the media would show some consideration for pedophiles who do their best to deal with their feelings in a proper manner. We may then no longer receive these kinds of e-mails: "Criminelen !!! Pleeg zelfmoord !!!" ("Criminals !!! Commit suicide !!!").

The MARTIJN association can not change society by itself. That's why we hope that people who read this letter are willing to help us with that.

source: 'MARTIJN Association Has Decided Not to Attend the Pink Saturday This Year' by Board of the MARTIJN association; This letter was sent by MARTIJN to politicians, media and several other organizations; Martijn.org; 9 June 2003