“Normal” is a slippery snake. In Auschwitz it was “perfectly normal” to shoot a man for hiding a piece of bread. In some parts of the world, it is still “perfectly normal” to kill a woman as punishment for being raped.

Normal and acceptable are not synonymous and as a society, we need to do a better job of examining that difference because there is too much that is “normal” that should not be.

Ephebophilia is the attraction to a teenage girl or boy. That isn’t surprising. Youth is attractive, and particularly to old hands. Acting on it is the heinous part.

We are not just a collection of glands. We have brains for a reason. Our brains are why we can say yes, she/he is lovely, but I love my wife/husband. Likewise, we have the capacity to say yes, she is lovely but she is too young.

Thanks for your writing, Jessica. The world needs more of you. ❤