David Riegel
David L. Riegel (b. 1931) is an independent writer and researcher on the topic of sexually expressed boy/older male relationships, and an advocate of what he describes as Responsible Boylove. Riegel is known for a small number of self-published books, journal articles and the mild controversy surrounding them.
History
After already having retired twice from dissimilar fields, in 1999, as a member of the on-line boylover community, Riegel was recruited by a McGraw Hill textbook editor to submit an essay on the Rind controversy. This was accepted by the editor but withheld from publication by the management until 2005. In 2000 he published the first of his four paperback books.[1] In cooperation with several others on the now-defunct SafeHaven forum, and over an eight year period, a Philosophy of Responsible Boylove[2] was developed, which is hosted on SafeHaven Foundation.[3] A recent innovation is Peer Support Exchange[4], and further information is available on his personal website.
BoyLove Media Watch and Review was a website operated by Riegel and another volunteer, that encouraged supporters to politely lobby journalists who wrote about boys' sexual relationships with older males. At one point, Riegel planned to publish a Journal of the Sexuality of Boys.
Controversy
Whilst the nature of Riegel's work is undisputedly polemical and advocative in nature, this is an idea Riegel himself has been uncomfortable with for many years. After a small number of articles in the mainstream media, and by parties as disparate as Dallam and Yuill, describing him as an advocate of pederasty, Riegel is often caught between acknowledging these assertions and disputing semantic meanings such as pedophilia and pederasty. He often perceives criticisms of his theories as "ad hominem" attacks.
Ideas
The small number of academics who have engaged with Riegel from a non-victimological perspective, most notably Yuill, have tended to criticise his set philosophy as overly rigid and dogmatic. They allege that Riegel is proposing as many "oughts" for men and boys, as there are currently "ought nots", has little-to-no understanding of queer theory, and neglects the rights of women and girls.
Casual bigotry
Riegel's comments on bulletin boards have been criticised as misogynistic and ageist:
- "As I have pointed out before, as a woman you have no experience at being a boy, and consequently are incapable of empathizing with, or understanding, a boy's sexual interests. I would further note that as a woman you have no legitimate roll to play in discussing the issues of boyhood sexuality." (source: via mailing list)
- "The notion of "youth rights" has been around for many decades, and in many forms, e.g., schools where children were supposed to make decisions about social order, subjects to be studied, etc. These schools and similar movements have all failed, and "youth rights" have never materialized, because in reality, children do not have the experience to make informed decisions on matters which are not intrinsic to them.
- Sexual interest and desire, on the other hand, and especially boyhood sexuality, which tends to be more overt and active than that of girls, are, in fact, intrinsic qualities and behaviors. As such, they do not need to be encouraged or taught to boys, indeed, the principal thrust of our sexually misopedic society is to suppress these intrinsic qualities and behaviors." (source: via mailing list)
Behaviour on discussion boards
Riegel has been known to use a range of boylove related internet message boards to advance his ideas among those who would be more receptive to them. Here, he seeks to publicise his books and websites, using multiple nicknames such as Researcher, Bridgebuilder and Passer By, in some cases even using other identities to support his multiple personas. Riegel often gets involved in heated discussions with long-term members of these boards, concerning either self promotion, or his tendency to cry foul when his views are challenged. He nevertheless continues to return to BL-related forums, often given protection by administrators who are aware of his history in the on-line and real-life community.
Seniority
Among the more spurious attacks to have been directed at Riegel, are those relating to his age. By all standards, Riegel took up writing on his chosen topic after many decades of his life had elapsed. This perhaps helps demonstrate how hard it is for younger authors with fresh postgraduate degrees to write on related topics, when the risk remains that they may be discredited or even raided by police.
See also
- Bruce Rind - Writes on similar topics, more widely accepted.
- SafeHaven Foundation
- Peer Support Exchange
- Journal of the Sexuality of Boys
Publications
- Books here
- Other publications