Minor attracted neologisms

Some people more or less involved in the minor-attracted community have coined neologisms for sexual attractions to legal minors. The terms see limited use in on-line communities, websites and literature, including academia.

• Pedosexual - An attempt to standardize pedophilia as a sexual preference or orientation, coined by analogy with the terms heterosexual and homosexual. Critics of this term note that neologisms tend to alienate readers and listeners, and the obvious resonance with the term "pedophile" does not succeed in redefining the connotation. The term also suffers in the same way as Zoophilia, in that it mixes sexual (M/F) preference with another strand, in this case, chronophilia.

• Minor-Attracted is a predominantly social-political, gender-neutral term with some popular variations as used in academia and on websites such as this one. Critics have noted that these obvious euphemisms may serve to draw more, not less, attention to the negative connotations they seek to avoid. There is also debate around the use of "minor", with some seeing it as belittling to youth and others seeing it as a self-critiquing legal term, carrying little-to no naturalistic prejudice (as opposed to "child").

• Minor-Attracted Person (abbreviated MAP) - A generic/inclusive term for anybody who is sexually attracted to legal minors. The term draws meaning from legal statutes as well as personal feelings, and is therefore excellent for social-political uses but a poor specifier. For these reasons, the term is currently in use by the groups B4U-Act and Newgon.com.

• Minor-Attracted Adult (abbreviated MAA) - A term sometimes used as a social/clinical concept in academia (e.g. Sarah Goode), but also popular among self-aware individuals who conform to it. Critics have argued that the term excludes many younger persons who aren't yet adults and also does not accurately describe people in places where the age of majority is quite low.

• Responsible Boylove - A term invented by a single individual who believed that the usage of the term "boylover" by people who seemed to be sexual predators or child molesters was diluting the intended connotation and thus wished to distinguish himself from the crowd. Critics of this term see it as an implication that boylove itself is somehow inherently irresponsible and must be thusly distinguished.

• Puersexual - A recoinage of "pedophile" using the Latinate root for "boy." Critics note that this term suffers from many of the same problems as "pedosexual" in addition to being more obscure.