Even as the benefits of destigmatizing pedophilia become more widely understood, many people continue to cling to outdated beliefs about pedophiles and other minor-attracted people (MAPs) based on widespread misinformation about these groups. Among the most common of these misinformed views is the idea that there is an inherent distinction between “pedophiles getting help” and “the MAP movement.” The primary underlying falsehood in this claim - that MAPs are inherently distinct from pedophiles - is easily disproven by pointing out that pedophiles are simply a category of MAPs , and there is little evidence that the two groups have any significant differences as they are both defined by unchosen attractions to minors. However, the belief that members of either group are disinterested in receiving support is the result of deeply-rooted misconceptions about the mental health needs of pedophiles and the goals of MAP activism. Help for pedophiles To grasp the relationship between MAP act

By now, you've probably heard about minor-attracted people (MAPs). Depending on who you talk to, you may have been told that the term is an attempt to rebrand or "normalize" pedophiles, that MAPs are trying to make child sexual abuse legal and socially acceptable, or that they want to infiltrate the LGBTQ community. However, these claims are misleading and reflect a coordinated effort to spread misinformation and encourage bigotry. What is a MAP? As the name suggests, a minor-attracted person is somebody who experiences attractions to minors. These attractions are usually sexual, however, there are also MAPs who experience romantic, aesthetic, or some combination of attractions to minors. The term was  popularized by mental health experts  as an umbrella term for the four minor attractions: nepiophilia (attraction to infants and toddlers), pedophilia  (attraction to prepubescent children), hebephilia (attraction to pubescent teens), and ephebophilia (attraction to post-pu