Sexual Self-Determination, children's right to

Sexual Self-Determination is the (supposed) right of a person to develop his or her sexuality without interference from others.

Sexual self-determination, the U.N. definition: http://unterm.un.org/DGAACS/unterm.nsf/8fa942046ff7601c85256983007ca4d8/984698f3da3db214852575690060fcc5?OpenDocument

The right to keep one’s sexual life and body free from determination by anyone else, particularly in ways that are offensive towards the owner. The right of sexual self-determination can also be understood as the authority of a human being to enjoy, exercise and employ sexual self-determination in the widest possible sense. The concept of sexual self-determination is invoked in many national penal codes.

The term seems to be used as the legal variant of sexual freedom.

Subject: human rights, women, social issues

Sexual autonomy: http://unterm.un.org/DGAACS/unterm.nsf/8fa942046ff7601c85256983007ca4d8/44457e66f0e8ed0985257568007c654c?OpenDocument

According to the Declaration of Sexual Rights, the right to sexual autonomy, sexual integrity and safety of the sexual body involves the ability to make autonomous decisions about one's sexual life within a context of one's own personal and social ethics. It also encompasses control and enjoyment of our own bodies free from torture, mutilation and violence of any sort. The concept of sexual autonomy appears in many national penal codes.

Not to be confused with sexual freedom.

Subject women, national law, human rights

Sexual freedom, http://unterm.un.org/DGAACS/unterm.nsf/8fa942046ff7601c85256983007ca4d8/bdd932c41942362b85257569005bef17?OpenDocument

According to the Declaration of Sexual Rights, sexual freedom encompasses the possibility of individuals expressing their full sexual potential. However, it excludes all forms of sexual coercion, exploitation and abuse at any time in life.

Not to be confused with sexual autonomy.

The term seems to be a more generic version of sexual self-determination.

Subject: women, national law, human rights

Notice that the "Subject:" lines in all the above, refer only to women, 'not to men or to young people. Interesting, isn't it?

The problem with "sexual self-determination" is that any interaction even remotely related to sex, on any level, between any two people means that one person influences another, which then affects the other's attitudes and, therefore, his or her "self determination".

A parent slapping a child's hand when the child touches his or her genitals is "interfering" with the child's "right to sexual self-determination".

Religious teachings, then, "interfere" with the child's "right to sexual self-determination" when they teach their sexual morality.

Psychologists and psychiatrist who "counsel" children during "treatment" are "interfering with the child's right to sexual self-determination".

Pedophiles and pederasts are accused of "interfering" with the child's right to sexual self-determination".

But as you can see from the above examples, the right to commit an "offense against a young person's sexual self-determination" is reserved for only religious groups, so-called "mental health professionals", and parents.

And no-one else. Or so say the sexophobes. They assume, without any good evidence or scientific research to back them up (and with a lot of good research contradicting them), that a man engaging in sexual activity with a willing young boy is "interfering" with some kind of (undefined, never-researched, and not scientifically established) "natural course of development". That "natural course" is, of course, the heterosexual narrative.

In other words, their condemnation of BoyLove is only lightly disguised homophobia -- the man will somehow "turn the boy into a homosexual"! Never mind that all the good research done on that question has found that there is no risk of this at all.

It is not true that boys, when young, can get sucked into a homosexual life style.

See also

sexual self-determination