Frits Bernard
Frits Bernard (1920-2006) was a Dutch clinical psychologist, sexologist and pedophile activist.
Education
Born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 28 August 1920, he moved to Barcelona seven years later to attend the International German School. He returned to the Netherlands to study in 1939. He studied at the University of Amsterdam and later received his doctorate from the Catholic University of Nijmegen.
Activism
Beginning in 1940, and building upon the remnants of the Dutch branch of the Scientific-Humanitarian Comittee Bernard begun organizing the Enclave Kring, the first organization for pedophiles. In 1960 Enclave moved to Rotterdam. It later developed into the "International Enclave Movement" where people from various countries joined. Its objectives were to:
- "to break down prejudice about the issues of erotic contacts and relationships between minors and adults [...] to provide information and advice as well as to initiate a direct assistance program [and makes steps] toward a revision of the penal code."(1)
Bernard also became active, in the late 1950s, in COC (Netherlands Association for the Integration of Homosexuality) and contributed articles in its magazine, Vriendschap using the pseudonym "Victor Servatius". In the early 1970s he became active in the Dutch Society for Sexual Reform and was instrumental in establishing the pedophile work groups within the organization. He was also one of the editors of Sex met kinderen (1972), the first attempt in the Netherlands for a public discussion of pedophilia.
Bernard wrote for a great number of magazines set up by boylovers and pedophiles like NIKS (organ of the NVSH pedophile work groups), Magpie, Pan: A Magazine about Boy-Love, O.K., Koinos, Le petit gredin, L'espoir and others.
Bernard is also author of two novellas, Costa Brava (1960) and Vervolgde minderheid (1960) which have been translated into English, German and French.
Scholarly work
As a clinical psychologist Bernard worked as an advisor in various conutries including the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Pakistan. He was member of the board of directors Association for the Advancement of Social Scientific Sex Research, Düsseldorf, member of the German Society for Sex Research, Frankfurt/Main, member of the board of directors of the Association for Humane Sexuality, Berlin and member of the Association for Sexology, Utrecht.
He contributed many articles in scholarly journals in English, Dutch and German including the Journal of Sex Research.
In 1979, he founded the Bernard Institute for the study of sexuality and later served at the editorial board of Paidika: The Journal of Paedophilia.
Fritz Bernard passed away in May 23, 2006.
Reference
(1) Frits Bernard, "The Dutch Paedophile Emancipation Movement," Paidika: The Journal of Paedophilia 1, no. 2 (1987): 35-45.
