As someone who lives in USAmerica, lately I’ve been inundated with news about the insult of the day: “weird.” First used to taunt Republican politicians specifically, the word “weird” is now being thrown at people of all political beliefs. Calling one’s political opponents weird is showing itself to be an effective strategy – nobody, it seems, wants to be seen as being weird.

But using the word “weird” as an insult is only going to throw MAPs under the bus. Many marginalized people are seen as being weird and different, and I don’t think I have to tell you that MAPs and other stigmatized paraphiliacs are seen as the weirdest of the bunch. To people who have only ever been attracted to adults, MAPs’ attractions seem strange and abnormal.

The fact that many people see MAPs as being weird directly leads to our dehumanization. This can cause the abuse of MAPs, whether this is by harassment, doxxing, or other forms of violence. Using the word “weird” as an insult is only going to make life worse for people like us who lack the luxury of being seen as normal.

Instead of calling the people I hate “weird,” I’ve chosen to make my weirdness a point of pride. I hope that owning my weirdness will help other MAPs have the courage to love their weird selves too. This is what I needed to hear as a young MAP: that it’s okay to be a MAP, and it’s okay to be weird.