I want to create positive posts for selfshippers with paraphilias, especially because paramisia is still unfortunately very common in proship spaces. As a paraphile myself, it’s disheartening to see. I do not wish to discuss my paraphilias (beyond a very, very select few) much in a public space, as it is still quite personal to me.
However it is disheartening to see some people talk about how thought crimes do not exist and that fiction is a safe space to engage with things that would not be okay in reality (all points that are true) and then shame paraphiles for… simply existing, really. Is this not hypocritical?
I could talk about how hypocritical it is to be paramisic and a selfshipper, how attraction to fictional characters is a paraphilia (Fictophilia). However, I know people would claim “That’s not what I mean! That’s not what I’m against! I’m against harmful paraphilia” — when no paraphilia is inherently harmful (Harmful actions are harmful. Thoughts are not).
Thought crimes are not real. Attraction isn’t the same as action. Pedophile isn’t synonymous with child predator. Zoophile isn’t synonymous with animal abuser. Paraphile is not synonymous with abuser. Even if someone has an attraction that would be harmful to pursue in real life, that doesn’t make them inherently dangerous. Abuse is more about power than it is about attraction.
Paraphiles are not harming anyone by existing.
If you are curious to learn more, I would like to direct you to this masterpost and this masterpost.
