First, let me say that I hope the women and girls who were victimized by Epstein find peace and receive justice. I really don’t even want to address Epstein as he does not represent the MAP community. But, with it making news, the MAP community is likely to wind up in the crossfire.
Yes, we may share an orientation with Epstein. But unlike most of us, he was a predator. Epstein raped young girls against their will. We have an attraction to youth, but most of us don’t act illegally upon that attraction. That distinction needs to be made clear. This news cycle is harmful to the MAP community, because society and oftentimes the media make no distinction between minor-attraction and predatory behavior. Without that distinction, society lumps us in with Epstein. While this news cycle is fresh, and the fanatics raise their metaphorical pitchforks and torches demanding everything to do with Epstein and a supposed “pedophile cabal” be released, we as MAPs are likely to be caught in the crossfire and unlikely to make any gains in activism.
On the other side of all of this, Trump is an adjudicated rapist, and has many credible accusations against him. There’s also a documented connection between Trump and Epstein, and with his past behavior, it’s not farfetched to believe Trump is likely implicated in the Epstein documents. Yet for years, Trump fed the conspiracies of his MAGA base and promised to expose Epstein. Now MAGA is demanding he pay up, and Trump is in a damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t situation. And the best part, is that MAGA is imploding. Many former MAGA faithful influencers are finally seeing that they have been duped by Trump all these years, and the whole movement is on the verge of collapse.
Overall, I’d rather Epstein not be in the news for our sake as the MAP community, but I’m glad that there is finally something that seems to be taking down Trumpism and MAGA. Only time will tell.