celebrating 400,000 quora posts

## celebrating 400,000 quora posts

#### 11 August 2020
from a life less lonely

### leonard johnston

| My Quora posts have now reached over 400,000 views! I had hoped to post the next in my series on child pornography, but that article has turned out to be big and unwieldy, so I'm afraid I'm still editing it. Instead, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate a milestone: my Quora posts have now reached over 400,000 views! This is a big deal to me. When I started writing Quora posts, I did so because I felt like no one out there was talking about pedophilia in a way that promoted real analysis. There were gut reactions about how evil pedophiles are; there were pedophiles, defending themselves, but without the kind of open-mindedness I like to see. Quora seemed like the right social media home: generally more civil, interested in inquiry, willing to deal in difficult topics. So far, it's been a great place. So on Quora: over 406,000 views and 2,400 upvotes. My most popular answer is "Pedophilia: What does it feel like to be a pedophile?" with almost 60,000 views. After that comes "I think I am a pedophile, what should I do?" with over 35,000 views, and then "What do pedophiles find so attractive about minors, that normal people don't?" with over 20,000 views. I feel like my answers have been genuinely useful to people seeking answers, both for young people struggling with their attractions and for non-pedophiles trying to understand people like me. I've gotten messages from both, and being able to answer questions and help people out has become a genuinely meaningful part of my life. You might ask, then, why this blog? Well, for one thing, here I can really dive into the topics I think are important. Answering questions is nice, but my blog allows for more depth. It means I can highlight the questions I think are most important for others. It also gives me some autonomy: if Quora decides that they don't want pedophiles on their platform (non-offending pedophiles are often banned on Twitter, largely due to coordinated efforts to trigger Twitter's automatic report system), I still have a space. Mostly, I like the freedom to explore a topic and see where it leads me without having to answer just one question at the end of it. My blog is a lot less popular so far, but I hope it continues to grow. Thank you all for being here. I hope you can keeping sharing it and telling more people about it, so that it can be a real resource for others. Thanks again for being here, and for sticking with this difficult topic. I really appreciate it. About the author: After realizing my attraction at the age of 13, I began the journey of figuring out how to live a good life. When I eventually landed happily, I decided to share that journey with others. At first, I primarily wrote answers on Quora, which were viewed over a million times, liked thousands of times and led to numerous positive comments and discussions. I also started a blog, which was fortunate as a likely reporting campaign resulted in my Quora account being deleted, so much of my work remains online there. In addition to his writing (here and elsewhere), I enjoy board games, hiking, and spending time with friends. I have been part of the community for over a decade, seeking to do my part to make the world a better place. Update: Unfortunately, my account on Quora has been deleted. I don’t know why, as I believe that all of the information I was providing was positive, helpful, and within their guidelines. You can read more about it [here](https://livingwithpedophilia.wordpress.com/2022/10/30/what-made-quora-change-its-mind/), and I intend to continue to post more about my thoughts on social media and appropriate content for it as time allows. You can find the original article, along with reader comments (and the opportunity to leave your own) at Leonard's blog. |

tags for this item

tags for this item

public perception40
social media37

other relevant items

other relevant items

review: dream children |  | virtual cp as thought crime |  | review: sparta (2022)
ethan edwards The book is fiction, but we can ask whether such a positive outcome is realistic, given Oliver as he is presented. I have my doubts. |  | ethan edwards There is a lot of material that would fit under the heading of "virtual CP" — material that is intended to be arousing to pedophiles but does not involve any real children. |  | brizz A study in repression, misguided redemption, and missed responsibility

review: dream children ethan edwards The book is fiction, but we can ask whether such a positive outcome is realistic, given Oliver as he is presented. I have my doubts.
virtual cp as thought crime ethan edwards There is a lot of material that would fit under the heading of "virtual CP" — material that is intended to be arousing to pedophiles but does not involve any real children.
review: sparta (2022) brizz A study in repression, misguided redemption, and missed responsibility