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 Pederasty was a socially acknowledged erotic relationship between an adult male and a younger male usually in his teens.^[1] It was characteristic of the Archaic and Classical periods.^[2] Some scholars locate its origin in initiation ritual, particularly rites of passage on Crete, where it was associated with entrance into military life and the religion of Zeus.^[3]

The social custom called paiderastia by the Greeks was both idealized and criticized in ancient literature and philosophy;^[4] it has no formal existence in the Homeric epics, and seems to have developed in the late 7th century BCE as an aspect of Greek homosocial culture,^[5] which was characterized also by athletic and artistic nudity, delayed marriage for aristocrats, symposia, and the social seclusion of women.^[6] The influence of pederasty was so pervasive that it has been called "the principal cultural model for free relationships between citizens."^[7]

Scholars have debated the role or extent of sexual activity, which is likely to have varied according to local custom and individual inclination.^[8] The English word "pederasty" in present-day usage implies the abuse of minors, but Athenian law, for instance, did not recognize consent and age as factors in regulating sexual behavior.^[9] As classical historian Robin Osborne has pointed out, historical discussion of paiderastia is complicated by 21st-century moral standards:

It is the historian's job to draw attention to the personal, social, political and indeed moral issues behind the literary and artistic representations of the Greek world. The historian's job is to present pederasty and all, to make sure that … we come face to face with the way the glory that was Greece was part of a world in which many of our own core values find themselves challenged rather than reinforced.^[10]​

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As defined by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV-TR, (which purposefuly leaves out "pederasty" because it is NOT A DISORDER, BUT A NORMAL PART OF THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS PASSED DOWN THROUGH CENTURIES OF SECRECY! YOU THINK WE WANT OUR WIVES AND GIRLFRIENDS TO KNOW THAT WE LOVE DICK? WE WOULD BE IN THE DOG-HOUSE AND THEN WHERE WILL BABIES COME FROM, hmmm? The stupid psychiatrists, based on Freud, who was a pederast, say that we illustrious noblemen of the "trade" are mere pedophiles! What an insult! We PEDERASTS have a "purpose" and scope beyond simple sexual gratification!!! We are HUMANITARIANS! We are PHILANTHROPISTS! We are cultural icons and fashion designers, for god's sake!) The A.P.A. says, "Pedophilia involves recurrent sexual attraction or behavior with prepubescent children (generally under age 13). The charges against Sandusky would fall within this definition — the victims who testified were usually 10 or 11 when the abuse began. Sandusky’s defense team argued that the “love letters” and other attention he paid to these boys were explained by histrionic personality disorder (HPD). People with HPD are prone to flirtatiousness, attention-seeking and emotionally manipulative behavior — they use their social skills and charm to get what they want from others but also may use dramatic moods to manipulate. Think Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind or pretty much all the characters on Will and Grace. However, people with HPD typically try to seduce same-age peers, not children. Whether Sandusky does or does not have HPD has little bearing on his behavior toward children, which represents a major deviation from normative sexual behavior.

In a study published in Biological Psychiatry, Martin Walter and his colleagues found that the hypothalamic regions of the brains of pedophiles, a region heavily involved in sexual identity and behavior, are not stimulated by erotic images of adults the way that nonpedophiliac brains are. Neurologically, pedophiles don’t identify adults as sexually attractive. Other brain-imaging works by James Cantor and colleagues published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research and Kolja Schiltz and colleagues writing in the Archives of General Psychiatry confirm that pedophiles have impairments to brain structures involved in sexual development. Put simply, the brains of pedophiles are different from those of other adults." I could go on and on, but enough for now. Your brain must be reeling, with relief, excitement, fear or disgust. . . at least it's working!