This is a project that B4U-ACT has been working on for the last couple of months. It is asking for a face to face meeting with certain members of the APA. Members of the larger community are BCC'd. Close to 2000 emails will go out eveyday `for about 6 weeks.

B4U-ACT has had more people working on this project than any other in the past. They have done a great job. So, please wish them luck. They all need big hugs. It is a damn shame we can't mention all of their names.

To: Dr. Ray Blanchard, chair,
Subworkgroup on Paraphilias for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V (DSM V),
American Psychiatrtic Association

Dear Dr. Blanchard:

We wish to follow up on our previous correspondence. The APA's subworkgroup on the paraphilias, which you chair, is discussing significant changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) regarding pedophilia. As you know, we represent an organization that advocates for dialog between mental health professionals and people who are emotionally and sexually attracted to children or adolescents. We requested a meeting with your subworkgroup, based on the APA's policy that work groups include representation from “patient and family groups,” that the revision process seeks “input from stakeholders,” and that DSM should be “sensitive to the needs of clinicians and their patients.” While you responded by offering to correspond with us by e-mail or telephone, we explained why we believe that is inadequate and requested a face-to-face meeting with at least one member of your subworkgroup. We did this in early January and have not received your reply.

Again, our rationale is that the DSM and mental health and criminal justice policies based on them have an enormous impact on all of society and on people who are attracted to children, including teenagers. They must be based on complete and accurate information. Yet the DSM is currently being revised in the absence of information from people in the general population who are attracted to children or adolescents. Instead, revisions are based on limited data from unrepresentative correctional populations who cannot be honest with researchers. It is well-known among social scientists that such data are highly biased and misleading. The lack of accurate information feeds irrational fears surrounding people who are attracted to children or adolescents. These fears are extraordinarily intense and lead to severe stigma and adversarial policies which force minor-attracted people into hiding, making the gathering of accurate information even more difficult. Perpetuating this vicious cycle neither protects children nor leads to effective policies. It renders the APA powerless to gather and disseminate accurate information.

We are proposing a solution to this otherwise intractable problem. We have organized a small group of minor-attracted people who are willing to meet with APA professionals. Face-to-face dialog with those of us not under the supervison of the criminal justice system is essential for gathering accurate information. We are also informing the public of our proposal by copying this email to researchers, mental health agencies, child protection organizations, political leaders, media outlets, and others.

We look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Michael Melsheimer, Director of Operations, michaelmelsheimer@b4uact.org
Richard Kramer, Program Planner, rkramer@b4uact.org
Paul Christiano, Communications Director, pchristiano@b4uact.org

B4U-ACT, Inc.
P.O. Box 1754
Westminster, MD 21158
410-751-9571
www.b4uact.org