In 2014, Margo Kaplan, a professor at Rutgers Law School, wrote a piece for The New York Times where she argued that pedophilia is a disorder, not a crime. Kaplan emphasises that pedophilia is not synonymous with child molestation and that individuals with pedophilia can live without acting on their impulses.
The decade-old editorial piece has now resurfaced online, with MAGA supporters trashing the publication.
NYT faces backlash
“MAGA” refers to the Make America Great Movement, popularised by Donald Trump, although the term is now synonymous with Trump’s political base. Backlash against the New York Times began conservative influencer Gunther Eagleman dug up the 2014 editorial on pedophilia, titled: “Pedophilia: A Disorder, Not a Crime”.
Elon Musk, Trump supporter and a part of his administration, added his own powerful voice to the backlash against the piece.
“The New York Times is evil propaganda,” wrote Musk.
Interestingly enough, Musk himself has come under fire in the past for using pedophile as an insult - in 2019, he lashed out at one of the rescuers of the Thai soccer team trapped in a cave, calling him “pedo guy.”
{{/usCountry}}Interestingly enough, Musk himself has come under fire in the past for using pedophile as an insult - in 2019, he lashed out at one of the rescuers of the Thai soccer team trapped in a cave, calling him “pedo guy.”
{{/usCountry}}His X post slamming the NYT garnered 29 million views, and the backlash only grew from there.
Emma Katherine, host of The Imagination Podcast, slammed the NYT for “defending pedophiles.”
“It is NOT a ‘disorder’ - it IS A CRIME. The worst crime in history. WHY are you attempting to normalize pedophilia? This entire article is a blatant LIE. The ONLY ‘disorder’ here is that YOU are defending the most vile and violent sexual deviants that walk the planet,” she wrote.
X user Sean Feucht claimed that “the normalization of pedophilia and sexualization of our children” had always been the goal of The New York Times.
Some MAGA supporters also called on NYT to issue an apology and retract the piece, while its author also faced backlash.