I recall once reading a debate on a parenting channel, something like mumsnet about pedophiles.

It basically started with someone making a statement about pedophiles being a danger and so parents need to protect their children. Then someone posted back that care needs to be taken around terminology, pedophile doesn't mean child molestor. Pedophile means someone attracted to children which is a world away from physically molesting children. Someone might be attracted to Asian ladies or to women with big breasts but that doesn't make them rapists or Asian ladies or big breasted women.

I was surprised at the response when the poster apologised for using the term pedophile incorrectly and she appreciated that pedophile isn't the same as child molestor. The conversation then went quite positively. That surprised me but gives me hope that it might be possible to get the term pedophile back.

If we could just get more people to appreciate the difference, that attraction to big breasted women which is common doesn't make men rapists or dangerous and attraction to children below the legal age isn't the same as a child molestor and doesn't make them a danger. That might help to get some recognition that pedophiles are not monsters.

I'm tempted to contribute more to sites such as mumsnet to fight for that little victory at least.