In the time that has passed since President Donald Trump took office, Americans have clung to their political beliefs as a form of identity, a way to set themselves apart from those around them.
From the immigration ban on Muslims to the Keystone Pipeline, the internet and news media portray America as more divided than ever. Amid all the disagreement, however, there will always be ideas on which everyone, regardless of political party, race or gender, can find common ground.
Pedophilia will always find universal opposition, as Milo Yiannopoulos discovered this week.
The controversial blogger has never been shy about his right-wing views, often stirring up anger and frustration on both sides of the political spectrum. On Monday, organizers of the Conservative Political Action Conference canceled Yiannopoulos’ appearance after a video surfaced of the Breitbart editor condoning pedophilia and justifying sexual relationships with minors. In addition to losing his spot at CPAC, publishing company Simon & Schuster announced that it would rescind Yiannopoulos’ book deal in light of these comments.
Despite claiming to only have joked about being sexually attracted to boys as young as 13 years old, Yiannopoulos resigned his position as senior editor of the radically conservative website Breitbart News, explaining in a press conference on Tuesday that the decision was his alone.
In the controversial interview, Yiannopoulos said “there are some 13-year-olds out there capable of giving informed consent with an adult.” He defends the “coming of age relationships” between “young boys and older men,” explaining that “these relationships can be hugely positive experiences for these younger boys.”
In other words, the Breitbart editor “does not mind admitting” he is in favor of adults grooming young boys to engage in sexual relationships, citing statutory consent laws as a “stupid one size fits all policing of culture” and an “oppressive idea” from “the left.”
Yiannopoulos has been a fervent supporter of free speech, often citing it as a reason for his bold remarks, but these views cannot be excused as use of the First Amendment. It is appropriate for CPAC to remove Yiannopoulos from their conference schedule, since his statements are neither partisan to the right nor acceptable by any means. This is not an exercise in hypersensitivity from the media or an outcry from disgruntled Democrats, but a practice in self-regulation by the American Conservative Union that organizes CPAC.
Earlier this month, violent protests erupted on the University of Californian, Berkeley campus in response to Yiannopoulos’ scheduled appearance. Had the ACU decided to keep the British personality in their lineup, the ramifications could have been detrimental to the organization. If the protests at Berkeley were brutal before Yiannopoulos defended child abuse within the Catholic Church, his participation at CPAC could have been exponentially worse.
Political correctness is a controversial issue at the forefront of today’s media and a topic of which Milo Yiannopoulos enjoyed testing the limits. However, describing sexual relations between grown men and young boys as being “acceptable” is not a bold statement shedding political correctness. Pedophilia is not and never will be, a political issue up for debate between the right and the left, for obscenity is nonpartisan.
