🌈Cult of Dionysus🍓

"I often talk about reality checking and going along with it when helping someone deal with delusions, but I felt as if I didn’t really make it clear to what I meant when I said it.

Recently I saw a post similar to “how to sneakily give your delusional friend a reality check when they told you not to” and honestly, that’ll just make us lose trust for you. Because we can tell when you do that."

[PT: Educate yourself about paraphilic disorders this disability pride month! /End PT]

This disability pride month, I urge you to educate yourself about paraphilic disorders, and learn to stop misusing paraphilic language.

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To start - what is a paraphilia vs a paraphilic disorder?

[PT: To start - what is a paraphilia vs a paraphilic disorder? /End PT]

Paraphilia: Arousal or attraction to something/someone that is considered atypical. This could be sexual, romantic, or nonrose (ie; queerplatonic, alterous, sensual, etc) [link]. All kinks & fetishes fall under the paraphilia umbrella - yes, all. BDSM, foot fetishes, urine kinks, whatever "benign" kink/fetish you can think of, it is a paraphilia. Paraphilic Disorder (Para Disorder): A paraphilia that causes a person distress (unrelated to guilt from purity culture). Oftentimes (but not every time), this paraphilia becomes obsessive-compulsive, and extremely difficult to ignore. Most para disorders would inflict serious harm upon oneself or others if fully explored, however, generally "benign" kinks/fetishes can also turn into paraphilic disorders (for example, if a person obsessively compulsively thinks about their attraction to feet, that is a paraphilic disorder.)

If you want to read more detail on what paraphilias are, see here [link.]

Now, let's get into the most demonized of paraphilic disorders - pedophilia, hebephilia, ephebophilia, zoophilia, necrophilia, biastophilia, violence paraphilias, and incestophilia.

Pedophilia: Adults or older minors who are attracted to/aroused by prepubescent children. This usually refers to children who are under the age of 12-13 (though may range, as some children hit puberty sooner or later than this.) Infantophilia is a subset of pedophilia describing attraction/arousal towards infants/toddlers. Hebephilia: Adults or older minors who are attracted to/aroused by to early pubescent kids, usually ranging in the ages of 12-15. Pedophebephilia refers to a combination of pedophilia and hebephilia. Ephebophilia: Adults (usually in their older 20s+) who are attracted to/aroused by late pubescent minors (or very early adults), usually ranging in the ages of 15-19. MAP (minor attracted/aroused person/people): An umbrella term for pedophiles, hebephiles, and ephebophiles. "MAP" is not a term for "child predators trying to infiltrate the LGBTQIA+ community." That is a myth [link.] Zoophilia: A person attracted to/aroused by animals, often animals of a specific subtype. Necrophilia: A person attracted to/aroused by corpses, often at specific stages of decay. Biastophilia/Raptophilia: A person attracted to/aroused by the idea of raping someone. Violence Paraphilias: A person attracted to/aroused by the idea of some form of violence (ie; abuse, murder, etc.) Incestophilia: A person attracted to/aroused by the idea of engaging in non-familial acts of intimacy with a family member.

From here on out, when I say "demonized para disorders", I am referring to the ones listed above.

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Paraphilic disorders do not turn someone into a predator. There is no such thing as a "crime disorder" or "thought crimes."

[PT: Paraphilic disorders do not turn someone into a predator. There is no such thing as a "crime disorder" or "thought crimes." /End PT]

Firstly, attraction/arousal is not enough to turn someone into a criminal.

Attraction/arousal can be a *motivator* to someone who selfishly gives into power, but it is never the sole or primary reason as to why someone rapes.

Example: Most child rapists are not pedophiles, just as most men who rape men are not queer [link].

For example, a serial rapist who targets brunettes may have a specific attraction for brunettes, sure, but the preference isn't the motivator to be a rapist. That makes no sense. Most people who are primarily attracted to brunettes aren't going to rape them. There is something beyond attraction that leads a person to rape. They'd have to have an underlying sense of entitlement to the other person's body to do such a thing.

And even so, maybe they don't have a preference for brunettes. Maybe they *hate* brunettes, and are trying to punish them. Rape can be done out of hate, too.

If you (general you) frame attraction as the cause of rape, you not only demonize entire groups of people (ie; people with demonized paraphilias, etc), but you also invalidate victims whose perpetrators were not attracted to them.

You're essentially telling them "your experience isn't real", or "it's because of how pretty/handsome you are, you're attractive, thats why you were raped", when thats not the case.

Secondly, not all people with demonized para disorders are exclusively paraphilic. For example, a zoophile may also be attracted to humans, a hebephile may also be attracted to adults, etc.

And even if they are exclusively paraphilic, they may choose to be single or celibate, or choose to engage in their paraphilia through acts of roleplay, consuming fiction, or creating fiction.

Attraction =/= harmful action. Roleplay & fiction are harmless actions a person can take.

(This is one of the reasons why censorship is harmful. It actively strips demonized paraphiles from coping methods, and silences people from fictional explorations. Instead of censoring people, child-friendly spaces and proper tagging should be the primary goal. Read more about that here [link] and here [link.])

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Say what you actually mean - child predator, animal rapist, corpse desecrator, etc.

Stop misusing the terms pedophile, zoophile, and necrophile.

Conflating these terms makes you sound no less ableist than people who misuse the terms sociopath, psychopath, psychotic, narcissist, etc.

[PT: Say what you actually mean - child predator, animal rapist, corpse desecrator, etc.

Stop misusing the terms pedophile, zoophile, and necrophile.

Conflating these terms makes you sound no less ableist than people who misuse the terms sociopath, psychopath, psychotic, narcissist, etc. /End PT]

Put what you truly mean on your DNIs. If you don't want predators interacting, say "DNI pro contacts."

If you don't want to see adult x minor fantasies on your timeline, say "DNI if you post adult x minor content." If you don't want to see ageplay (age difference roleplay) fantasies on your timeline, say "DNI if you post ageplay content." (Not all MAPs post adult x minor or ageplay content, the same way that not all foot fetishists post foot fetish content, not all schizospecs post their delusions, etc.)

If you don't want to see animal x human fantasies on your timeline, say "DNI if you post non-sapient animal x human content." (Same as the previous point, not all zoophiles post human x feral animal content.)

If you don't want to see corpse desecration fantasies on your timeline, say "DNI if you post corpse desecration fantasies." (Same point as prior.)

If you don't want to see rape fantasies on your timeline, say "DNI if you post noncon/dubcon." (Same point as prior.)

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Importantly, when looking at statistics, remember this:

The general public avoids diagnosis due to stigma and ostracization. People with demonized paraphilias are often kicked out of their homes, institutionalized, or shoved into conversion therapy (which does not work.)

This means that demonized paraphilias are usually only tested in criminals and abusers. This is also true for cluster B personality disorders (primarily ASPD, but also NPD, HPD, & BPD).

If autism was only tested in criminals, it would be known as a "crime disorder" too.

[PT: The general public avoids diagnosis due to stigma and ostracization. People with demonized paraphilias are often kicked out of their homes, institutionalized, or shoved into conversion therapy (which does not work.)

This means that demonized paraphilias are usually only tested in criminals and abusers. This is also true for cluster B personality disorders (primarily ASPD, but also NPD, HPD, & BPD).

If autism was only tested in criminals, it would be known as a "crime disorder" too. /End PT]

Demonizing paraphilic disorders benefits nobody, and actively hinders disability rights.

[PT: Demonizing paraphilic disorders benefits nobody, and actively hinders disability rights.]

Here are some other posts I recommend looking over for further education:

We can say "not everyone with x disorder harms people, and in fact we're more likely to BE harmed and abused than we are to hurt others" as much as we like--and of course, that's a true statement. But the moment someone with a stigmatised mental illness does something wrong, it's "of course you'd do xyz, you're a narcissist" or "checks out with the psychosis".

Someone with ASPD could cut someone off for any valid reason, but anyone else could spin it into "yeah, that's sociopaths for you". Someone with psychosis could wrongfully accuse someone of something and without being given a chance to apologise, suddenly it's "this is why we don't trust delusional people like you" and you're discredited from here on out. Someone with DID could genuinely forget that their alter had an argument with someone and be trying to sort it out, but no one wants to hear that something was forgotten in the amnesia, so and all they get is "see, people with DID just blame everything on their alters".

Information for transwheelchair users that might be helpful. Keep in mind, I personally don't currently use a wheelchair, I use my cane and crutches, but I'm not stupid and know how to do research to help others.

1. Where can I get a wheelchair?

For a wheelchair that is not custom made and is simply just a manual wheelchair, you can find options at Walmart, Home Depot, CVS, Lowes, and Target. These options usually range from $120 dollars to about $250 dollars dependant fully on where you're located.

2. Can I use a wheelchair if I don't technically need one?

Of course, it isn't illegal, but I'd like to elaborate on that. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses and government entities must allow the use of mobility devices, including wheelchairs, by anyone. You are not legally required to prove a disability to use one in public. Businesses can only ask questions if you need a specific reasonable accommodation or modifications. They cannot ask for your medical diagnosis, force you to explain your condition, or deny you entry based on your wheelchair.

3. Does me buying a wheelchair prevent others from getting one?

No, of course not. The idea that wheelchairs are somehow scarce may be rooted in some fact, but over the counter, non-insurance covered wheelchairs aren't scarce. Off-the-shelf consumer purchased wheelchairs do not compete with specialized, medically necessary orders, usually covered by insurance. They aren't in the same ballpark.

4. Does using a wheelchair longterm as a technically able-bodied individual cause any damage?

Yeah, it can, so if you aren't looking for that outcome, here's some things to look out for. If you do want that outcome, just ignore this part.

What you're gonna look out for is muscle atrophy, joint contractures, bone density loss, upper limb overuse, cardiovascular and metabolic decline, and pressure injuries. Now, I'm not a doctor, and this isn't medical advice, but if you want to avoid these, I'd personally, from my own experience with using physical aids, find a workout routine that would prevent these and do that when you're not using your wheelchair to keep yourself healthy.

5. Is it disrespectful to use mobility aids if I don't technically require them?

You're going to hear a lot of different things from a lot of different people, but in my personal opinion as someone who has used a variety of mobility aids, I do not see any problems with people using these tools for their own benefit because that is what they're there for. They are made for the comfort of and the assistance of those who need them in any way, and I believe that applies mentally as well.

I hope some of this information helps if you're planning to get a wheelchair any time soon. If anything here is incorrect or has changed in the recent years, do inform me, I'd love to be able to edit and fix my mistakes, but this is based purely on my own research using government sites and shopping sites. See ya.

The Tube Post has been updated for 2026! Endless thanks to @andstuffsketches for the amazing art (!!!), @rowenabean for checking this over for me (all remaining mistakes are my own), @kelpforestdwellers for extra tips, and @appleyblam for an editing pass. Thank you all!

i HATE self-censorship for a lot of reasons, but being in crisis work makes it even more frustrating. who are you censoring for? like i am being so fr, WHO are you censoring for? have you even thought it through? people who have been raped know that they have been raped. if someone attempts suicide or is grieving someone who did, saying "sewer slide" isn't going to protect them from any of the feelings. a murder victim's family isn't going to feel better bc you said "unalived" instead of murdered. if anything, it's just extremely invalidating and othering. it's saying "what happened to you is so bad that i won't even say the word," which is NOT trauma-informed care. you are not protecting survivors/victims when you self-censor. the ONLY things you protect when you self-censor are the puritanical ideologies that are being encouraged by rich fascists who want your money and obedience