A controversy over a Web site run by a self-described pedophile from California illustrates what many parents call a disturbing reality, says ABC News: The First Amendment can protect pedophiles, even when some say children’s safety is at stake. Police and concerned parents in Los Angeles are on alert for James McClellan, whose Web site rates places to watch children play. Officials have not been able to shut down his Web site or arrest him because he apparently hasn’t broken any laws.
Another is run by another self-professed pedophile who operates openly and unapologetically. The site called Sugar and Spice is designed to look like a child’s Web site. The site is run by Lindsay Ashford. From his home in the Netherlands, he told ABC he set up his site to attract and “teach [young girls] about having a romantic relationship with adults.” He says he has never had a physical relationship with children. “If society wants us to abide by its laws, it has an obligation to provide us with a safe outlet where we can discuss our feelings without fear of being ostracized,” he said. Free speech arguments often fall on deaf ears in an American culture unsympathetic to pedophilia and constantly searching for legal ammunition and legislative loopholes to combat it.