An assistant professor in Virginia has stepped down from their position at Old Dominion University after coming under fire over their recent research which defended pedophiles who do not act on their attraction to children.
Dr. Allyn Walker, an assistant professor in sociology and criminal justice at the school, announced the decision in a joint statement with the university on Wednesday, November 24.
Walker, who uses they/them pronouns, said they would be stepping down from the role when their contract expires in May 2022. Until then, they will remain on leave.
They sparked outrage after giving an interview with the Prostasia Foundation promoting their book, A Long Dark Shadow: Minor-Attracted People and Their Pursuit of Dignity.
In it, Walker said it is "never ever OK" to abuse a child, but argued that pedophilia in itself is not immoral if the attraction is not acted upon.
They said: "I want to be extremely clear that child sexual abuse is never ever OK. But having an attraction to minors as long as it isn’t acted on, doesn’t mean that the person who has those attractions is doing something wrong."
In their statement, Walker said their research was "mischaracterized" and that they have since had threats made against them.
"As a result, multiple threats were made against me and the campus community generally," they added.
They said that "minor-attract people" could be prevented from committing crimes against children by developing coping strategies.
In the actual preface of the book, Walker expressed concerns about a potentially negative response to their research.
They wrote: "I worry that my readers will somehow think that I am downplaying sexual abuse against children or that I am even trying to normalize it. Nothing could be further from the truth."
Per WTKR, Old Dominion University President Brian O. Hemphill said in response to the decision to have the assistant professor leave the university: "We have concluded that this outcome is the best way to move forward.
"We hope today's action helps bring closure for our Monarch family. As we move forward, I encourage all members of the Monarch family to continue our efforts toward healing and civil discourse."
