I think being exposed to fandom from the age of twelve probably saved me from all sorts of self-hatred... it does make me feel rather strongly about letting the underagers have access, even if it's just the "don't ask, don't tell" method that underage fans have been using for years.
Yeah, this was a factor for me too. And I really think that fandom contributes to the sexual revolution in that sense, a real awareness of sexuality as a spectrum rather than as absolutes. Fandom is good for kids! I mean, ideally I would like fandom en masse to be able to say, look, the sexuality of under-18s as it pertains to fanfic is none of our business and people that are ready for it will find it and people that aren't will avoid it - which is my opinion based on observing the younger family members I have who read fanfiction as well as my own experiences. But I recognise that this is just not a perspective that everyone would find acceptable, even within fandom, and the non-fannish would be asking me where my Earth logic was, so. *shrug* People have to cover their asses.
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Yeah, this was a factor for me too. And I really think that fandom contributes to the sexual revolution in that sense, a real awareness of sexuality as a spectrum rather than as absolutes. Fandom is good for kids! I mean, ideally I would like fandom en masse to be able to say, look, the sexuality of under-18s as it pertains to fanfic is none of our business and people that are ready for it will find it and people that aren't will avoid it - which is my opinion based on observing the younger family members I have who read fanfiction as well as my own experiences. But I recognise that this is just not a perspective that everyone would find acceptable, even within fandom, and the non-fannish would be asking me where my Earth logic was, so. *shrug* People have to cover their asses.