DISCLAIMER: I am a student and therefore not qualified to diagnose any individual of any disorder, mental illness, or disability. If you or someone you know is suffering from thoughts of sexual harm, to themselves, others, or animals, please contact a psychologist who specializes in sexuality. This is important, as a psychologist who specializes will not immediately (and often unjustly) report you or your loved one(s) to the police for expressing feelings you cannot control.
Psychology Today (US only)
Content Warnings: Discussions of Paraphilia, BDSM, Sexual Fantasy, CSA/Childhood Sexual Assault, Psychology & Scientific Articles (the scariest thing on this list!)
Addendum: The "NEW" tag does not refer to newer research or articles. It refers to time of addition to this master list.
My previous list of resources (along with many anecdotal and personal accounts of the harm of puritan/"anti" mindsets, documented harassment campaigns, instances of real abuse being brushed aside in favor of denouncing porn, and other such topics can be found in the following two articles:
"The Acceptance Paradox of the Furry Fandom" (April 6, 2022)
"What is "Pro-Fiction" and why am I Seeing it on Twitter?" (March 30, 2022)
New resources will be sorted by those that pertain directly to psychology and science first, and those that are anecdotal or personal accounts second.
More will be added as they are discovered-- consider this article "liquid" in the sense that it will be updated when possible!
The Psychology
(Peer-reviewed work, or statements made by known psychologists, therapists, and counselors.)
"Why do I have certain sexual fantasies after being abused as a kid?" video by YouTube user Dr. Kristie Overstreet (Dr. Overstreet's website)
"What Causes Fetishes" and "Paraphilias" videos by YouTube user sexplanations, AKA Dr. Lindsey Doe
"Sexual fantasies as a portal to self-acceptance and inner freedom | Lucia Cordeiro Drever" video by the TEDx Talks YouTube channel (Dr. Drever's Psychology Today profile and her Instagram)
"How do you know if your fantasies or kinks are healthy?" by YouTube user Dr. Liz Powell (along with their website, Instagram, and Twitter)
This TikTok by Casey Lytle, psychology and sociology professor at Centralia College on sexual fantasies
"THE SCIENCE OF SEXUAL FANTASY AND DESIRE: Part 1" by Dr. Justin J. Lehmiller of The Kinsey Institute
"Childhood abuse and sadomasochism: New insights" by Michael Abrams and Agatha Chronos
"The Psychology of Kink: a Survey Study into the Relationships of Trauma and Attachment Style with BDSM Interests" by S. Ten Brink, V. Coppens, W. Huys, and M. Morrens
"Deconstructing “Sexual Deviance”: Identifying and Empirically Examining Assumptions about “Deviant” Sexual Fantasy in the DSM" by Tamara Turner-Moore and Mitch Waterman
(10/26/23) "Sick Secret Sexual Fantasies" by Dr. David J. Ley
(3/11/24) "The law of Obscenity and Child Pornography" by Alan Borovoy, Patricia D. S. Jackson, published by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
(3/11/24) "Pornography and Sex Crimes in the Czech Republic" by Milton Diamond, Ph.D, Eva Jozifkova, and Petr Weiss
(3/11/24) "Pornography, Rape and Sex Crimes in Japan" by Milton Diamond, Ph.D. and Ayako Uchiyama, published by the Pacific Center for Sex and Society
(3/11/24) "Education for the Purity Police," an extremely detailed Google folder, as put together by OneAmahira (may contain repeats of articles listed above)
(4/30/24) "Fiction's Affect on Morality," another Google folder detailing the myths around "your brain cannot tell the difference between what is real and imagined"
(4/30/24) "Fiction as a Coping Mechanism," a Google folder with resources on the stated topic (Notice: you do not have to have gone through something traumatizing to justify enjoying dark or taboo fiction)
(4/30/24) "Pornography and Sexual Fantasies," a Google folder with resources on the stated topic
(6/1/24) "An Exploration of Adult Baby-Diaper Lovers' Characteristics in an Italian Online Sample," by Antonietta Lasala, Francesco Paparo, Vincenzo Paolo Senese, and Raffaella Perrella
(6/1/24) "I'm scared I have an unwanted kink or fetish. What can I do?" Here's what experts say," by Grant Stoddard, clinically reviewed by Patrick McGrath, PhD
(6/11/24) “Harder and Harder”? Is Mainstream Pornography Becoming Increasingly Violent and Do Viewers Prefer Violent Content? by Eran Shor and Kimberly Seida, Ph.D.
(6/11/24) "Sexual Violence Is a Huge Problem, But Don't Blame Porn" by Justin Lehmiller, PhD
(6/11/24) "The pleasure is momentary…the expense damnable?: The influence of pornography on rape and sexual assault" by Christopher J. Ferguson, PhD, and Richard D. Hartley
(6/11/24) "Is Porn Really Turning Us into Craven Sexless Zombies?" by Justin Lehmiller, PhD
(6/11/24) "Why Ee Should Stop Calling Porn "Addiction" and Addiction" by Justin Lehmiller, PhD
(6/11/24) "Self-perceived effects of pornography consumption" by Gert Martin Hald, PhD, and Neil M. Malamuth
(6/11/24) "Perceived Effects of Pornography on the Couple Relationship: Initial Findings of Open-Ended, Participant-Informed, "Bottom-Up" Research" by Taylor Kohut. PhD, William A. Fisher, PhD, and Lorne Campbell
New! (6/21/24) "Pornography and rape: theory and practice? Evidence from crime data in four countries where pornography is easily available" by Berl Kutchinsky
The Social and the Cultural (New Category!)
(Peer-reviewed work, articles, or statements made by known experts or those who are part of kink or erotica subcultures in non-psychological fields. This category was added to include sociological and cultural aspects of the discussion, which can be briefly seen in some of the linked Google folders above, but were otherwise unaccounted for here.)
(6/1/24) "Paraphilic Infantilism is not Pedophilia," from the Lounsbery Law Office, PC
(6/1/24) "Lolicon: The Reality of ‘Virtual Child Pornography’ in Japan," by Patrick W. Galbraith
(6/1/24) "Robot Ghosts And Wired Dreams Japanese Science Fiction From Origins To Anime," specifically chapter 11, titled "Otaku Sexuality," by
(6/1/24) "Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute, Cheap, Mad, and Sexy," specifically the chapter "Dimensions of Desire," page 129, "Rorikon (Lolita Complex)," edited by John A. Lent
(6/1/24) "Lethal Girls Drawn for Boys: Girl Assassins in Manga/Anime and Comics/Film" by Katharine Kittredge of the Children's Literature Association Quarterly
(6/1/24) "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga," by Kaoru Nagayama, translated by Patrick W. Galbraith and Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto
(6/1/24) "Adult Manga: Culture & Power in Contemporary Japanese Society" by Sharon Kinsella
(6/1/24) "The Bishōjo Syndrome: The Desire Called Lolicon" by Akira Akagi (This work is only available in Japanese)
(6/1/24) "Do Have Lolicon and Yaoi Fans a Future Still!? The Sex Revolution of the 90s" and "The Book of Otaku" by Chizuko Ueno (This work is only available in Japanese)
New! (6/21/24) "Why Do Millennials Love Faux-Incest Porn So Much?" by Jenny Kunter ft. Justin Lehmiller, PhD and Chauntelle Tibbals, PhD
New! (6/21/24) "Is Game of Thrones ‘desensitising’ us to fictional incest pornography, and driving our interest in faux-cest?" by . ft. Justin Lehmiller, PhD, and George Whelan
Books You Have to Buy
(Or acquire by other probably-legal means)
"Sexuality and Obscenity Supreme Court Decisions" by Robert Dittmer
"Sex with Shakespeare: Here's Much to Do with Pain, but More with Love" by Jillian Keenan
"A Curious History of Sex" by Kate Lister
"Transforming Sexual Narratives: A Relational Approach to Sex Therapy" by Suzanne Iasenza
"It's Perfectly Normal: A Book about Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health" by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley
(10/26/23) "Who's Been Sleeping in Your Head: The Secret World of Sexual Fantasies" by Professor Brett Kahr
(3/11/24) "The History of Hentai Manga: An Expressionist Examination of Eromanga" by Kimi Rito, published by FAKKU
New! (6/11/24) "Aggression in Pornography: Myths and Realities" by Kimberly Seida, PhD, and Eran Shor
New! (6/11/24) "Tell Me What You Want The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life" by Justin J. Lehmiller, PhD
(6/11/24) "The Myth of Sex Addiction" by David J. Ley
New! (6/21/24) "Bound and Gagged: Pornography and the Politics of Fantasy in America" by Laura Kipnis
The Anecdotal
(Statements made by individuals effected by puritanical beliefs, particularly queer folk in fandom, writers, and other individuals. These individuals may or may not have ties to professional works, but their contribution is no less important.)
"Must-know for Japanese fandom: the meaning of "proship" and the concept of "proshippers" in Western fandom" by Twitter user マロミチャン🐶 (Maromi), translated by オレンジア (archived version)
"PSA: "kink critical" is radfem rhetoric" by Twitter user purity_culture
"of fandoms and antis" by Dreamwidth user rhodanum (archived version)
"Green on "How Proshipping Effects People" by Twitter user MoonCatOmelet, discussing the infamous "How Proshipping Effects People" thread
"Behind the Curtain: Anti-Shipping is a Bad Faith Position" by Elliot Dunstan (archived version)
"54 Antis that Turned out to be Documented Child Predators" by former Twitter user __sickpuppy__ (Twitter archived version - incomplete)
"The True, Disturbing Side of Antis" by Twitter user ProjectKKEIKO (archived version - INCOMPLETE)
“Mirror Neurons” anti/TERF theory debunked" by Twitter user SamAburmine (archived version)
(6/11/24) "'Rick and Morty' Incest Porn Is Tearing the Show's Fans Apart" by Beckett Mufson
(6/11/24) "Here's Why 'Rick and Morty' Makes So Many Incest Jokes" by Beckett Mufson
New! (6/21/24) "What Do Women Want? To Have Sex with Their Stepbrothers" by Allison Schiff
New! (6/21/24) "Evil Wizard's Tower," a carrd website with links to a myriad of works to combat misinformation surrounding kink, pornography, and paraphilia (archived version)
New! (6/21/24) "Ultimate Pile of Shipping Discourse Sources" by starrbar
New! (6/21/24) "Proship/Prokink Resource List" by AJ/Flipside (some of these resources may be re-listed here; also...)
New1! (6/21/24) "Why Defend Freedom of Icky Speech" by Neil Gaiman (archived version)
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