The psychological and often physical damage to the children involved is the same regardless of gender, since pederasty is, by its very nature, exploitative. Pederasty creates a fundamental unbalance of power which is easily manipulated by adults for their pleasure. Pornography encourages both exploitation and violence whether or not it is heterosexual or homosexual in content. Although sadomasochism is practiced among a small percentage of the overall population, it has been grossly misrepresented as an integral part of gay lifestyles. The attempt to identify sadomasochism as a lesbian and gay rights issue serves primarily to confuse issues and to thwart the drive for lesbian and gay rights.
Sadomasochists seek to legitimize and provide a premeditated structure for violence.
NOW opposes any repressive legislation concerning private consensual sexual activity between adults. Nevertheless, NOW opposes institutionalized violence as well as social structures which encourage or advocate the use of physical and psychological violence or domination among individuals. This opposition to violence precludes support or advocacy of sadomasochism as a feminist issue. Sex acts in public are inappropriate. Although NOW supports the right to sexual activity between consenting adults in private, it does not support the violation of the privacy rights of other citizens when sex acts are brought into the public sphere.