A professor at a Virginia university who defended pedophiles and said they should be called “minor-attracted persons” is set to resign after facing criticism.
Allyn Walker, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University who identifies as transgender, agreed to leave when the current contract ends, according to a joint statement posted Wednesday by the school online. Walker is set to step down in May 2022 and until then is on leave.
“We have concluded that this outcome is the best way to move forward,” ODU President Brian Hemphill said. “We hope today’s action helps bring closure for our Monarch family. As we moved forward, I encourage all members of the Monarch family to continue our efforts toward healing and civil discourse.”
The announcement comes after a video surfaced on Twitter showing the professor talking about using “minor-attracted persons” or “MAP” to describe pedophiles.
Walker authored A Long, Dark Shadow: Minor-Attracted People and Their Pursuit of Dignity and argued in the video that the use of “minor-attracted persons” or “MAP” in the book is “less stigmatizing than other terms, like pedophile.”
A petition for university staff and students was started by Kayla Foster, a senior studying criminal justice, calling for Walker’s removal from university staff, according to the Washington Post. It gathered more than 14,500 signatures.
On Nov. 17, Walker was placed on administrative leave by the university.
???This non-binary assistant professor at Old Dominion University is trying to normalize the term MAP (Minor Attracted Persons) pic.twitter.com/riD6TdIt8k
— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) November 12, 2021
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“My scholarship aims to prevent child sexual abuse,” Walker said. “That research was mischaracterized by some in the media and online, partly on the basis of my trans identity. As a result, multiple threats were made against me and the campus community generally.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Old Dominion University for a statement.
