James M. Cantor | |
|---|---|
 Cantor in 2010 | |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Psychologist specializing insexology |
| Known for | Sex research, atypical sexualities |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions |
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| Website | jamescantor |
James M. Cantor is an American-Canadianclinical psychologist andsexologist specializing inhypersexuality andparaphilias.[1][2][3]
A former senior scientist with theCentre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto,[4][1] Cantor was editor-in-chief of the journalSexual Abuse from 2010 to 2014.[5] His research on brain differences inpedophiles has been cited as evidence that pedophilia is something unchangeable and that people are probably born with it.[6]
Cantor grew up onLong Island, New York, and attendedRensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI),[7] where he majored in computer science with minors in mathematics and physics. During his studies at RPI, he became a resident adviser in the student dormitories, where he provided peer counseling. Finding that he enjoyed doing this more than his studies, he decided to pursue a doctorate in psychology.[8]
After obtaining his MA in psychology fromBoston University, he was awarded a PhD inclinical psychology byMcGill University in 1999, supervised byIrv Binik and James Pfaus, for usingoxytocin to reversefluoxetine-induced sexual dysfunction in male rats.[9][10]
After completing his PhD, Cantor worked in a psychiatric hospital that contained a sexual-behavior clinic and "phallometric laboratory" to assess men for pedophilia.[11] In 1998, he began his postdoctoral training at CAMH as an intern underRay Blanchard.[7] He went on to become a senior scientist with CAMH and an associate professor in theUniversity of Toronto's Department of Psychiatry.[4] From 2010 to 2014, he waseditor-in-chief of the journalSexual Abuse.[5] In 2019, Cantor left CAMH.[12]
Cantor was a member of a research community called the Pediatric and Adolescent Gender Dysphoria Working Group (PAGDWG) alongside older sexological researchers such as Blanchard,Kenneth Zucker, andJ. Michael Bailey. The PAGDWG was active between 2018 and 2020 and was described by theSouthern Poverty Law Center as helping "generate pseudoscientific support for denying gender-affirming care".[13]
In August 2020, Cantor left theSociety for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS), after conflicts with other members overtransgender issues.[3] According to an article in theNational Post, this occurred after Cantor was temporarily banned for an alleged pattern of bullying behavior.[3][14] In an essay written to the organization, Cantor referencedJ. K. Rowling's views on transgender topics.[3][14][15] Cantor also resigned from an editorial position for the SSSS'sJournal of Sex Research.[3] ThePinkNews article covering the events noted Cantor's support forLGB Alliance, often considered atransphobic or trans-exclusionary organization.[14] As of January 2021, he sits on the editorial boards of theJournal of Sexual Aggression[16] andArchives of Sexual Behavior.[17]
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he published a series of papers advancingBlanchard's transsexualism typology.[12] At CAMH, he also authored a series of papers and editorials withKenneth Zucker.[12] In 2023, theSouthern Poverty Law Center described him as a "stalwart" of an "old guard" of "anti-trans" sexology researchers centered around CAMH who advocated treating transgender identities as a mental illness and promoted conversion therapy style cures. The SPLC reported their influence began to wane in the 2010s.[13]
Cantor's research centers on the development of sexual interests, includingsexual orientation andparaphilias.[4] He has published onsex addiction, and atypical sexualities, includingmasochism,furries,vorarephilia, and others.[11] According to Laura Kane, writing in theToronto Star, Cantor's work has "greatly influenced the view among researchers that pedophilia has a biological basis".[18] Usingmagnetic resonance imaging to examine thebrains of male pedophiles, Cantor reported differences between them and the brains of non-pedophile offenders.[19][20][21] He found a significant decrease in the amount ofwhite matter in their brains compared to control subjects, in addition to having lower IQ, and being shorter than average. This was interpreted as suggesting a link to early brain development. Cantor insists that these findings do not imply that pedophiles should not be held legally responsible for their actions.[22]
Cantor is one of the co-authors of a 2008 paper byRay Blanchard, which proposed replacing the pedophilia diagnosis inDSM-5 withpedohebophilic disorder,[23] addinghebephilia as part of the definition, and differentiating it into three subtypes: pedophilic type (attracted to children younger than 11), hebephilic (attracted to children between 11–14), and pedohebephilic type (attracted to both age groups mentioned).[24] The main argument for this addition was that the DSM-IV-TR definition of pedophilia is not sufficient to cover attraction to "physically immature persons".[23] The proposal was criticized byRichard Green andKaren Franklin, mainly on the grounds that it pathologizes reproductively valid behavior in order to uphold current social and legal standards.[25][26] The proposal did not appear inDSM-5.
Cantor's research suggests that sex addiction represents a variety of distinct problems, rather than a single unitary phenomenon. His typology of people seeking help for sex addiction includes paraphilic hypersexuals, avoidant masturbators, chronic adulterers, people with sexual guilt, and others.[27][28]
OnCNN in 2012, Cantor expressed the view that society should make it easier for persons who are sexually attracted to children but have never committed any sexual offenses to receive support and assistance in staying offense free. In his view, it is the sexual offenses (child molestation) and not the sexual attractions (pedophilia) that merit social sanctions. "One cannot choose to not be a pedophile, but one can choose to not be a child molester."[29]
Cantor believes that pedophiles who commit sexual offenses against children "do so when they feel the most desperate—when they have nothing to lose, nothing in their lives worth protecting". He recommends that therapists usecognitive behavioral therapy and other techniques to reduce feelings of isolation and hopelessness so that pedophiles can lead "productive, offense-free lives".[30][31] Cantor stated that the online groupVirtuous Pedophiles—a group for pedophiles who acknowledge having a sexual interest in children, and whose members share the belief that sexual activity between adults and children is wrong and always will be—could help prevent child sexual abuse.[32][33] He states that pedophiles "experience desire, affection, and heartbreak as strongly as anybody else. It is a deep, dark, long-lasting ache, and they can't tell a soul."[7] He has rejected any linkage betweenhomosexuality and pedophilia: "It's quite solidly shown in the scientific literature that there is absolutely no association between being a gay man and being a pedophile."[34] He vocally opposed the Boy Scout bans on openly gay participants.[35]
In an interview about sex addiction andhypersexuality, Cantor expressed mixed views. When asked if he believed sex addiction should be considered a mental illness, he said yes, but added that it may be important to not misuse a concept and diagnosis.[36] Cantor has expressed dislike for labels being used to describe sexual addiction. He has preferred to not assume one theory or another, and to instead use the termhypersexuality.[37]
Cantor has written that transsexuality is a phenomenon of the brain, saying that MRI research has verified theBlanchard typology of two different kinds of male-to-female transsexuals. One of these types (called "homosexual transsexuals") have brains like gay men, which possess some features more common among women, and another type (called "autogynephilic transsexuals" or "heterosexual transsexuals") which possess features that differ from typical brains, but not in a feminized direction.[38][39]
Referring to research comparingBDSM practitioners with non-BDSM counterparts, Cantor said what was interesting was "how few differences and how small the differences were between these groups." He added, "Overall, it doesn't look like there is anything special that makes a person curious about BSDM. Instead, it seems that people who are extroverted and open to experience in general will experiment with all kinds of things—sex being just one of them."[40]
When asked by columnistDan Savage to respond to a mother concerned about her son developing into a sexual sadist, Cantor wrote that having violent sexual fantasies, "doesn't mean anyone is likely developing into a psychopathic sex killer."[41]
In 2018, Cantor was hired as an expert witness by theAlliance Defending Freedom, on a case to ban trans girls from girls' school sports in the state ofWest Virginia.[42][43]
In May 2022, the state ofAlabama hired Cantor as anexpert witness in defense of a law criminalizinggender-affirming care for minors withgender dysphoria.[44] However, oncross-examination, the federal judge discovered that Cantor had no clinical experience diagnosing or treating minors with gender dysphoria, or in monitoring such patients for improvements.[44][45][46] Cantor also lacked knowledge of the treatments and methods used in gender clinics in the state of Alabama.[44][46] As a result, the judge wrote that he gave Cantor's testimony "very little weight".[44][46]
In July 2022, the state ofTexas similarly hired Cantor as an expert witness in defense of a directive fromTexas GovernorGreg Abbott to investigate parents of minors who receive gender-affirming care.[47] The directive was challenged byLambda Legal and theACLU on behalf ofPFLAG.[48] According to an article in theHouston Chronicle, Cantor said that for minors experiencing gender dysphoria, the condition would usually desist and they would becomecisgender gay or lesbian people.[47] The attorneys for the plaintiffs objected saying that the studies referred to "tomboys" and "effeminate" youth.[47] They further argued that Cantor lacked practical experience treating minors with gender dysphoria, and most of the studies he cited were published before 1988.[47]
In 2023, Cantor defended Florida governorRon DeSantis's ban onMedicaid coverage for gender-affirming care for adults.[43][49]
According to an October 2023 report byCBC News, since 2021, Cantor has testified in over 25 cases, including bills to restrict transgender healthcare, to ban trans students from school sports, and to restrict student use of school bathrooms.[12]
Cantor maintains a blog about sex research issues,Sexology Today.[50] He has been quoted in the media about several high-profile cases of unusual sexual behavior. Such cases have included politicianAnthony Weiner,[51] entertainersBill Cosby[52] andMark Salling,[53] former Subway spokespersonJared Fogle,[2] andincel attackerAlek Minassian.[54][55] Cantor delivered the keynote address at the founding of the Netherlands Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers in 2015.[56]
In 2016, Cantor and his research were the subject of a documentary,I, Pedophile, which featured Cantor alongside interviews with male pedophiles.[57] The program followed him to thePrevention Project Dunkelfeld in Berlin, the only other center in the world conducting research into the neurological basis of pedophilia. In 2017, the program was nominated for but did not win theAcademy of Canadian Cinema and Television award for best social/political documentary.[58]
Cantor isgay, and describes himself as politicallyliberal and as anatheist.[12]
"Leading Edge". BBC Radio 4. November 29, 2007. RetrievedSeptember 22, 2010.
Cantor, J. M.; Kuban, M. E.; Blak, T.; et al. (2007). "Physical Height in Pedophilic and Hebephilic Sexual Offenders".Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment.19 (4):395–407.doi:10.1177/107906320701900405.PMID 17952597.S2CID 220351303.
