Pedophilia, the sexual preference for children, is not a criminal offence. It is the acting out of a sex offence against a child that's a criminal offence and we should not lose our perspective on that. We could compare it to other sexual orientations, but a pedophile does not equate to a sex offender. Sometimes those terms are used interchangeably, and they should not be, because the criminal offence does not occur until they actually offend against a child.
On April 21st, 2009. See this statement in context.