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| The '''North American Man/Boy Love Association''' ('''NAMBLA''') is a ]-based organization |
The '''North American Man/Boy Love Association''' ('''NAMBLA''') is a ]-based organization which calls for the elimination of aged-based restrictions on sexual behavior, most notably age-of-consent laws. NAMBLA was founded in ] by members of ]'s gay liberation movement as a response to a sustained campaign of police intimidation and harassment of local gay teenagers. The address of its national headquarters is now a private mail box service located in ]'s ] neighborhood. Its ] chapter is named for ]. | ||
| Although both the ] and the U.S. ] | |||
| Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations have cleared the organization of legal wrongdoing, some have speculated over its possible links with convicted ]s, including ], a ] ] from ], accused of criminal sexual activity with very young boys. Two men with alleged ties to NAMBLA were responsible for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of 10-year-old Jeffrey Curley in October, ]. The leadership of NAMBLA condemned this crime, citing its long-standing record of opposing all violence and oppression, and has insisted that the most effective method of curtailing crimes against children is to empower youth to make their own decisions regarding sexuality. | |||
| Members of the ] in the United States have exploited NAMBLA's infamous reputation to attack more conventional ] rights groups, suggesting a moral equivalence between homosexuality and pedophilia. These critics attempt to conflate pedophilia (as medically defined in ]) with homosexuality by asserting that gay men perpeterate the majority of child sexual assaults, despite statistics which indicate that most sexual molestations are crimes of opportunity committed by otherwise normal heterosexual men, not gay men or even pedophiles, who use children as a substitute for same-age partners. In the early ], the ] had its ] ] ] status withdrawn after it was revealed it had links to NAMBLA. ILGA then expelled NAMBLA from the organization, but still has not been able to get back consultative status. Some members of the gay movement opposed ILGA's action as a ]. | |||
| A similar organization in the ] is the association ] (for acceptance of ]), which was founded in ]. Until ] ] had the ] (DPA), also called the Pedophile Group, because it used to be a group within the Danish homosexual association. | A similar organization in the ] is the association ] (for acceptance of ]), which was founded in ]. Until ] ] had the ] (DPA), also called the Pedophile Group, because it used to be a group within the Danish homosexual association. | ||
Revision as of 20:15, 14 October 2004
The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) is a US-based organization which calls for the elimination of aged-based restrictions on sexual behavior, most notably age-of-consent laws. NAMBLA was founded in 1978 by members of Boston's gay liberation movement as a response to a sustained campaign of police intimidation and harassment of local gay teenagers. The address of its national headquarters is now a private mail box service located in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. Its New York City chapter is named for Horatio Alger.
Although both the F.B.I. and the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations have cleared the organization of legal wrongdoing, some have speculated over its possible links with convicted sex offenders, including Paul Shanley, a Roman Catholic priest from Boston, Massachusetts, accused of criminal sexual activity with very young boys. Two men with alleged ties to NAMBLA were responsible for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of 10-year-old Jeffrey Curley in October, 1997. The leadership of NAMBLA condemned this crime, citing its long-standing record of opposing all violence and oppression, and has insisted that the most effective method of curtailing crimes against children is to empower youth to make their own decisions regarding sexuality.
Members of the Christian Right in the United States have exploited NAMBLA's infamous reputation to attack more conventional gay rights groups, suggesting a moral equivalence between homosexuality and pedophilia. These critics attempt to conflate pedophilia (as medically defined in DSM IV) with homosexuality by asserting that gay men perpeterate the majority of child sexual assaults, despite statistics which indicate that most sexual molestations are crimes of opportunity committed by otherwise normal heterosexual men, not gay men or even pedophiles, who use children as a substitute for same-age partners. In the early 1990s, the International Lesbian and Gay Association had its United Nations Economic and Social Council non-governmental organization status withdrawn after it was revealed it had links to NAMBLA. ILGA then expelled NAMBLA from the organization, but still has not been able to get back consultative status. Some members of the gay movement opposed ILGA's action as a witchhunt.
A similar organization in the Netherlands is the association MARTIJN (for acceptance of pedophilia), which was founded in 1982. Until 2004 Denmark had the Danish Pedophile Association (DPA), also called the Pedophile Group, because it used to be a group within the Danish homosexual association.
One episode of the popular adult cartoon show South Park parodied NAMBLA; it featured a fictional organisation with the same acronym, "The National Association of Marlon Brando Look Alikes".
The organisation labels itself a "support group for intergenerational relationships," and has adopted "Sexual Freedom For All" as its semi-official slogan.