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Revision as of 16:54, 26 June 2004 by 216.234.100.65 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) is a US-based organization of boylovers which believes that sexual relationships between grown men and boys are often beneficial for the boys and should be legal. NAMBLA believes that young people have a right to choose their sexual partners. Some convicted sex offenders are thought to have been involved in the organization, including Paul Shanley, a Roman Catholic priest from Boston, Massachusetts accused of criminal sexual activity with very young boys. NAMBLA was founded in 1978. Two men with alleged ties to NAMBLA were responsible for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of 10-year-old Jeffrey Curley in October, 1997. However, the leadership of NAMBLA condemned this crime and the organisation is on record as opposing all violence and oppression.
The gay movement has been accused of having links to NAMBLA, especially by right-wing Christians, although the majority of gay rights organizations reject all these claims. In the early 1990s, the International Lesbian and Gay Association had its UN ECOSOC consultative NGO status withdrawn after it was revealed it had links to NAMBLA.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.