North American Man / Boy Love Association
The North American Man / Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) is a New York City and San Francisco- based pedophile organization founded in 1978 that campaigns for the legalization of sexual relationships between adult men and underage boys.
In the early 1980s NAMBLA already had over 300 members, and since 1995 the organization has barely been active due to growing criticism and stricter laws.
Platform and position
NAMBLA describes itself as a “support group for intergenerational relationships” and uses the slogan “Sexual Freedom for All”.
One argument of the group is that the age of consent unnecessarily criminalizes sexual relations between adults and minors (especially boys). According to Roy Radow , a chairman, NAMBLA has taken a stand against corporal punishment, rape and kidnapping, and it has been declared that sexual exploitation is a reason for exclusion from the group.
prehistory
NAMBLA grew out of the tumultuous political atmosphere, especially the gay movement that followed the Stonewall uprising in New York in 1969. Although there were discussions about adult-minor homosexual relationships, the groups that looked at the legal status of homosexuals in the immediate aftermath of the New York riot were more likely to focus on police violence against homosexuals, avoidance of workplace discrimination, health care, and the like. a. focused.
The foundation of NAMBLA
In December 1977, police raided Revere, a suburb of Boston. 24 men were arrested and charged with rape in over 100 cases. The men were found to use drugs and video games to lure the boys into a house, where they were subsequently photographed while sexual acts were performed on them. The men were members of a "sex ring" and said the arrest was only "the tip of the iceberg". The arrests themselves attracted a great deal of interest from local newspapers, which published the men's photographs and personal information.
Senior members of the gay newspaper Fag Rag believed the raid was politically motivated. District Attorney Garrett Byrne's statements resembled an anti-gay witch hunt, both in their eyes and in the eyes of the Boston gay scene. On December 9th, they organized the Boston Boise Committee, the name borrowing from a similar situation that happened in Boise, Idaho in the 1950s. The group sponsored events, raised funds for the defendants, and tried to educate the public by distributing leaflets. This later resulted in NAMBLA.
District Attorney Byrne defeated his opponent in the new elections, however, who held that no man should fear jail time for sex with a teenager as long as it was based on mutual consent. All charges were then dropped and those found guilty were given suspended sentences.
On December 2, 1978, Tom Reeves of the Boston Boise Committee called a meeting called "Man / Boy Love and the Age of Consent," which was attended by about 150 interested people. At the end of the meeting, around 30 men and young people decided to found an organization called the North American Man / Boy Love Association, or NAMBLA for short.
reception
An episode of the South Park series (season 4, episode 6: Kenny's Karma 52 ) parodies and criticizes NAMBLA's public relations. An organization North American Marlon Brando Look-Alikes (English. " North American Marlon-Brando look-alikes "), who use the same abbreviation and argue with NAMBLA about a domain name , also appears.
An episode of the series The Simpsons (season 23, episode: The Thing That Came From Ohio ) also makes reference to the club by some springfielders joining together in the club (of the same name), albeit with the meaning North American Man Bot Love Association .
The song The Midnight NAMBLA by the Norwegian band Turbonegro refers to NAMBLA.