"Legal Rape?"
by Cody Lavender
Established in the 1920s, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an organization that fights to preserve the rights stated in the Bill of Rights, the three Amendments created in the post-Civil War era, and the 19th Amendment. The three post-Civil War Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) extended the freedoms that free whites in the United States enjoyed, to those of another color and/or social status. In conjunction with these amendments, Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, and Albert DeSilver, co-creators of the ACLU, highlighted women’s suffrage in their fight for equality, and since 1920, have succeeded in protecting those who have faced injustice.
Over the years, the ACLU has acquired over 400,000 members, from all different venues, collaborating with the ACLU to further advance the protection of all inalienable human rights. Since the establishment of the ACLU, other organizations have developed under its wing, many of which seek to benefit the wellness of all, while others venture toward the exploitation of others in an attempt to benefit themselves. One of these organizations, the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA), stirs an uneasiness that no organization seeking to better America should create.
NAMBLA was developed in 1978 to educate people about homosexuality and the “benevolent nature of man/boy love.” They wish to abolish age-consent laws, arguing that these laws do not take into consideration the nature of a relationship between people of all ages, and maturity of the young adult. NAMBLA claims that these laws are a form of sexual prejudice and oppression against the older men who wish to be with younger boys, and protest that they also infringe upon the right for these “consenting” boys to be with whom they see fit.
However, NAMBLA not only seeks to legitimize adult relationships with adolescent males, but with boys that are as young as age six. Even though NAMBLA argues that they only wish to abolish the current age-consent laws so that older men can develop romantic or sexual relationships with young boys, their track record would suggest otherwise. Members of NAMBLA frequently publish their stories divulging information on how they have seduced or lured young boys into having romantic or sexual relations, the problems they encountered, and ways to avoid running into the law. These “tactics” that they post are all in an effort to conceal their hidden agendas, in order to help fellow NAMBLA members fulfill their desires, and essentially evade the law.
Herein lies the dilemma. Provided that the ACLU did not exist, an organization like NAMBLA’s would not have the power and influence it does now. However this is not the case. With the ACLU supporting the NAMBLA cause, the organization has been able to justify the publication and circulation of the explicit material they have gathered over the years. They are spreading their knowledge and experience on how to sexually molest boys and they are getting away with it. Without NAMBLA, many of these men might have been caught and prevented from committing such crimes. Now, male pedophiles are able to access valuable information with these “tactics”, and such a wealth of knowledge enables them to perform acts that violate age-consent laws.
One can only imagine the detrimental effects such an encounter has on a child. With the ACLU’s support of NAMBLA, a child as young as age six is at risk of being physically and emotionally scarred by a sexual encounter with an older male. How can NAMBLA members and supporters even conjure up the idea that these children are at an age capable of consent? It is clear that they are using the reputable face of the ACLU to protect their interests. However, should the ACLU be held accountable for the information that NAMBLA releases, since they are self-proclaiming protectors of “freedom of speech”?
Stories of sexual abductions gone wrong further aggravate the loathing that families and advocates for the preservation of the pure nature of young children have for NAMBLA. One such case that brought NAMBLA’s actions to fully light was the story of Adam Walsh. Adam was the murder victim of a NAMBLA abduction gone awry. He was kidnapped from his mom at a shopping center, sexually molested and decapitated. His kidnapper, after being arrested in an unrelated incident, confessed to Adam’s murder, but credited his conduct to his NAMBLA membership. He had utilized NAMBLA to devise a plan to kidnap, molest, and return a child to his home without being caught. The man died in prison before he was ever convicted of Adam Walsh’s murder.
In a valiant and extensive effort to prevent such instances from happening again, Adam’s father, John Walsh, created a program called America’s Most Wanted (AMW). This television show seeks out those who have harmed or may harm others, and to this day has helped to apprehend over one thousand criminals. The show focuses primarily on apprehending those who molest younger children. Yet despite his efforts, NAMBLA has continued to survive and assist in their members’ escapes, often to foreign countries. As they take more extreme measures to evade the law they also become widespread throughout the world. Currently, NAMBLA members are de-localized throughout several continents, performing the same acts and promoting an unscrupulous addiction for which they should be convicted.
Only the ACLU can do away with NAMBLA, since they are
the primary support for NAMBLA. For all of the ACLU’s reputability,
it is unclear how they, such an advocate for equality and human rights,
would indirectly condone the behavior of NAMBLA. It’s apparent that
NAMBLA causes more bad feelings than good, and the continued presence
of such an organization could only hurt the reputation of ACLU and leave
a bitter taste in the United States’ mouth.
