NAMBLA

Current logo

The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) is an organization working for men that love boys and vice versa. It provides services such as a prisoners' program (which organizes visits, correspondence, and news for the benefit of boylovers in prison) and published The Nambla Bulletin.

History

1982: Marching in an Anti-Nuclear demonstration

1994: Harry Hay blows a kiss. By this time, NAMbLA was already highly unfashionable

NAMBLA had its beginnings in the 1970s during the height of the Sexual Revolution. It was at first central in the nascent gay political-activism community. The first Gay Pride parades in New York City featured boylove-themed entries. After the Anita Bryant episodes of the 1970s NAMBLA became gradually less accepted by the leadership of the larger gay movement. By 1994, the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the Nambla entry in the NYC Gay Pride parade was met with catcalls and derision by some observers, though not by all: some of the men and teenage boys who marched that year were greeted with hugs and appreciation by a few of the onlookers. Note that this was the time that the same-gender oriented community became split. Many organizations such as NAMBLA and PROJECT TRUTH were no longer able to use the word "GAY". NAMbLA was banned from the Pride Days and the community centres as well as the Gay Anarchists and other sympathetic and likewise scorned groups; once so an important part of the early GAY movement. When Gay meant same-gender oriented. This split was a result of the International Lesbian and Gay Association's attempt to gain greater acceptance within the United Nations and also the threats of the United States to withhold U.N. dues in retaliation towards perceived Anti-American groups. NAMBLA was counted amongst these groups.

During the first couple of years after the founding of Free Spirits, NAMBLA leadership provided some mentoring and advice to FSC members and referred the FSC to its first regular legal counsellor.

Bill Andriette and Roy Radow are two of the more well-known leaders of NAMBLA during the first few years of the 21st century. Andriette writes a popular column in the gay tourist magazine, "The Guide", frequently addressing topics of interest to teen-boy lovers.

Teenager bias

16-year old Jesse speaks for NAMbLA

NAMBLA is popularly considered a pedophilia organization. But the leadership and membership of the organization tend to be more interested in love between men and teenage boys, ephebophilia, than love of younger boys, pedophilia.

Demise

After an extensive and highly damaging lawsuit that ended in success for NAMbLA's defence, all that remains of the organisation is a website, two postboxes, an archive and loosely associated group of members.

Associates and members: past and present

• David Thorstad
• Harry Hay
• Kevin Brown
• Renato Corazza
• Bill Andriette
• Leland Stevenson
• Peter Melzer
• Allen Ginsberg
• Kevin Bishop
• Octaevius Altair

External links

• The NAMbLA Homepage
• Extensive and condemnatory Wikipedia article