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From: sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Re: Room for everyone????
Message-ID: <952@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 21-Sep-84 02:56:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: bbncca.952
Posted: Fri Sep 21 02:56:18 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Sep-84 21:26:54 EDT
References: <3691@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 46

I must say that Ken seems to read the most amazing literature; I certainly
haven't seen anything quite like this before.  What mailing lists is he
on anyway?

Anyway, there was a rather long discussion of NAMBLA and children's rights
very early on in net.motss, consisting of one person speaking out for total
self-determination for kids and even infants (in the large sense--this was
not limited to "intergenerational sexuality", as it was genteely referred
to) and most everyone else saying how bonkers that sounded to them.  I
don't think there's much more to be said here.

All main-stream national gay organizations that I know of explicitly try
to dissociate themselves from any such groups as NAMBLA.  The key to
remember here is that "child/adult" sex is NOT a gay rights issue, and the
only groups who seem to want to make it one are the anti-gay forces and the
members of such groups themselves.  Even in Arndt's rather lurid excerpts
from pedophiliac literature, there is interchangeable mention of both
female and male children: where are the gay issues here?  Why did Arndt not
take this stuff to net.kids, or perhaps to net.singles and net.social,
where he could take the straight community to task for their own shameful
members?  Naturally not, for he has no corresponding axe to grind there.
One thing is clear: net.motss is not the place for this discussion.
Arndt is being just a touch disingenuous when he claims not wanting to
"tar" "homosexuals" with this brush, rivaling Paul DuBois' rejoiner,
"Why, I'm only ASKING a QUESTION."

Just as in the community at large, there is no one voice in the gay
community (and it is debatable that one can even speak of THE gay
community.)  Still, I think it is safe to say that only a very small
minority supports the aims of such groups, with most people either
against or indifferent.

One last comment about Arndt's feeling that his comments about AIDS and
promiscuity haven't received a response.  Nope, they haven't, and it's no
wonder.  Actually, it would have made a fairly interesting discussion, but
unfortunately Arndt wrote off all his credibility with a large majority of
net.motss with his earlier obnoxious behavior.  It's actually pretty
hilarious to see the recent spate of defenses of Arndt: all the guy needs
to do is put on a tie, and suddenly he becomes reconstructed in the guise
of martyr.  Sorry, folks, all I have to judge him by are his words, and
by my count, his recent postings haven't even BEGUN to offset his earlier
behavior.  We'll see.
-- 
/Steve Dyer
{decvax,linus,ima}!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbncca.ARPA