I joined NAMBLA in defense of free speech

[Allen] Ginsberg [famous American poet] also spoke out in defense of the freedom of expression of NAMBLA. Ginsberg stated "I joined NAMBLA in defense of free speech..." In "Thoughts on NAMBLA," published in Deliberate Prose, Ginsberg elaborated on these thoughts, stating "NAMBLA's a forum for reform of those laws on youthful sexuality which members deem oppressive, (it is) a discussion society not a sex club."

Ginsberg expressed the opinion that the appreciation of youthful bodies and "the human form divine" has been a common theme throughout the history of culture, "from Rome's Vatican, to Florence's Uffizi galleries, to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art," and that laws regarding the issue needed to be more openly discussed. Ginsberg left the organization when he felt that his point on freedom of speech in America had been made.

source: 'Allen Ginsberg'; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Ginsberg; Wikipedia (2007); Ginsberg died 5 April 1997