[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 6 (Tuesday, February 1, 1994)] [Senate] [Page S] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [Congressional Record: February 1, 1994] From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] STATE DEPARTMENT RESORTS TO MISLEADING COMMENT REGARDING PEDOPHILES Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, last week, the Senate unanimously approved my amendment to this bill withholding some $119 million in U.S. contributions to the United Nations until the President certifies that no U.N. agency grants any official status, accreditation, or recognition to any organization which promotes, condones, or seeks the legalization of pedophilia, that is, the sexual abuse of children. As I explained at that time, the amendment was a response to the ill- advised decision by the Clinton administration to support, along with 21 other countries, the granting of consultative status to the International Lesbian and Gay Association [ILGA], a worldwide federation of homosexual organizations. Among ILGA's U.S. affiliates is the notorious North American Man/Boy Love Association [NAMBLA], an avowed pedophile group. Since that amendment was passed, there has emerged what I must assume is a deliberate campaign to misconstrue the very clear language of the amendment--as well as the intent behind it. As described in articles in the Washington Times and in the Washington Blade, spokesmen for the State Department and for homosexual organizations have tried to suggest falsely that expelling NAMBLA from ILGA would take care of the problem. Nothing could be further from the truth. It has been more than amply documented that ILGA itself is an organization that promotes, condones, or seeks the legalization of pedophilia in the language of the Amendment. ILGA falls under the purview of the amendment--whether or not NAMBLA is expelled from ILGA--as any honest examination of the record will reveal. For example, in 1985 ILGA officially resolved that young people have the right to sexual and social self-determination and that age of consent laws often operate to oppress and not protect. Then in 1990, under the heading of ``Man/Boy, Woman/Girl Love,'' ILGA called on all members to treat all sexual minorities with respect and to engage in constructive dialogue with them. Furthermore, ILGA expressed their support for the right of every individual, regardless of age, to explore and develop his or her sexuality. These resolutions are precisely what NAMBLA advocates and prove without a doubt ILGA's own approval of pedophilia. Indeed, ILGA never displayed any concern about NAMBLA until it became a public issue. ILGA is now like the little boy who got caught stealing and said he was sorry--not sorry he was stealing, just that he got caught. It is my hope and expectation that in consideration of the unanimous rolecall vote in support of this amendment in the Senate, a House/ Senate conference committee will get this legislation to President Clinton's desk and that he will sign it into law. I cannot imagine that the conferees or the President would consider any other course with respect to ILGA's and NAMBLA's despicable agenda. Once approved, I hope the administration will not be taken in by false claims by homosexual spokesmen that ILGA, in the event of NAMBLA's expulsion, would no longer constitute a pro-pedophile organization: Both ILGA's record and the plain language of the amendment are crystal clear. Unless ILGA has been stripped of its consultative status by the time this amendment becomes law, the President will have no choice but to withhold the funds specified. I urge all Americans opposed to the sexual abuse of children to monitor this issue carefully and make sure the House and the administration follow through on the Senate's lead. ____________________