Date: Thu, 15 Sep 1994 10:57:27 -0700 (PDT)

The U.S. has asked for a meeting of the Economic and Social nil of the Unitd
Nations (tentatively scheduled for Friday, September 16 at 3:00) to suspend
the consultative status of International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA}
with the ECOSOC with an invitation to ILGA to apply to reinstate its status
when it can make convincing assurance to the Council that neither its members
or subsidiaries or ILGA, itself, promotes, condones or seeks the legalization
of pedophilia.

ILGA is the only lesbian and gay organization with consultative status at the
ECOSOC. There are about 1000 international organizations which have
consultative status. Consultative status permits an organization to
participate in United Nations conferences and to present papers to meetings
of the ECOSOC and the Human Rights bodies of the United Nations.

Groups in consultative status should be very international and not just an
extension of a group from one country. ILGA , an umbrella organization of
lesbian and gay organizations from around the world with a flat
organizational structure and a commitment to broad participation may be the
most international and culturally sensitive organization to have consultative
status at the ECOSOC. As a result, it has not had a significant creed test
for its member organizations.

The U.S. takes this position because if claims that a Munich, Germany group
that supports pedophilia is an ILGA member. That group is a member of a
German lesbian and gay umbrella group which quit ILGA after its vote on
pedophilia in June. The Munich group may mistakingly  believe that it is a
member.

This initiative follows Congress's prohibition (passed last Spring
overwhelmingly after introduction my Helms) of payment of US assessed
contributions to International organizations of $118 million annually until
the President certifies that no Non-Governmental Organizations have
consultative status or other official status with the United Nations or any
United Nations affiliated agency if the Non-Governmental Organization, or any
of its subsidiaries or members, promote, condone or seek the legalization of
pedophilia.

The legislation, signed by President Clinton, was designed to revoke ILGA's
consultative status at the United Nations, which provokes the right wing,
which is already trying to defund and destroy international bodies and
multilateral organizations. This issue is the result of the reports in summer
1993 in Lambda Report about NAMBLA's membership in ILGA. Lambda Report is now
focusing on the Gay Mens S & M Activist Association, claiming that its
membership in ILGA is another reason for revoking ILGA"s consultative status.

This is clearly an expression of U.S. homophobia on the international scene.