They defended NAMBLA when they gave out manuals on how to get away with their crimes. That's one reason though. There's plenty of other stupidity.
Its about protecting free speech. I may disagree with what NABLA has to say, but i will defend the legal right for them to say it. In any event I think it is pretty STUPID to HATE an organization, and their really is no need to get emotional over it. I can understand how Family Value conservatives might get offended,but even they often benefit from the ACLU.
In the United States Supreme Court over the past few years, the American Civil Liberties Union has taken the side of a fundamentalist Christian church, a Santerian church, and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. In celebrated cases, the ACLU has stood up for everyone from Oliver North to the National Socialist Party. In spite of all that, the ACLU has never advocated Christianity, ritual animal sacrifice, trading arms for hostages or genocide. In representing NAMBLA today, our Massachusetts affiliate does not advocate sexual relationships between adults and children.
It is easy to defend freedom of speech when the message is something many people find at least reasonable. But the defense of freedom of speech is most critical when the message is one most people find repulsive. That was true when the Nazis marched in Skokie. It remains true today.
Cases like this remind me of how the ACLU can be sometimes compared to atticus finch
