American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonpartisan non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." The ACLU represented NAMBLA in the case Curley v. NAMBLA and issued a "Statement on Defending Free Speech of Unpopular Organizations". The ACLU of Arizona has stated "Our policy is that possessing even pornographic material about children should not itself be a crime. The way to deal with this issue is to prosecute the makers of child pornography for exploiting minors." The ACLU of Ohio omits this line from its FAQ, stating only that "the ACLU supports the government’s efforts to prosecute the makers of child pornography for exploiting minors."

In 1977, the ACLU passed a motion declaring, "While the ACLU may vigorously dislike and reject sexual exploitation of children for commercial purposes, activities in publishing and disseminating printed or visual materials are wholly protected by the First Amendment."