And so, the censorship of the Internet
begins. In a move to regulate online porn, rules have come into force governing
what can and cannot be shown in paid-for online pornography – culminating in a
list of banned acts that is vague, pointless and, frankly, sexist.
The idea behind the new laws is to protect
children from viewing content that could be “disturbing” – but from a practical
point of view, since the regulations only apply to paid-for porn, they are pointless.
They have been introduced to safeguard the young - and yet, children aren’t
going to be watching videos that they have to pay for when there is a wealth of
porn out there on the internet for no cost at all, much of it containing far
more explicit acts than those the government has banned.
The only people these new laws really
affect are those making a living producing and directing erotic films. Banning
sexual acts from films that people pay money to watch will direct them towards
free porn sites that are not subject to the same restrictions – meaning the
livelihood of anyone in the industry will take a serious, unwarranted hit.
The new “rules” state that whilst male
ejaculation – over any female body part – is fine, female ejaculation
apparently is not. Banning this sends out the message that a woman enjoying an
orgasm is more “harmful” than a man –
and that idea, in itself, is dangerous. Alongside fisting and banning
penetration with certain objects, both of which women can derive pleasure from,
the clear message in this legislation that porn should not show women being
pleasured – something that so many female directors have tried to change. Porn
is renowned for being sexist, but recently there has been a surge of porn
created by and aimed at women, encouraging them to embrace their sexuality.
These laws will only limit that; sliding women back into a submissive position
in porn that, in the long run, will be far more harmful to the future of
equality than to children who watch it.
Most importantly, however, the new
legislation ignores the fact that it is inherently normal for people to have
sexual desires – and watching pornography is just a way of exploring and
expressing them. In censoring erotic
videos, the government is telling people what it’s ok to like in the bedroom
and what it isn’t – what’s considered normal, and what makes you violent, or
weird, or a borderline rapist. In a country that is so well renowned for its
freedom of expression, tolerance and openness about sexuality, controlling how
people choose to express it can only be a step backwards.
I can’t pretend the porn industry doesn’t
need to change, because it does. All too often it perpetrates a culture in
which women are the submissive sex and men play out their violent, dominant
fantasies upon them. But censorship of paid-for erotic films isn’t the way
forward, to protect children or otherwise – it only signals a worrying downhill
spiral for equality and freedom of expression.
Originally written for Cub Magazine: http://cubmagazine.co.uk/2014/12/the-porn-wars/