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Pornography and Women's Rights
by Connor Young


The National Organization for Women (NOW) frowns down on pornography as exploitative and degrading to women. I've always found their distaste for our industry to be odd after all, feminists and Internet pornographers share many of the same opponents. For example, both pornographers and feminists were blamed by top conservative religious leaders for the attacks on the Word Trade Center. By now we all know Rev. Falwell's outrageous comments about the September 11th attacks, but let's read them one more time just to appreciate the utter absurdity of his position:

"I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make an alternate lifestyle ... all of them who have helped secularize America I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen.'"

Falwell's buddy Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, agreed with Falwell and offered his own words of wisdom by suggesting that "rampant Internet pornography" was also to blame.

The Adult Industry and feminists have often worked separately yet together on issues concerning civil rights. We have both been attacked repeatedly as immoral by the conservative Christian right, we both have fought against censorship, and we both have backed the ACLU in their efforts to protect civil liberties for all Americans. You'd think we'd make natural allies. Yet most feminist organizations have taken the stance that pornography is hurtful to the feminist cause. Not surprisingly, I believe they are in error. In fact, I would go so far as to say that pornography is essential to the welfare of women's rights.

When viewed from a global perspective, America is a somewhat liberal nation. Despite the persistent efforts of conservatives to shut us down, the pornography trade is generally allowed to prosper in America. Censorship is generally rejected (although there have been some disturbing trends in this area in the past few years), and American citizens are generally free to practice the religion of their choice.

It's no coincidence that America - a nation which boasts one of the world's best records in the area of women's rights - also is home to a thriving pornography industry. The fact that so many American women can choose to work in the adult entertainment field says a lot. We take that right for granted here. Yet a quick look around the globe will show an undeniable truth - women who live in countries that harshly restrict pornographic material generally enjoy few rights.

So I offer this challenge to those feminists who still feel that pornography and feminism are not a good combination: ask yourself which countries offer the fewest rights for women, then ask yourself how open those countries are to pornography. (Here's a hint try Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan, China and Japan.) Reverse that which countries generally accept pornography, and how is their record in the area of women's rights? (Another hint try The United States, France, England, The Netherlands and Spain.) This isn't a matter of personal opinion there are recorded facts that can be independently researched and verified. If pornography is so degrading and harmful to women, why do countries that allow pornography also lead the way in terms of women's rights?

It's no secret why conservative Christian organizations despise pornography it has long been traditional Christian doctrine that women should hold a position of obedience to men. We've all heard those traditional wedding ceremonies where the bride is asked to pledge obedience to her husband yet no such request is made of the groom. Hardcore Islamic fundamentalists sometimes feel so strongly that women should be kept under wraps that even the woman's face must be mostly covered if she is to appear in public. In some cultures, women who were raped have been put to death for their "crime." In some areas of India, widows have been expected to jump on the burning coffins of their deceased husbands and perish in flames because a single woman who can't be re-married has no place in society. In fairness to India, that practice is now officially illegal, but the law doesn't always stop the community pressure on women to commit suicide, nor does it eliminate the mentality behind the practice. Religions, cultures and governments that do not value women equally as men loathe pornography. That's just the way it works.

Fortunately for us, these extremely conservative factions within the global society are growing smaller and smaller by the year. Few Christians continue to buy into the concept of male dominance, and I can't remember the last time I heard a bride asked to pledge her obedience in a wedding ceremony. Women's rights in Japan have made huge strides in recent years, and India also has made some notable progress. Is it a coincidence that women's rights continue to improve as pornography grows more prevalent? Opponents of pornography will never cease to come up with new and creative arguments for why porn should be controlled but to do so would be to take a giant step backwards to a time when women were treated as children, incapable of making their own decisions. That's why it's time for the adult industry and feminists to bury the hatchet. Believe it or not, we're both fighting for the same goal and I believe there's much that we can learn from each other.




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