For a while I continued to update my previous round-up with new links about ATVOD's new online porn regulations, but they are coming too thick and fast. This is round-up number two, and I want to open with two quotes from Australian feminist porn director Ms Naughty's article in the Daily Life, which made me cry:
Australian feminist porn performer Zahra Stardust is writing her PhD dissertation on the legal regulation of pornography. She says "Those of us who are making queer, feminist, and kinky porn are doing so as an act of civil disobedience, because we know from lived experience that the cost of censorship in our communities is too high. These laws actively produce a heterosexist, misogynist sexuality as 'normal', whilst pathologising and closeting practices that actually life-affirming, consensual and meaningful. Fisting (an activity which is non-phallic) and ejaculation (which leaves visible evidence of pleasure) operate for many of us as pleasures of reclamation and resistance in a world that devalues and denies our sexualities."
Since my post yesterday about the new anti-porn law, there's been a hell of a lot of online media coverage. Please read, share, and help however you can. Let's keep the conversation going.
Today in the UK, the law changed regarding the sort of content that can be sold online as "video on demand", to bring online regulations in line with the existing guidelines for the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). Video on Demand (VoD) services are regulated by the Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD), which restricts the types of sexual content that UK VoD distributors can provide. In other words, online porn sales are now subject to the same restrictions as DVD sales, and it is no longer legal to sell online anything which could not be classified by the BBFC as R-18. Myles Jackman has posted an in-depth article describing exactly what is restricted as of December 1.
This is a huge blow for freedom of expression. The internet was until now the last resort of adult film-makers who wished to produce a broader range of content than that admitted by the BBFC.
Under the new legislation, UK distributors are no longer allowed to sell content depicting bondage and gags, fisting, public sex, age play, facesitting, urination, female ejaculation, and spanking and caning beyond that deemed "transient and trifling".
This interview went up at the start of August, during my summer's busiest period, so I've only just got round to sharing it. Jacques Magazine is a new publication in the tradition of classic erotic magazines, combining intelligent articles and opinion with interviews, fiction and hot photo pictorials.
I really enjoyed answering their questions, which included my take on submission, porn production ethics, corporate censorship and the government's "war on porn", and some teaser details about my next porn site project. Thanks Jacques for the fun interview - I'm looking forward to shooting with them when I'm in the US next year!
I said that if I couldn't charge for the spanking scenes CCBill dubbed "too extreme" (however questionable that verdict), I would give them away. And I meant it.
Ladies and gents, I am pleased to present my own personal rebellion against corporate censorship, Darker Dreams.
For the past few days I've been watching the development of #ObscenityTrial, a landmark case in which Michael Peacock (AKA Sleazy Michael) was tried for distributing "obscene" DVDs showing gay fisting, watersports, CP and BDSM. Today the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty on all counts. It's been a fascinating case, particularly the live tweets from the courtroom by @ObscenityLawyer, @LexingtonDymock and @NichiHodgson.
Plus there's been all those opportunities for fisting puns. I mean, without first hand experience of the acts depicted it was all quite a lot to take in, so we should give the jury a hand for knuckling down and returning a sensible judgement.
If you've not been following, here's a quick roundup to bring you up to date.
Here is the text and video recording of my talk at German fetish advocacy conference BDSMtag. Many thanks to Ludwig for asking the interview questions and providing many interesting conversations about BDSM, society and politics over the course of the weekend.
The first minute and a half of the video is Ludwig's introduction to the German speaking audience, but the rest of the video is in English.
I spend quite a lot of time sharing links and chatting on Twitter. I know not everyone uses it, but often some of the most memorable online moments of my week go past on there and are quickly lost again in the fast-moving stream. I see a lot of interesting articles, sexy pictures and videos which I don't have anything more to say about (and so aren't worth turning into a blog post of their own) but which are worth archiving and giving a wider audience. So I've decided to start a weekend roundup of the most worthwhile links I've seen or posted on Twitter each week, to provide the highlights for all you conscientious objectors, and save them from getting lost among the ephemera.
Since this is the first one, I'm going to cheat a bit and go back a bit longer than a week. I've got some older bits and pieces saved up as well for thin weeks, but mostly I'll try and keep it current.
D came up with the "hyperkinks" pun; a shining example of why programmers should never be allowed to name anything. I liked it but thought maybe I should go for something less geeky, like "kinky bookmarks", but I was outvoted by the Twitter crowd. Who are, um, clearly a representative sample set... I'm sure there's a lesson in here about participation, geekiness and democracy, but I shall restrain myself. On to the hyperkinks!
