Censorship

= **Censorship and Sexual Communication** =

**__Defining Sexual Communication Censorship__**
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, censorship is defined as an “act of changing or suppressing speech or writing that is considered subversive of the common good.” Historically, governments believed that it was their duty to regulate what is to be considered socially moral and acceptable for the people. Thus, censorship may either be preemptive, which is the prevention of undesirable information through any means of publications or broadcast, or censorship may be punitive, which is the punishment to those who publish or broadcast undesirable material deemed offensive (Anastaplo, 2007). According to the biophysical perspective, sexual communication is defined as “the process through which people use messages to generate meaning about sex-related topics within and across contexts, cultures, channels, and media;” and this can be exchanged either through verbal, nonverbal, mediated, face-to-face, and dynamic communication (Bonds, 2011). The modern day definition of sexual communication censorship refers to preemptive or punitive control of explicit or implicit sex-related topics.

__**Brief History of Censorship and Sexual Communication**__
The United States of America has challenged the notion of censorship through individual rights movements on the basis of two founding American principles. The first principle is stated within the Declaration of Independence: //We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator w////ith certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness// (Jefferson, 1776). The second principle is stated within the first amendment in the Bill of Rights: //Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances// (First Congress, 1789). Freedom of speech is not limited to political speech, but freedom for one to live their life however they choose in order to pursue happiness. Constitutionally, the First Amendment prohibits government from pa censorship. However, in the federal case //Comstock Law of 1873,// the U.S. courts passed a law to criminalize obscenity. Obscenity is defined as “the character or quality of being obscene; an act, utterance, or item tending to corrupt the public morals by its indecency or lewdness” (USLegal, 2001). This loose definition poses serious consequences as anything considered to be obscene is not protected by the First Amendment, allowing the courts to objectively determine and prosecute those in violation of what they deem to be obscene. As the legality of “obscene”, “lewd”, or “lascivious” is still unclear to today, the U.S. courts have historically used socially acceptable conservative values to determine what is obscene. Thus, censorship in sexual communication is an expansive topic pertaining, but not limited to music, literature, education, law, religion, sexual practices, sexual expression, advertisement, and homosexuality. The longest standing issue in regards to defining obscenity is pornography.

__**War on Pornography**__
According to Britannica Encyclopedia, pornography is defined as a “representation of sexual behavior in books, pictures, statues, motion pictures, and other media that is intended to cause sexual excitement” (Jenkins, 2006). This definition has made it very subjective to determine what pornography is, but it is distinct from performing sexual acts as opposed to performing erotic sex shows. However, this does not include child pornography. Child pornography is in accordance to state law that defines the legal age of consent. This has sparked controversy as teenagers and boys as young as 10 years old have recently been placed on the registered sexual offenders database for engaging in sexual activities in one state, despite laws differing in other states. For example, age of consent in Indiana is 18, but legal age of consent in California is 16 (Poe, 2010).

In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson used the president’s commission to study the obscenity of pornography. Although his cabinet was largely against pornography, they still ruled that “No reliable evidence that exposure to explicit sexual materials plays a significant role in the causation of delinquent or criminal sexual behavior.” Then in 1986, President Ronald Reagan ordered for the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography, also known as the Meese Report, which was another comprehensive investigation in 1,960 pages. The Meese report also concluded that porn does not do any real societal damage or recognizes any threats (Penn & Teller, 2008). Despite two federal reports concluding pornography is harmless, many debates have risen over the years for complete erotic censorship. However, none of these arguments have been demonstrated with any credible studies in peer reviewed scientific research. Even more so, research data argues the exact opposite. One internationally acclaimed feminist who is against pornography is Dr. Gail Dines. She is a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College and proposes these arguments against pornography (Dines, 2009). __**Proponents arguing against pornography**__ - Pornography causes rape - Violent-pornography causes degradation, devalue, and violence towards women - Pornography causes pedophilia - Pornography is deteriorating society’s moral values (based on The Bible)

__**Proponents arguing for pornography/ refuting arguments**__ - Between 1980 and 2004, the United States Department of Justice figures for rape and attempted rape declined by 85%. This statistic is attributed to comparing the 4 states with the highest and lowest per capita access to internet. The 4 states with the highest access to the internet saw a 27% decrease in rape, while the 4 states with the lowest per capita access to the internet, over the same period, saw a 53% increase in rape (Penn & Teller, 2008). - Women who perform in pornography make individual decisions at their own will. Attributing derogatory connotations such as “slut” is counterproductive to feminist doctrine that a woman can choose any lifestyle in pursuit of happiness. Pornography is not synonymous with violence, and most pornography is not violent. Annually, thousands of people, both men and women alike, attend the Adult Entertainment Expo to meet their favorite adult performers. This expo has been increasing in fan base attendance over the years. Many of the adult performers who attend speak favorably and report that they receive much appraisal from the fans (Adult Entertainment Expo, 2011). - No logical reason or studies supports the idea that pornography causes pedophilia, and according to Dr. Gale Dines; //Virtually in all pornography today, women completely shave their pubic hair. So, we now have a generation of men who are sexually aroused by images of// //genitalia that look like children? What is going to be the result in a few years when these men have daughters? You see, we don’t know, we don’t have any// //studies// (Penn & Teller, 2008). - No credible research supports this claim and the United States is governed by the Constitution, not The Bible. Morality is a subjective topic, in which The Bible can be interpreted in many ways that include supporting pornography: //**19** Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. **20** There she lusted after her lovers,// //whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. **21** So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your// //bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled// (Ezekiel 23: 29-21, 2011).

**__References__**

1. Anastaplo, George. (2007, May 10). //Censorship//. Britannica Encyclopedia 2. Bonds, Brad. (2011, January 24). //Sexual Communication: A Biophysical Perspective.// University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana: Department of Communication 3. Jefferson, Thomas. (1776, June 11). //Declaration of Independence//. Archives.gov 4. First Congress. (1789, September 25). //Bill of Rights//. Archives.gov 5. Penn & Teller. (2008, June 19) //War on Porn//. Penn & Teller: Bullshit! 6. Jenkins, John P. (2006, November 2). //Pornography//. Britannica Encyclopedia 7. New International Bible. (2011) //Ezekiel 23: 19-21//. Biblegateway.com 8. US Legal. (2001). //Obscenity//. USLegal.com 9. Dines, Gail. (2009) // Gail Dines //. Gaildines.com 10. Poe, Ronald. (2010, January 7) // Ronald Poe vs Sex Offender Registry Board //. Masscases.com 11. Adult Entertainment Expo. (2011) // Adult Entertainment Expo //. AdultEntertainmentExpo.com 12. mlbeckner. (2011). // Image: All Rights for All //. Allforalltodosparatodxss.com 13. Engstrom, Christian. (2010). // Image: Two Swedes talk censorship and Child Pornography in Europe. //EJC.net