Raynham, MA (population 12,000) hosts a Video X-tra Adult Superstore. The Enterprise, a regional newspaper, reports today: The business–the town’s only adult video store featuring closet-sized video “preview viewing” rooms–has become an indoor meeting spot for men seeking sex with other men, a Sunday Enterprise investigation has shown… Larry Ravech of Stoughton, one of the […]
Continue reading Raynham, MA: “Shock, outrage over sex acts in store”
Robert Jensen interviewed 13 convicted sex offenders in Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality (1998, p.119-134), to investigate how porn influenced their thinking. All of them had viewed “hard-core pornography”–sex presented in graphic detail. The average age of first viewing was 12, with a range from 8 to 19. From about age 21 on, […]
Continue reading Robert Jensen: Influence of Pornography on Sex Offenders (explicit language)
Writing in Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality (1998), Robert Jensen addresses a tactic we’ve seen a lot of in Northampton’s porn debate. Because “science” has not yet conclusively shown a causal link between the use of pornography and sexual violence, some pornography supporters argue, no collective action is possible… I will simply assert […]
Calvert manages “the nation’s largest family of socially responsible mutual funds.” They refuse to invest in companies that produce harmful products or that conduct business in a harmful way. Calvert believes that consumers have a right to products and services that are safe, of high quality, and not harmful to them or society at large. […]
Citizens of Northampton are not the only ones concerned about how adult businesses present themselves. The 12/10/06 Hartford Courant reports: Hartford has an image issue. For those trying to sell it, the city is all about New England charm, wholesome family outings, high culture, good food and vibrant neighborhoods… But…[f]rom either direction [on I-91], big […]
Continue reading Courant: “‘Adult’ Businesses Add To Hartford’s Image Woes”
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is a popular TV and radio personality who has authored 17 books, including Hating Women: America’s Hostile Campaign Against the Fairer Sex (2005). Rabbi Shmuley recently won the American Jewish Press Association’s highest award for excellence in commentary. In this article from 1/15/05, he takes a critical look at the impact of […]
Dr. Kevin B. Skinner is a licensed marriage and family therapist. He has worked with over 100 individuals and couples who are dealing with pornography-related problems. His website at www.treating-pornography-addiction.com discusses the nature and treatment of porn addiction, as does his book, Treating Pornography Addiction (2005). Dr. Skinner proposes the following as key elements in […]
Daniel R. Mandelker is the Stamper Professor of Law at Washington University. John M. Payne is Professor of Law & Justice Hall Scholar at Rutgers University. They kindly provide to the public a Sample Ordinance on Sexually Oriented Business Regulation as a starting point for city planners. This comprehensive ordinance includes the following sections: Purpose […]
Continue reading Law Professors Provide Comprehensive Sample Adult-Use Ordinance for City Planners
NPN’s Jendi Reiter reviews Pamela Paul, Pornified: How Pornography Is Damaging Our Lives, Our Relationships, and Our Families (New York: Owl Books/Henry Holt & Co., 2005). Freelance journalist Pamela Paul, a contributor to Time Magazine, The Economist, Psychology Today and numerous other mainstream magazines, undertook this study of the pervasiveness of pornography in modern American […]
March 23-25 Wheelock College Boston, MA The so-called “porn wars” that were fought over the feminist critique of contemporary mass-marketed pornography derailed important academic and activist work. It is time to move on by reframing our thinking on pornography, especially in light of the important changes that have occurred in both technology and pop culture […]