Massachusetts legislators heard testimony about peoples’ encounters with porn at a hearing on March 16, 1992. This account appears in In Harm’s Way: The Pornography Civil Rights Hearings (p.423-425). Submission of Gail Kielson, Boston, Massachusetts My name is Gail Kielson and I work at Necessities/Necesidades, an organization in Northampton, Massachusetts that provides services to battered […]
Month: May 2007
New York Times: “The Girls Next Door”; Worldwide Sex Trafficking; Role of Porn
Our opponents like to focus on the handful of women who have become relatively rich selling sex, women who have achieved a measure of choice and control in their lives (example). The reality for vast numbers of other participants in the sex trade is far less appealing, as The New York Times makes clear in […]
D.A. Clarke: Women Adopting Men’s Bad Habits Is Not the Answer
Recently “Sarah Coeur d’Or” criticized us for not publishing some of her comments. If we claim we care about the participation of women in public debates, she argues, then we are obliged to publish the comments from all people claiming to be women, regardless of the merits of these comments. We disagree. That an opinion […]
Gloria Steinem at Smith: Cooperation, Not Domination
Gloria Steinem gave the commencement address today at Smith College. Steinem’s efforts to call attention to the exploitation of women in America began soon after graduation… Steinem’s lifelong career as a writer and journalist began when she graduated from Smith in 1956. Her early freelance articles include an investigative piece for Show magazine on the […]
Schwyzer: A Defense of “Moralistic Sermons”
Hugo Schwyzer reclaims the concept of “moralistic sermons” for what they are at their best, compassion guided by wisdom… I’m a big, big proponent of fighting most social vices by reducing demand first… Smoking has been greatly reduced in this country. Yes, higher prices for cigarettes and greater restrictions on where one can smoke have […]
The Latest Film to Glorify Larry Flynt (explicit language)
We would like to call your attention to a new documentary about the publisher of Hustler: “Larry Flynt: The Right To Be Left Alone”. Here is how Full Frame, a Durham, NC festival that premiered this film, describes it: This film celebrates and examines an unabashed vulgarian first known for Hustler magazine’s lack of restraint. […]
Abuse and Threats Drive Women Out of Online Participation (explicit language)
Without self-restraint, the First Amendment becomes a tragic document. Free speech degenerates into who has power, money and aggression. Many who are too kind or wise to return bile for bile retreat from public forums. Their contributions are lost. The April 30 Washington Post reports that threats and harassment are driving women out of Internet […]
Testimony in Massachusetts: The Lasting Impact of Growing Up in a Porn-Filled Home
Massachusetts legislators heard testimony about peoples’ encounters with porn at a hearing on March 16, 1992. This account appears in In Harm’s Way: The Pornography Civil Rights Hearings (p.421-423). Submission of Kathleen O’Neill Alexander, March 16, 1992, Boston MassachusettsI have been a rape crisis coordinator and counselor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. I […]
Testimony in Massachusetts: Porn and a Hostile Work Environment in Carpentry
Massachusetts legislators heard testimony about peoples’ encounters with porn at a hearing on March 16, 1992. This account appears in In Harm’s Way: The Pornography Civil Rights Hearings (p.420-421). Submission of Mary Ann Cloherty, March 12, 1992, Boston, Massachusetts Working as a woman in a non-traditional job (union carpentry) I have encountered many covert and […]
Testimony in Massachusetts: Johns who like porn are the “most dangerous and potentially violent” (explicit language)
Massachusetts legislators heard testimony about peoples’ encounters with porn at a hearing on March 16, 1992. This account appears in In Harm’s Way: The Pornography Civil Rights Hearings (p.417-419). Written Submission of JW, Boston, MassachusettsThe following testimony contains descriptions of incidents which occurred over a period of eight years in which I worked as a […]