Posted by fidds in the OKCupid Alternative Lifestyles forum: (IN UK)
PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS AS WIDELY AS YOU WISH. For copies of this on email for printing please email the address at the bottom. Thanks. De
Extreme Law Bans BDSM Images.
On May 8th 2008, the government passed legislation criminalising the personal possession of ‘extreme’ and ‘disgusting’ pornography. Provisions 64 to 67 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 come into effect in January 2009. Convictions will carry up to 3 years jail sentence and inclusion on the Sex Offender Register, even if the pictures are of your partner. Just because the police think the picture is extreme.
But what does extreme mean?
Despite concessions from the government concerning some images of legal activities in which the owner can be proved to feature, this law will still make criminal fantasy images involving consensual acts between adults – whether or not the act was staged: for example ‘realistic’ pictures that look like acts which threaten life such as strangulation or serious harm to breasts, anus or genitals. Could this also mean sex without a condom, fisting, sex while smoking? Lobby group www.backlash-uk.org.uk , an umbrella group of organisations, has been opposing this law since its inception. Now we also need to act on our own behalf.
Despite lack of evidence, the Government claim banning violent porn will reduce sex crime.
We don’t agree. On 7th May protests were held in London at the British Library and Houses Of Parliament to make this point and raise awareness of the propaganda. Despite study after study that shows the positive effect of porn on our society, West Midlands Police DS Keith Wharton said, “Those pushing the boundaries are time and time again leading to criminal offences against children and animals and although empirical data is poor those probation officers who I work with who are part of the sexual rehabilitation programme see pornography, especially of an extreme nature, as ‘throwing fuel on the fire’… A ten year sentence is not excessive.”
We need advice.
Many of us need advice about whether books and images we own are illegal, or not, if we don’t want to be criminalised. Some grassroots members of the BDSM community are getting ready to try to gather advice and information around the country from some of the organisations which have advised the Government during consultation. We need to show how ridiculous this law is and try to interrupt its commencement by making our confusion and concerns more obvious.
Let’s go and get it!
It’s time to take action to prevent our civil liberties and ourselves from falling foul of this legislation. If we go together to get advice about images we own there’s safety in numbers and we can share the information we get with each other and the wider public The Ministry of Justice says it will give us more guidance about what is illegal closer to the date but we need to ready ourselves now.
What can you do?
The first collective advice-seeking mission will be in mid June in the West Midlands. We are creating a template for actions around the country and rolling them out on a monthly basis in different regions until this law is stopped, or we get assurances that consensual images will not lead to prison sentences. There are lots of ways to get involved so please join in however you can:
* Come with us to get advice about BDSM images,
* Copy and send images for others to get advice about,
* Tell people you know or take information to local adult events this month to get more people involved,
* Talk to the press on the day,
* Donate resources (eg paper, stamps) or time to get this off the ground behind the scenes (CAAN is new & unfunded)
* Or maybe you can think of another way to assist.
To get involved or notified when the next action is finalised, please email: Consenting Adult Action Network at c-a-a-n@live.co.uk
Sign porn petition (re CJIB & ‘extreme images’! http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/extreme-images/
NEW letter to Backlash from MoJ: http://www.backlash-uk.org.uk/ruddell.html
CJIB Wiki: http://www.seenoevil.org.uk/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
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