Written by Rose Posée.
If you’ve made it to ethical.porn then it’s likely you are already a supporter of ethical porn in your personal life. You don’t need another speech or article on why consent is important or how a safe environment during porn filming is critical in creating something amazing versus something average. You know that paying for porn supports the models and talent in ways that pirating videos doesn’t, and we all want our favorite pornstars to stay in business!
That being said, many people are not aware of the changes happening in the porn industry and the limitations being placed on adult sites that support these talented professionals. With the limitations and laws being enacted and signed in various states, sites are shutting down and companies are closing, which includes the ethical sites that ensure their people are treated fairly and with the dignity and respect they deserve.
This means that those of us that are aware of these changes and their impacts need to fight even harder to correct the misconceptions, speak out against unfair laws, and show support for an industry that could disappear if we don’t band together and make our voices heard. So how do we do this in a civil way? Here are a few places to start so you can help enact these changes and keep porn from being so censored that it’s virtually inaccessible.
1. Organizations That Need Your Voice
There are an increasing number of organizations that are fighting for the rights of the public and the viewers to enjoy pornography sites without sacrificing anonymity. Groups like the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and the ACLU are non-profit organizations who are dedicated to standing up for basic human rights for everyone. The FSC is fighting censorship laws that require users to upload their government ID to access porn sites and the ACLU has a number of fights with the courts regarding freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and equal rights for all, including trans rights, sex worker rights, and a number of other causes.
Since these organizations are non-profit, they are always in need of monetary donations in order to cover court and lawyer costs as they fight unfair policy changes at the highest levels. They also offer memberships and partnerships for ongoing support so you can continuously contribute to the cause at an individual or business level.
2. Speaking Out Locally
Even if you don’t have the funding to donate to a cause, you can still make your voice heard on a political level. Keep up with the bills and laws that are being proposed or enacted at, both, the state and local levels, and take five minutes to write to your local legislators. Many states will only accept handwritten or physical letters instead of emails, so you may need a printer if you want to type it out.
For legislation being considered, keep an eye on deadlines for when the bill is being considered or signed and get a petition together that shows the politicians that there are people who don’t want the government censoring which legal porn sites they are allowed to use. Groups like Sex Workers Project, previously Urban Justice, Decriminalize Sex Work and Erotic Laborers Alliance of New England (Ela One) can help in many ways if you’re unsure on how to get involved.
Educate yourself on what’s going on and how it is being presented so that when you go to bat for your cause, you aren’t walking into the batting cage without a bat.
3. Destigmatizing Porn
For decades, there was a stigma against discussing certain subjects, even among friends. These societal norms allowed for wage discrimination and wage gaps, sexual discrimination, and even unsafe situations in homes because no one knew what was normal or what wasn’t since no one talked about it. Once discussions began happening, people realized that these prejudices were far more common than anyone thought, and we are still working to fix many of them today.
Unfortunately, one of the ongoing stigmas in polite society involves not discussing sex workers, sex worker rights, and porn censorship. People tend to shy away from any talks of sex in a positive light, even when discussing educational or informative topics that change the way we access our content.
Change the discussion and bring up sex talks in a positive light with friends and relatives. You don’t have to discuss your particular fetishes in order to talk about policy changes. No one needs to know who your favorite pornstar is in order to discuss the ID Verification laws. Destigmatize sex work discussions and see how society opens up about fair and unfair practices when they realize that other people share their views or reservations.
The world can change in amazing ways, but we have to be willing to make our voices heard if we want to steer those changes in the right direction!
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