Porno censorship in UK

[Askold]

Someone who knows more about BDSM than I do said that many clubs already forbid breath control done during BDSM due to some accidental deaths in USA.

[Art Vandelay]

Penetration by any object "associated with violence"

Let's hope these people have never played Saint's Row. Or hell, San Andreas for that matter.

[Katsuro]

According to that article the ban only affects VOD services.  Which makes it even weirder IMO, it seems oddly specific.

Of course, who knows how they're defining VOD.

[Askold]

Please note that the British people can still watch porn that contains any or all of the forbidden themes. Foreign companies can distribute in UK new porn that contains any or all of the forbidden themes. This ban will only affect British porn publishers.

And now for some British comments on this:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-new-uk-porn-legislation-will-turn-erotic-film-into-boring-unrealistic-male-fantasy-9898052.html

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-end-of-uk-bdsm-282

[Sylvana]

Spanking

Caning

Aggressive whipping

Penetration by any object "associated with violence"

Physical or verbal abuse (regardless of  if consensual)

Urolagnia (known as "water sports")

Female ejaculation

Strangulation

Facesitting

Fisting

I think I get what they are trying to do. The UK has always had surprisingly progressive laws when it comes to protecting sex workers. This looks like it is building on that philosophy. It looks like it is primarily trying to protect women who might be involved in creating pornography. Basically everything on the list can be seen as a kind of abuse towards women. (if you take the position that female ejaculation and urination are the same as someone mentioned the government does.) After all this only affects the production on pornography within the UK. So this law in effect only really affects porn actors and actresses and protects the women from possible exploitation.

I am not sure where I stand with regards to this law though. I feel that the majority of sex trade workers are exploited and abused, and that doing something to help or save them is a good thing. However I am left wondering if this law will actually make any kind of difference.

[RavynousHunter]

Water sports and breath deprivation I can see being a no-no for health and safety reasons, but the rest?  This protects nobody but the stodgy old farts who think BDSM is uncouth.  Nine times outta ten, censorship, even when it only affects a country's own product and not imports, doesn't protect anyone; its about presenting a certain image, about moralistic bullshit.  Yeah, some folks in porn are being exploited, and that IS a bad thing, but censorship isn't about helping those people.  If they were actually out to help those people, they'd have started outreach programs, or tightened regulations on the industry so they can't go all mafia leg-breaker on their employees.

[Sigmaleph]

Spanking

Caning

Aggressive whipping

Penetration by any object "associated with violence"

Physical or verbal abuse (regardless of  if consensual)

Urolagnia (known as "water sports")

Female ejaculation

Strangulation

Facesitting

Fisting

I think I get what they are trying to do. The UK has always had surprisingly progressive laws when it comes to protecting sex workers. This looks like it is building on that philosophy. It looks like it is primarily trying to protect women who might be involved in creating pornography. Basically everything on the list can be seen as a kind of abuse towards women. (if you take the position that female ejaculation and urination are the same as someone mentioned the government does.) After all this only affects the production on pornography within the UK. So this law in effect only really affects porn actors and actresses and protects the women from possible exploitation.

I am not sure where I stand with regards to this law though. I feel that the majority of sex trade workers are exploited and abused, and that doing something to help or save them is a good thing. However I am left wondering if this law will actually make any kind of difference.

Everything I've heard from sex workers in the UK says they are against the new laws and find the restrictions unreasonable. That was mostly dominatrices who were presumably self-employed, though, not sure how porn actresses working for someone else (and at risk of exploitation) feel about it.