Debunking the Porn “Public Health Crisis”
Adult Site Broker has been active in the adult entertainment industry for several years. We’ve seen everything that the anti-porn movement has to throw at our industry, but we’re still here – thriving.
Do you know why? Facts. At least during our tenure, we’ve conducted ethical deals and transactions across the board. We have never gone against our motto of being the “ethical broker.” All that said, we need to once again set the facts straight on something that’s really bothering us. Did you know that the world is in a public health crisis? No, not a new pandemic. No, not some deadly disease.
It is something that is much worse: a porn public health crisis. Oh, the horror, my dear reader! In this blog post, we will discuss the pseudoscience behind the porn public health crisis and how this has impacted the adult entertainment industry on three fronts: regulatory, legislative, and social.
What Actually Constitutes A Public Health Crisis?
While we wouldn’t normally waste time on something as stupid as a “porn public health crisis,” we need to discuss it because this trope has led to a lot of regulatory flack for some of the biggest companies in our industry. Before we dive into that, what actually constitutes a public health crisis?
The National League of Cities defines a public health crisis as ”something that impedes individuals and communities from being healthy.” Further, the National League of Cities found that these types of crises include “opioids, chronic disease, and gun violence have been named as public health crises because each of these hurt and/or kill people and limit their ability to live well and thrive.”
Science Over Ideology
Some people consider pornography a public health crisis because they believe that it can have negative effects on individuals and society as a whole. Overall, while there is not a consensus on whether or not porn is a public health crisis, some claim to believe that porn is a legitimate public health crisis.
The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Practice is often used as a definition standard for identifying a public health crisis. Public health researchers for Boston University authored an editorial for the American Journal of Public Health “pornography itself is not a crisis” and, also, “the movement to declare pornography a public health crisis is rooted in an ideology that is antithetical to many core values of public health promotion and is a political stunt, not reflective of best available evidence.”
A Product of Social Conservatism
People imply that pornography is a public health crisis for two primary reasons. First, they hold ideological and spiritual objections to pornography. Second, they believe that if pornography exists legally that it would lead to a social and moral breakdown in society. Right-wing critics choose this approach because it leads to what they view as “evidence-based” public policy. But, again, it’s not true.
Pornhub and Nicholas Kristof
There is academic research indicating that the belief in a “public health crisis” related to porn has caused a spiral for some of the largest firms in the online adult entertainment industry. In the journal Porn Studies, it was reported that one of the results of Nicolas Kristof’s controversial series of op-eds for The New York Times prompted a moral panic that caused a negative response against the parent company of Pornhub, MindGeek. By calling porn a “public health crisis,” this led to Pornhub and its corporate partners seeing the cancellation of payment processing from major companies such as Mastercard and Visa. Banks have opted to further discriminate against members of the adult entertainment industry, especially adult performers, by flagging payments and closing their accounts simply because they work in porn.
Researchers, civil libertarians, and pragmatic lawmakers simply believe that labeling pornography as a public health crisis can cause issues, such as powering the divestment of funds to policies or processes which will be ineffective in comparison to underlying problems calling for the attention of the public health rage. Additionally, the private industry fallout could cause billions in total losses.
Who Propagates the Porn Public Health Lie?
If you haven’t noticed, the porn public health crisis is propagated by the anti-porn movement. The organizations that believe the porn public health crisis lie include groups like the National Center on Sexual Exploitation and Exodus Cry, among others. Adult Site Broker’s in-house journalist has written on the National Center on Sexual Exploitation for our blog before.
This particular anti-porn group used to be called Morality in Media – a social conservative organization that campaigned to prohibit pornography on the internet during its early days. Since this time, the group (NCOSE) has tried to simply rebrand itself as an organization that has a similar goal to that of the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children backed by the U.S. government.
Anti-Porn Organizations
Despite its overt attempt to try and rebrand, NCOSE has made itself known for idiocy and claiming that legitimate mainstream and adult niche companies are “responsible for sexual exploitation.” For instance, NCOSE publishes its annual “Dirty Dozen” list that is viewed by the public as a clear screed against firms who’ve done nothing but simply operate. NCOSE is nothing but an anti-pornography front who base their claims on pseudoscience, such as the belief in the “porn public health crisis.” And they make a lot of money doing so.
The Right Wing
From organizations like NCOSE, far-right politicians become emboldened to push for censorship. In 2016, Utah State Sen. Todd Weiler introduced a resolution before the state legislature to declare pornography consumption as a public health crisis. Sen. Weiler, a far-right member of the Mormon Church, was able to push forward the resolution through a “symbolic” gesture that asks the state’s authorities to counter pornography consumption in Utah. This resolution led to a dynamic in Utah and other Republican-held state legislatures to further place pressure on state governments.
Then the state governments place pressure, either legislative or political, on the adult industry by proposing bills that restrict internet communication, mandate age verification in a discriminatory fashion, and place additional unwarranted tort liability on adult entertainment companies, among other strategies. It is all tied to a singular belief that positive law interventions in pornography are worth the increased restrictions and censorship. And, again, all in the name of “protecting” public health.
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How A New Congress Could Impact Adult Site Owners
Adult Site Broker is grateful for reading this blog post. Reach out to us if you have questions.