Republican State Rep. Josh Schriver, who has been leading a campaign to ban pornography in Michigan, appears to have had an account on the pornographic hook-up website Fling.com, according to records obtained by the *Metro Times*. The account, linked to Schriver’s personal AOL email address, was included in a data breach and indicated sexual interests. Despite Schriver denying the authenticity of the records, extensive cybersecurity data, including the same email and password appearing in other breaches linked to his personal accounts, contradicts his claim. The proposed pornography ban would outlaw all online pornography, including depictions or descriptions of transgender people, with severe penalties for distribution.
Read More
A Republican bill, the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA), is moving forward in the Senate, aiming to ban pornography federally. The bill, championed by Senator Mike Lee, redefines obscenity by removing the “community standards” benchmark and labeling all pornographic content as illegal, contrary to the current Miller Test established in 1973. This effort aligns with Project 2025, a conservative document advocating for a ban on pornography and equating it with transgender ideology and the sexualization of children. Despite previous unsuccessful attempts, this is the third time the IODA has been introduced, though its passage remains uncertain.
Read More
Senator Mike Lee’s Interstate Obscenity Definition Act seeks to redefine obscenity under federal law, effectively banning pornography. The bill aims to circumvent the 1973 Miller Test, arguing its vagueness allows widespread distribution of explicit material, including to children. By updating the legal definition for the digital age, the act intends to facilitate the removal of such content and prosecution of distributors. This legislation represents a significant attempt to regulate online pornography at the national level.
Read More
The Interstate Obscenity Definition Act, introduced by Senator Mike Lee and Representative Mary Miller, aims to create a consistent nationwide definition of obscenity to combat the spread of explicit content online. The bill updates the outdated legal definition of obscenity, clarifying standards for prosecuting the transmission of such material across state lines. This modernized definition removes ambiguities in current law, offering law enforcement clearer tools to identify and remove obscene content. By establishing consistent criteria, the act seeks to prevent criminals from exploiting differing state definitions to evade prosecution.
Read More
Project 2025, a conservative manifesto authored by Kevin Roberts of the Heritage Foundation, calls for the outright banning of pornography in the United States. The manifesto argues that pornography should be outlawed, its creators and distributors imprisoned, and that even those involved in its distribution through education and libraries should be designated as sex offenders. The manifesto’s authors believe that pornography is not protected by the First Amendment and argue that it is harmful and addictive. With a conservative-leaning Supreme Court, Project 2025 believes it can overturn the current legal precedent set by Miller vs. California, which protects sexually explicit material that meets specific criteria. This could have significant consequences for the entertainment industry, sex education, and the broader definition of what constitutes obscenity.
Read More
John Q. Hosedrinker