Op-Ed: Sexual Censorship—What I'll Be Missing

ALEXANDRIA, VA—One of the drawbacks of being well-known as an opponent of conservative/religious censorship of the adult entertainment industry is that it's become more difficult to go undercover at conferences like the upcoming Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation 2014 Summit on May 16-17. Sponsored by groups like the Leadership Institute, which has no actual campus but whose stated mission is to "increase the number and effectiveness of conservative activists and leaders in the public policy process," and Net Nanny, a porn filter and spyware manufacturer, the conference is being run by Morality in Media's (MiM) and PornHarms.com's latest anti-porn gimmick, the "Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation." (Somehow, the plight of actual exploited women in the U.S. fashion, hospice care, nursing, food service, farming and teaching industries, among others, not to mention in pretty much every country in the Middle East, seems to have escaped their attention.) The Summit will feature some familiar names as speakers. Of course, Gail Dines, Ph.D., will be making an appearance, as will University of Pennsylvania "researcher" and frequent "expert" witness Mary Anne Layden, Ph.D.. Then, besides the litany of other failed "researchers,"  there's the "usual gang of idiots" including former prosecutor (and current president of MiM) Patrick Trueman and his buddy, the ever-popular Dawn Hawkins, as well as former head of the anti-porn National Law Center for Children and Families, Bruce Taylor, whom George W. Bush tagged to head the Justice Department's Obscenity Prosecution Task Force until that was disbanded and Taylor landed a cushy job as an immigration judge. And what anti-porn conference would be complete without Shelley Lubben? And of course, there'll be some terrific topics up for discussion—like Friday's lead-off session, "What is the impact of pornography on our culture," whose subjects will include "Sex, Identity and Intimacy in a Porn Culture; Pornography and the Colonization of Childhood; A Pornography Producer's Inside Story and Regret; [and] Sex Trafficking and Pornography Are Linked." Those will be discussed for four hours, followed by a "Research" session that will consider such horseshit as "Long Term Consequences of Pornography Use: An Overview of Research; Pornography Addiction: A Supranormal Stimulus Considered in the Context of Neuroplasticity; [and] Violence Against Women." Finally, the evening will deliver two hours on "new and upcoming films in the movement," or you can spend those two hours "practic[ing] and improv[ing] skills for interviews with the press." As an added bonus, "Participants will recieve [sic] copy of their footage after the conference." Saturday, after the breakfast hosted by Women for Decency, there'll be four hours devoted to "Breakout Trainings," where topics will include "Manage an Online Presence; Public Speaking; Sexually Oriented Businesses - How to prevent and shut them down; Strategy Discussion; Inside Porn: [and] Performers Speak Out" and "Online Fundraising; Care & Feeding of Donors; Recovery & Healing for the Addict & Spouse; [and] Strategy Discussion"—several of which seem to be dedicated to tapping religious and rich people for cash to keep the censorship fight going, and then trying to shut down adult retailers, both brick & mortar and online. Saturday's final four-hour session will delve into such topics as "Latest Technological Delivery Systems of Pornography & Our Defenses; The First Amendment, The Law, and Pornography; Winning The Argument: Messaging Strategies; [and] Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation." Needless to say, I'd be stoked to attend... but as the website warns, "This summit is intended for organizations, concerned citizens, community leaders, and activists dedicated to opposing exploitation. If this is you, YOU ARE INVITED!" and the registration page has this little kicker, "(All attendees must be approved by Morality In Media.)" So I'm guessing that that lets me out... But if there are any lesser-known sexual speech advocates in the Alexandria area this May, I'm guessing the Coalition To End Sexual Exploitation 2014 Summit might be right up your alley—and if you can afford the hefty freight—$200 for students or $325 for the rest of us—and manage your barf reflex, why not hop on over to the Summit's registration page and have at it! (And if you feel the urge to record the various sessions for us anti-porn-deprived, I'd be stoked to receive a digital download or would reimburse the cost of the tapes and mailing—but sadly, not the registration fee.) But hey, maybe they'll show parts of this thing on C-SPAN—so check your local listings!