I was looking forward to writing a nice blog about last week’s location shoot, and sharing lots of photos with you all. And I am going to do that, but I feel that I need to blog about what has happened since I got home first.
For anyone who doesn’t know, on the first of December, new legislation came into place which makes films of a whole list of consensual bdsm and sexual activities illegal to produce.
You can read a summary of what is and isn’t allowed now here
Since Monday morning I’ve been on a rollercoaster of emotions, but the one emotion that’s stayed with me the whole way is anger. Anger that this censorship has been snuck in so quietly. Anger that overnight my work has become illegal. Anger that someone believes that they know best, that they can decide what is, and isn’t ok for consenting adults to participate in. Anger that female pleasure is the target of censorship, while the equivilent male acts are fine.
I’m angry that it’s possible to return from a week of filming consensual, legal sex acts, in a way that allows performers to express their fantasies, to find that suddenly those acts are illegal to film.
I’m not the only one who is angry, many other UK fetish producers are angry as well. Hywel Phillips gives his view on the whole thing here, and Pandora Blake gives her view. It’s vitally important, though, that the conversation doesn’t end here, and there are things that everyone can do to stand up, and make it known that we will not accept more and more censorship creeping in.
If you want to help, there are several things that you can do:
- Write to your local MP, and tell them that this new legislation is not ok.
- Sign these petitions.
- Attend this protest outside Parliment on Friday 12th at midday.
- Donate to Backlash. Backlash are campaigning against this legislation, and will be the people helping with legal support for anyone who gets targetted.