Full disclosure: I’m a twentysomething in New York City posting this from my apartment in Queens. I was born in Manhattan and lived in Queens all my life. Though I’ve visited Virginia many times, particularly Richmond. Which is why I’m mad as hell at your state government today. Especially your governor, Mr. Peachfaced Fascist himself, the dishonorable Glen Youngkin.
Like a lot of twentysomethings, I get horny from time to time. Sue me for being a normal male and a normal human being. And like a lot of twentysomethings, I like jerking off, and I’m not ashamed to say so. Most boys in New York aren’t. And I could do it without porn, but it’s more fun with it.
So I click onto XHamster, and what’s the first thing I see? This nonsense.
Let me be clear – I’m a lifelong NEW YORKER, trying to go onto XHamster IN NEW YORK CITY, using a NEW YORK CITY IP ADDRESS. BUT THIS ANTI-PORN LAW IN VIRGINIA IS AFFECTING MY ABILITY TO ACCESS XHAMSTER IN NEW YORK CITY. And I’m definitely not the only one here who’s noticed that today. And my state probably isn’t the only state seeing this either.
In other words, Virginia’s law isn’t just affecting Virginia. It’s affecting the entire United States. Because of this law, NOBODY in the United States can freely access XHamster because of this state. And now the entire country is gonna be mad at your governor and the people who voted for him.
Listen, let’s get real here. I think I’m qualified enough to say that porn (and sex for pleasure in general) is not evil for children or adults. New York City is one of the most sex positive cities on Earth. Porn is openly sold in our newsstands and delis. Strip clubs and sex shops operate all over the city, are highly visible, and are well known. Public sex is a thing here, and I’ve seen sexual activity in the subway at least twice. Ads for the Museum of Sex are everywhere, and sexually flavored ads are quite visible on public transit. Some form of sex education in done in our high schools. And our Department of Health is very frank and open about discussing sex.
Even in my family-friendly neighborhood, I lived a short walk away from two profitable strip clubs that went down in the 2008 financial crisis. The sex shops are still going strong though. Along with massage parlors nearby (which may or may not offer extra services) that get a lot of patronage. There’s even one that has some popularity with our food delivery workers.
The point is, this is the environment that I and millions of NYC kids grow up in. With how your governor talks, you’d think that us NYC kids would grow up to be craven perverts, and that NYC would be some dysfunctional sex sewer. Yet, as any visitor can testify, this is a functional place, and we’re functional people. At the very least, we’re no more perverted than you all are 😉
Now to be clear, are there varieties of porn that are socially unhealthy? Yes absolutely. But this kind of prohibition isn’t a solution. Not only does it take a sledgehammer to the 1st Amendment, it will also accomplish nothing. By virtue of going through puberty, teens are wired for sex. They’re gonna have sex either with themselves or with other people. They’re gonna jerk or jill off. They’re gonna seek out sexual material. There’s nothing you can do to stop this, because that’s just the way that nature has wired them to act. And there’s no way to do it that doesn’t violate civil liberties, like this demented law.
You know what helps? Information and education, as in sex education. REAL sex education, not this abstinence-only nonsense that some states do. This is because it provides something powerful that children and teens won’t inherently have – context. Context helps children see what parts of porn are closer to reality, and what parts aren’t. Context helps them explore their sexuality in healthier ways. Proper sex education not only builds sexually functional adults, but it also benefits societies that don’t have to deal with high teen pregnancy and STD rates. Ask Europe and they’ll tell you.
And no, sex education can’t be left to the parents to do. If that worked, the Bible Belt wouldn’t have worse teen pregnancy rates and STD transmission rates than New York City does . Teen sexuality (including internet porn) is something that needs to be accommodated on a societal level.
I’m not saying we do it perfectly here. But for the amount of sex that happens here on a daily basis, we’re not doing badly. Once again, the sexphobic Bible Belt is doing much worse than us.
And speaking of the Bible Belt, as a fellow Christian, I don’t think the Bible is against porn as a whole. I can’t see how when the Song of Solomon is part of accepted Biblical canon. Read it and blush to your heart’s content lol.
But instead, as a country, we’ve made a vicious decision about our young people. A significant portion of our population opposes open discussion of sex in any way, especially concerning children and teens. As such, we’ve collectively decided that we’re fine with high STD rates and teen pregnancy rates, because at least we don’t have to discuss anything related to sex. It’s this kind of socially irresponsible thinking that produces laws like this. And it’s untenable and sets a dangerous precedent for our nation.
If you don’t like this law, don’t keep silent. Raise a ruckus. Make your voices heard. And most importantly, vote the Peachfaced Fascist and his kind out of office at the soonest opportunity. Us in more liberal states will support you, especially given that Virginia’s problem is now OUR problem too.
P.S. Just to be clear, I only heard about this law today. So I’d deeply appreciate if somebody can explain what this law is about, and how it works.