British authorities quietly amended the 2003 Communications Act earlier this week to ban a variety of themes and scenes from pornography produced in the UK and made available online, with most censorship aimed squarely at scenes of female pleasure.
The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 requires that online video-on-demand (VOD) pornography now follows the same rules on censorship as adult material made available on DVD and classified by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC).
Rather than updating the draconian regulations that govern DVD pornography, the government has decided to make online offerings follow the same guidelines, despite material showing exactly these banned scenes and themes available legally at the click of a button from adult production companies around the world.
Adult performer Pandora Blake commented on the new rules:
“As feminists we are trying to educate our young people about healthy, safe sex practice to reduce incidents of unwanted pregnancy, STIs, rape and sexual assault, as well as reducing shame and stigma surrounding young people’s – particularly young women’s – sexuality. These restrictions are a huge, regressive set back that will actively harm female sexual development in our young women who are no longer able to see equal depictions of male and female sexual pleasure in UK adult entertainment.”
The internet, always the bastion of free speech and free access to naked people, react sarcastically to the news, with the hashtag #ThingsNowBannedInUKPorn quickly making the rounds on Twitter. Here are some of the best tweets on the subject:
Jazz hands #ThingsNowBannedInUkPorn
— Daisy Buchanan (@NotRollergirl) December 2, 2014
#ThingsNowBannedInUKPorn Four-berth canal boating Queuing at the pump Reversing the charges Unexpected items in the bagging area
— CharmlessNurk (@CharmlessNurk) December 2, 2014
having a gangbang with a hologram princess diana #thingsnowbannedinukporn
— Jorts RR Martin (@scrublord) December 2, 2014
#ThingsNowBannedinUKPorn Moist Gusset Vague sense of calm Electric hob The month of April
— Kara Van Goodtidings (@KaraVanPark) December 2, 2014
Going to the 2nd layer of the Milk Tray box #ThingsNowBannedInUKPorn
— Anna Kealey (@annakealey) December 4, 2014
#ThingsNowBannedInUKPorn Ventriloquists Winking Left-hand turns Ankles Saranwrap
— Jiz Lee (@jizlee) December 3, 2014
#ThingsNowBannedinUKPorn Colour-fast fabrics Seven items or less aisle Ambivalence Christopher Walken
— Kara Van Goodtidings (@KaraVanPark) December 2, 2014
30-year-olds with great skin, in case they look underage. #ThingsNowBannedInUKPorn
— Alex Heeton (@alexheeton) December 3, 2014
#thingsnowbannedinUKporn pic.twitter.com/LQS7qLIPWz
— eeeeee (@ElleHa) December 2, 2014
#ThingsNowBannedInUKPorn pic.twitter.com/jGAWpBmx02
— Andrew (@UtopianFireman) December 2, 2014
Ed Balls #ThingsNowBannedInUkPorn
— Castaignede (@Castaignede) December 2, 2014
#ThingsNowBannedInUKPorn pic.twitter.com/oqEHcaJW02
— Peter Howells (@Peter__Howells) December 2, 2014
Themes and scenes effective banned in UK porn
- Bondage
- Spanking, caning, or whipping
- Penetration by any object “associated with violence”
- Physical or verbal abuse (regardless of if consensual)
- Urolagnia (known as “watersports”)
- Role-playing as non-adults
- Physical restraint (regardless of if consensual)
- Humiliation (regardless of if consensual)
- Female ejaculation
- Facesitting
- Fisting
