GOP
Tennessee Republican Proposes Felony Charges in Copycat Age Verification Bill
Republican state Rep. Patsy Hazlewood on Wednesday filed an age verification bill with the Tennessee state legislature, a copycat version of the numerous age verification bills being advanced by religious conservatives and anti-porn crusaders around the country.
Virginia GOP Mails Porn Screenshots to Voters to Smear Pro-Choice Candidate
Two weeks before a highly contested election in Virginia, the commonwealth’s Republican Party has sent a mass mailing to voters containing explicit screen captures from an adult cam show featuring one of the Democratic candidates.
Out-of-State Religious Conservative Activists File Brief Supporting Anti-Porn Texas Law
An extreme-right Virginia attorney with Trump links, acting on behalf of an obscure organization led by a Colorado-based religious conservative activist and former child actor, has filed a lengthy brief in a federal appeals court in Texas, supporting the state’s controversial new age verification and mandatory labeling law.
New Report Warns Against 'Rising Tide' of Conservative Censorship
A new report published last week by the Chamber of Progress, a U.S. trade group representing many of the leading technology companies, issued an urgent warning against the “rising red tide” of digital censorship promoted by conservatives.
Pennsylvania Republican House Primary Heats Up Over Issue of 'Sexual Sin'
The proposition that adult content is a gateway to “sexual sin” has become an issue in the Republican primary contest for Pennsylvania’s 1st District, where longtime religious activist Mark Houck has mounted an effective right-wing challenge to mainstream conservative incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.
Louisiana: GOP Legislator, Age Verification Lobbyists Partner for New Anti-Porn Law
A new law creating more liability for adult websites, promoted by the religious Republican legislator behind Louisiana’s controversial age verification law and by lobbyists for the AV industry, moved forward in the Louisiana state house yesterday.
Arizona Senator's Anti-Porn Bill Questioned by Fellow Republicans
Arizona state legislators, including several GOP members, have raised serious questions about a Republican senator’s proposal to implement mandatory age verification for adult websites in the state.
Digital Rights, Adult Industry Groups Warn About 'Porn Passport' State Laws
Digital rights and adult industry groups are sounding the alarm about the recent onslaught of “porn passport” state laws promoted by anti-porn groups and politicians, mandating various forms of age verification.
Arkansas Age Verification Bill Clears State House
Arkansas’ SB 66, a Republican bill that would require age verification before “entering a website offering pornography,” cleared the state House last week.
Arkansas Age Verification Bill Amended Over Confusing Language
The Arkansas House approved yesterday an amendment to SB 66, a Republican bill that would require age verification before “entering a website offering pornography,” over confusing language.
Utah Republican Argues for Return to Pre-1973 Definition of 'Obscenity'
A Republican member of the Utah state legislature is arguing for a return to the pre-1973 standard for determining what speech or expression is “obscene” and therefore not protected by the First Amendment.
Woodhull Warns Against GOP's New Anti-LGBTQ Censorship Bill
The Woodhull Freedom Foundation has released a statement condemning a new bill proposed by House Republicans, which the organization says “threatens to deny schools, libraries and museums federal funding for discussing LGBTQ+ issues or providing even basic sex education to children.”
Pennsylvania: GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Rails Against Supposed 'Pole Dancing and Porn' in Schools
Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, told a crowd of vocal supporters at an event last weekend that he would fight “pole dancing and pornography” in the state’s public schools.
Michigan: GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Tudor Dixon Offers Odd Definition of 'Pornography'
Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon told reporters on Tuesday that, if elected, she would define “pornography” as “two naked people, and they are acting out a sexual act, and multiple different sexual acts.”
Texas GOP Platform Declares Pornography a 'Public Health Hazard'
The Texas Republican Party adopted a new platform for 2022 at its state convention over the weekend, including a call for the state to officially “recognize that pornography is a public health hazard.”
Arizona Republican Paul Gosar Questions Free Speech Status of Porn
Arizona Republican congressman Paul Gosar made comments on social media Wednesday questioning longstanding jurisprudence protecting sexual expression as free speech under the First Amendment.
Conservative Pundits Baselessly Link 'Pornography' to Mass Shootings
Two prominent conservative newspapers, the Washington Times and the Echo Times, have now published evidence-free op-eds blaming “pornography” as one of the causes of the recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and other locations.
Ohio Republican Senate Candidate JD Vance Calls for 'Outright Ban' on Porn
Recent coverage of Ohio Republican J.D. Vance, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, has foregrounded a year-old interview with a Catholic publication where he calls for an “outright ban” on porn.
Sen. Rick Scott's GOP Platform Proposes Return to 'Obscenity' Prosecutions
Florida Senator Rick Scott’s proposal for the first new Republican Party platform since 2014 includes a section claiming there is an “explosion of pornography” and that a GOP administration “must defend the American family from societal elements that erode it” by reviving federal obscenity prosecutions.
GOP Senators Parrot Claims of NYT's Pornhub Editorial
Two prominent Republican Senators who have previously called for online censorship and the revocation of Section 230 protections, Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) are among the first to use the recent New York Times’ editorial by Nicholas Kristof to call for government action against Pornhub and parent company MindGeek.