Help us fight UK porn censorship
On Monday 1 December, new regulations came into force in the UK restricting online video on demand services to bring them into line with existing, outdated BBFC regulations controlling what can be distributed on DVD. This archaic, sexist, regressive state censorship has been decided by an unelected body without due democratic process.
The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 restrict acts including female ejaculation, facesitting, fisting, watersports, breath play, age play, trampling, full bondage with gags, and spanking and caning that leaves marks or welts, The disproportionate emphasis on acts of female orgasm and sexual dominance (while permitting equivalent male acts involving male ejaculation and deep-throating) sends a damaging message that female sexual pleasure is considered somehow more “disgusting” or “unnatural” than male sexual pleasure.
These regulations impose a regressive conformity, stifle creativity and free expression, and discriminate against queer, feminist and fetish porn. They will cripple small independent UK businesses producing niche pornographic content that depicts consensual, legal sexual acts.
Hundreds, if not thousands of UK small business owners, porn producers, porn performers, cammers, and sex workers who are making a living from home and contributing to the economy will be hit hard by these measures, forced to comply at risk of having their business ruined or being hit hard by fines or lengthy and stressful legal procedures.
Who we are and what you'll get
We are Pandora Blake and Nimue Allen, independent UK producers of feminist fetish porn. We are artists, activists and our work is our passion and our life. We (and others like us) stand to have our businesses destroyed by these regulations. We believe they are unethical, undemocratic, unjust and unworkable. We intend to refuse to comply.
In the spirit of defiance, let's make some hot caning porn (that definitely goes beyond the transient and trifling!) while we're at it!
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For every £10 raised, we will take one HARD cane stroke. The cane strokes will be split equally between us up to a maximum of 50 strokes each. (Edit: this target has now been reached!)
- Beyond £1000, the strokes will be split between kinky porn performers Rosie Bottomley and Amelia-Jane Rutherford (AKA Ariel Anderssen).
- If you want to put your bum on the line for a good cause, let us know!
- If you contribute £10 or more, you'll receive a FREE copy of Pandora's 2009 film "Backlash", in which she plays a rebellious young woman unfairly punished for protesting against the UK extreme porn legislation.
- The canings will take place after the funding deadline, and will be filmed. The video will be released online for free.
- All perks will be given out after the campaign ends.
- All donors will be named and thanked in the final film (just let us know how you want to be credited).
If you want to find out more about us and the other contributors, check out our blogs and website:
- DreamsofSpanking.com - Pandora's spanking site
- NimuesWorld.com - Nimue's BDSM site
- PandoraBlake.com - Spanked, Not Silenced - Pandora's blog on kink, porn and politics
- NimuesWorld.com/blog - Nimue's blog
- You can also find us on Twitter as @pandorablake and @nimueallen
Where the funds will go
All funds will go to Backlash UK, a non-profit organisation that provides academic, legal and campaigning resources defending freedom of sexual expression. Here's how Backlash can help us challenge these new laws:
- providing legal, academic and campaigning resources and advice
- maintaining a legal defence fund
- lobbying and campaigning to get the regulations changed
They have already provided us with invaluable support, advice and information and we want them to help as many others as possible. Let's give them the funding they need to challenge this ridiculous new law and help UK porn producers defend their freedom of expression.
All funds raised will go to Backlash UK, regardless of whether we meet our funding goal or not. Backlash uses donations to defend many different cases relating to sexual liberties and censorship in the UK, not just those related to the AVMS or ATVOD. The funds raised will be used how Backlash see fit, depending on urgency, relevance and other factors.
New perks and stretch goals!
With only four days to go, we have nearly tripled our original goal - thank you so much to all who have donated so far! But we aren't stopping there. All proceeds raised (and I mean literally all - we aren't keeping a penny) will go to help Backlash support UK porn producers affected by this legislation. It's up to us, the kinky community, to ensure Backlash have the resources they need.
Glamour bondage producers Restrained Elegance - whose work depicting consensual bondage with gags has been criminalised by the new regulations - have donated some tempting new perks. Fancy a three month or year-long membership to their high-end barefoot bondage website? Donate, and it could be yours.
Not only that, but Restrained Elegance co-owner and world-famous spanking performer Ariel Anderssen (also known as Amelia Jane Rutherford) has joined the ranks of volunteers putting our bottoms on the line. She and Rosie Bottomley will be receiving hard cane strokes for every £10 we raise above a thousand pounds, so if you want to see them take their share, get donating!
As an added bonus, we have two new rewards to offer if we reach our stretch goal of £2000.
Stretch goal reward 1: a never-before-seen 24 stroke judicial caning film starring Ariel Anderseen and Michael Stamp.
Stretch goal reward 2: an exclusive premiere by Michael Stamp, starring pro-domme Zoe Page as you've never seen her before...
Check out the gallery for some preview screengrabs of these two amazing films - and get sharing, tweeting and donating to help us achieve our stretch goal of two thousand pounds for Backlash UK!
Other Ways You Can Help
If you just can't contribute cash, you can still help:
- Please get the word out and make some noise about this issue, and this campaign. Write blogs and articles, post social media and spread the word!
- Wherever you live, you can play our fun game and make a complaint about this censorship (repurposing the regulator's own official complaint form!) http://pandorablake.com/blog/2014/12/how-to-mak...
- If you're in the UK, you can sign this petition to get the legislation repealed: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/72693
- Write to your MP
- Share the link to this campaign!