Evie
Name: Evie
Age: 40
Occupation: NHS Manager
Lives: Hertfordshire
How would you describe your sexuality?
Sexually I would describe myself as a masochistic submissive, who enjoys a consensual BDSM relationship with my dominant and sadistic male partner. The relationship we have is not something I have been forced into, he has not coerced me in any way to be with him, I do not suffer anything non-consensual, and I am not here because I am too frightened or too stupid to leave. I am with him because I choose to be. One aspect of our relationship is a taste for viewing pornography depicting violent but consensual acts.
What role has 'violent pornography' played in your life?
I get pleasure from seeing BDSM pornography, and find the images highly erotic. They are a visualisation of my own masochistic fantasies, a portrayal of the sexual violence that turns me on. We also have a store of private and personal photographs of ourselves depicting various acts of S&M.
What do you think of the UK government's proposal to ban "violent pornography"?
Although these pornographic images are scenes of fantasy acted out between consenting adults, the government is proposing to ban these under their 'violent pornography' legislation. Under this proposal, brought into being on the pretext that violent pornography encourages violent behaviour (a statement for which they admit they have no evidence), I and my partner not only face a prison term and inclusion on the sex offenders register for possessing photographs of consensual acts of erotic adult violence, we could also be prosecuted for keeping a pictorial record of our own consensual acts of S&M carried out behind closed doors between two consenting adults in a loving relationship, albeit an unconventional one to the majority.
As an added bonus, not only will I face time in prison for viewing what is essentially harmless material, it seems from the government's response to the consultation document the very fact that I enjoy violent porn suggests I am a vulnerable woman who needs saving from herself, as pornography is something inflicted on women by men and we couldn't possibly enjoy it for what it is. What an insulting and patronising assumption, not only to me personally but to my entire gender! Surely such thinking as this is a huge step backwards for the feminist cause? As the OED defines it, feminism is 'the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of equality of the sexes'. I am lucky enough to live at a time when I can decide my own fate, my own sexuality, and enjoy eroticism on a par with men. Thanks to many years of struggle to empower women, this is now my right. However, the government now seeks to brand me a feeble-minded victim and take that right away from me. I am no one's victim, I do not consent to being labeled as one, and I find the implication offensive in the extreme.
If the government is concerned about genuine sexual violence and criminal behaviour then surely an initiative to find the real root cause of the problem is a better way forward (I understand our prison system is currently overloaded, and sex offenders and violent criminals are getting out of incarceration early.) I see this as a better use of valuable time and resources than the scapegoating of a sexual minority whose credo is based on consent, and who abhor and condemn non-consensual violence.
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Shooting the Messenger
The internet is a convenient scapegoat for society's ills.
The UK government is to legislate how best to imprison potentially many people for viewing content on the internet.
How should governments regulate the details of our personal lives and control individual expression ?
Preserve Individual Freedoms
Backlash campaigns to ensure the right remedies are applied to the right problems.
Whilst doing so we preserve hard won individual rights and liberties.
See no evil.
The government doesn't want you to view certain images. And will send you to prison if you possess them. Even in the privacy of your own home.