this post was submitted on 12 May 2025
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Last year, the rightwing think-tank the Heritage Foundation launched Project 2025, which laid out much of the policy blueprint for the current Trump administration. One of the project’s espoused goals was to permanently criminalize all pornography. Now, a Republican senator with kind words for Trump has introduced a bill that would do just that.

Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) recently introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA), which would effectively criminalize all pornography nationwide by legally redefining what it means to be obscene. For years, “obscenity” has been all but a defunct legal category that narrowly defines speech that remains unprotected by the First Amendment. Lee would explode this legal category, expanding it to encompass virtually all visual representations of sex.

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[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 1 points 12 minutes ago

This reminds me of that Willy Shakespeare quote (paraphrased)..."Me thinks he protesteth too much!".

[–] wanderwisley@lemm.ee 18 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

As a reminder look up the top porn search for each red state…

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

"Step..."? "Schoolgirl"? "Interracial"? "Incest"? "Cuckold"? Something about police?

Or what?

I know it's the reserve hole for Russia, must be all the criminal culture.

[–] lone_faerie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 23 points 4 hours ago

Just a reminder, these people consider trans people existing pornography

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 3 points 2 hours ago

How to lose any future election with one simple trick.

side note: VPN STOCKS GOING UP!

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 8 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (2 children)

The porn lobby is going to fuck this guy over.

Edit: they may even make some art out of it.

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

The "GOP senator pegged by pink furries while his tradwife is being handled by caring black gentlemen" new trend?

[–] fnrir@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 hours ago

The classic rethorical strategy of drawing your opponent as pregnant.

[–] slickgoat@lemmy.world 5 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

If there is one single thing that will doom this government, it is trying to ban porn.

Weird, but true.

[–] j0ester@lemmy.world 5 points 2 hours ago

You’re not wrong. It’s how VHS won against Betamax.

[–] YurkshireLad@lemmy.ca 60 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Is topless modelling considered soft porn?

Asking for a president’s wife.

[–] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 9 hours ago

She had an Einstein visa, so the nude pictures count as art. Any accompanying prostitution would be considered performance art.

[–] xyzzy@lemm.ee 13 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Most of what they do is in service to white supremacy, including this.

  • Abortion restrictions: more white babies
  • Pornography restrictions: more white babies
  • Immigration restrictions: fewer brown babies

Make America Great Again literally just means "restoring" the "supremacy" of the white race and culture over all others.

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 0 points 1 hour ago

I've heard that you have a huge demographic of black christians there, so abortion restrictions would also mean more black babies. Same for pornography.

Immigration restrictions - a lot of people from "white" countries were immigrating too, so not sure.

I don't think it's that. It's making more bullshit laws, because a law really puts pressure only at those not in power. Creating plenty of tooling to jail and suppress opponents.

And also some people might genuinely think porn is harmful and they're sorta right, if you have proper sexual education and available contraception, porn is harmful and it's better to reduce age of consent (so that teenagers doing teenage things wouldn't fear getting jailed) and limit porn (it affects one's brain similarly to other addictions). A bit like in Iceland maybe?

Dunno what "white culture" is, seems to be some American delusion. From here it seems you have in general the same culture, whatever the skin color. Even ebony slang, IIRC, is similar to how rural white people speak in some states south. I may be wrong, haven't made the Columbus excursion yet.

[–] jsomae@lemmy.ml 9 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

I don't see how the first two would increase the number of white babies proportionally to the rest of the babies being born. As far as I'm aware, the states with abortion restrictions have higher % black populations than the other states, for instance.

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 1 points 2 hours ago

Sadly put them in jail, deport, provide inferior medical aid by capitalism means is the traditional answer.

[–] xyzzy@lemm.ee -1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (2 children)

It's pretty simple: the white population is losing ground relative to non-white populations. Yes, other populations will increase, but there's a practical ceiling. They likely believe that the white population gains will more than offset any gains by other ethnicities.

For black populations specifically, I'd have to do some simple analysis on this data, but it doesn't look particularly disproportionate in absolute numbers.

But really, I don't believe the black population is the principal target. See the graph. Consider the immigration policy.

Population growth by ethnicity

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/all-recent-us-population-growth-comes-from-people-of-color-new-census-estimates-show/

[–] Jiggle_Physics@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

most populations around the world are slowing in growth, plateauing, or declining. Seems as people become wealthier, and more educated, very young people begin having less/no kids, for the most part, and this lack of teen births is what is largely being lost when we see these declines.

[–] RedPostItNote@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

Yeah, when people have educations they know the planet is fucked. Lmao at thinking it’s “money and education” that means less kids. It’s happening because the world is bad and the earth is fucked. Making it more complicated is hilarious

[–] jsomae@lemmy.ml 6 points 5 hours ago

I feel like your answer is just "they believe this will work."

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmynsfw.com 58 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I despise gambling, but I have $5 that says he's going to be charged with child sex offenses before too long

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 8 hours ago

Can we get this on major betting sites? This is easy money some right wing idiot will give 3:1 on

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 9 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I would not bet against that.

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 4 points 2 hours ago

The gamble would have to be the when not if.

[–] ghostlychonk@lemm.ee 80 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

This man's search history and hard drive are littered with some vile, vile things I'd bet.

[–] Forester@pawb.social 40 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

More likely his version of porn is live and forced.

[–] Boddhisatva@lemmy.world 27 points 11 hours ago (1 children)
[–] rigatti@lemmy.world 18 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

And somehow I didn't think that could have gotten darker...

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 27 points 10 hours ago
[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 10 hours ago

During a holocaust?

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 12 points 11 hours ago

Nah, the authoritarian types are usually bottoms. It's transactional, and consensual.

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 13 points 11 hours ago

Oh, it probably involves anonymous check-ins to hotel rooms, involving attractive young men and methamphetamine.

[–] SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 23 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

Well, there are PLENTY of porn sites that are not based in the US, as well as PLENTY of VPN providers that are euro based. Good luck with all of that. Those that want to watch porn, will just become slightly more tech literate.

[–] Deathray5@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 2 hours ago

It hurts republicans far more than democrats

[–] ferrule@sh.itjust.works 18 points 9 hours ago (3 children)

you know by their definition of obscene the a huge portion of the bible will be thrown out.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 1 points 56 minutes ago

This guy doesn't care what he bible says, he prays to the Book Of Mor(m)on

[–] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 7 points 8 hours ago

Bold of you to assume they actually read the Bible

[–] sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 15 points 9 hours ago

should, but I've long given up any expectations of consistency or critical thinking from that bunch.

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 22 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

As long as prosecution for politicians caught in motel rooms with twinks and meth applies to them, also.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 13 points 11 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 4 points 10 hours ago

As much of horndog as Gaetz was, I have no problem believing he had some twinks, too.

Nothing wrong with that sexually, but his constituents wouldn't like it...

[–] xyzzy@lemm.ee 4 points 8 hours ago

Yeah I'm sure they'll get right on that

[–] snekerpimp@lemmy.snekerpimp.space 15 points 11 hours ago

His face is fucking obscene. It should be banned nationwide.

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 10 points 10 hours ago

Whole this is utterly stupid and theocratic as fuck, can I just say that picture that goes to this article just screams "and I'm exaggerating".