[107994] in Cypherpunks
The Limits of ThoughtCrime(TM)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Eric Cordian)
Sun Jan 31 16:19:34 1999
From: Eric Cordian <emc@wire.insync.net>
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 15:08:31 -0600 (CST)
Reply-To: Eric Cordian <emc@wire.insync.net>
While we are debating whether the ASCII glyph "o-O" may cause one to
think thoughts reflecting poorly on Janet Reno, something even sillier
is taking place in Australia.
It seems a $4.50 book of quotations by historical gays is running
afoul of the morality police because it contains the word "boy" in
several places.
Apparently, including comments which famous homosexuals like Plato,
Alexander the Great, Oscar Wilde, Joe Orton, and others have made
about boys in a book of gay quotes is a no-no. Lest, we imagine, the
typical Australian reader be motivated to run to the nearest
elementary school and engage in a week-long orgy of soft moist
buggering, creating the usual cycle of perps, victims, therps, more
victims, and big profits for the ringmasters.
The book in question, "The Little Book of Gay Love," published by
Penguin, contains quotes from various historical figures commenting on
the experience of being gay. Included are such child exploiting
witicisms as "A thing of beauty is a boy forever." Horrors. Lock the
children up immediately for their own protection.
The SA Attorney-General, Mr. Griffin, ominously warns that the book
might be illegal under State laws.
"Under the Summary Offences Act it is an offence to sell, supply or
possess child pornography," he said. "If this book, with its
references to paedophilia, could be defined as child pornography then
an offence would be committed. "Anyone concerned about the book should
contact the police or the Classification Board of South Australia."
Those who follow the sex wars are of course aware that the Australians
take the dreaded P-Word very seriously.
Chair of the Children's Interest Bureau Board, Ms Anne Skipper, called
on the State Government to ban the book.
Catholic Church spokesman, Father Maurice Shinnick, said the book's
paedophilia statements were extremely offensive.
Ms Joanne Fowler, the founder of support group Survivor's Secrets,
said some of the statements in the book legitimised the sexual abuse
of children and were very offensive.
I guess this means the Hakim Bey book-signing party is cancelled. :)
Penguin states that they did not bother to clear the book through the
official government censors, because all the quotes are well known,
and have been available in print for years. Indeed, they are all
included in the many other collections of such quotes in print, among
them the one published by Alyson Publications I have on my bookshelf.
--
Eric Michael Cordian 0+
O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division
"Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"
