Porn should be respected as a consensual sexual expression

A group of women’s studies graduate students recently wrote a guest column in The Barometer about the rape culture we live in. It listed several behaviors that contribute to this culture: Cat-calls, misuse of the word rape, etc. I loved it and agreed with exactly 99.167 percent of it. My only point of contention was the idea that “Whenever porn is tolerated, rape culture is permitted.”

I’m assuming they are using the word tolerated along the lines of how one tolerates their racist family members at the Thanksgiving feast, as something that you’re glad to see the backside of. I humbly disagree; porn is not something to tolerate, it is something to use or not use at your whim. Porn holds no inherent harm to our culture, society or the individuals within it.

To be fair, I do agree some sexually explicit material can perpetuate rape culture. Sexual images that are made without the consent or input of all parties involved or are posted without the consent of those involved, this so-called revenge porn, does contribute to a rape culture. I know I’m splitting hairs here on the semantics of what constitutes porn and sexual imagery, but porn is perhaps one of the most difficult things to define. The Supreme Court Associate Justice Potter Stewart famously said, regarding porn, “I know it when I see it.” This is easily the most hard and fast legal test ever devised.

Allow me to substitute my own definition of porn. Porn is sexually explicit material, in which all parties who had a hand in creating it consented to making and distributing it for public consumption. Is that definition long-winded? Yes. Does it have flaws? Yes. But is it unreasonable? No.

I will also agree the objectification of women perpetuates rape culture, but let’s not shoot from the hip and mislabel what is at fault here. Every media source in the world today objectifies our bodies. I do not think it is unfair to assume that I, and virtually everyone else, sees more objectification in magazines and televisions ads then I do in porn movies. Both male and female brains have been programmed to objectify a female body. That is not a porn issue, that is a general human issue. When we see objectification, we should notice it, label it and fight it. That means making better, more ethical porn, not just labeling all porn as rape culture scum to be thrown away.

Now for my disagreements.

A few questions: If porn contributes to rape culture, is it just when a male views porn, or does it work the same as when a female views porn? Does lesbian or gay porn contribute to rape culture? Does porn of a solo female masturbating on camera contribute to rape culture? What if I watch porn of a female wearing a strap-on and anally penetrating a male partner, does that contribute to rape culture? What if I watch porn of swim-wear clad women popping balloons, does that contribute to rape culture? What if I watch a video where both performers give consent to the scene, and then role-play a non-consensual sexual encounter, does that contribute to rape culture? These are all scenes that are quick Google searches away. They are just as much a part of porn as the heteronormative “guy and girl on a bed” assumed by anti-porn individuals.

Watching people do sexy things is a natural human desire. To say that porn is wrong, is to say it is degrading, that the people performing in porn should be ashamed and that they contribute to rape culture. I vehemently disagree. Porn, no matter if it’s just a two people having plain vanilla sex on a bed, or half a dozen people hitting each other’s buttocks with floggers and whips, are people consensually having fun in a sexual manner. This combination of consent and pleasure is the antithesis of rape culture. To label it as wrong or degrading is something to be far more ashamed of.

You do not have to understand why someone wants to have sex on camera, or why someone chooses to participate in BDSM scenes with a partner while being watched on a webcam by hundreds of people. But you respecting their consensual sexual expression does not require your understanding on what they find kinky. Consensual sexual expression is one of the most unique human attributes we have and no matter how it is done, even it gives us pause, it deserves our respect.


Harrison Pride is a senior in microbiology. The opinions expressed in his columns do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. Pride can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.