Top Stories This Week

• What’s happening at Woodhull;
• Age verification laws and adult content online;
• An Oklahoma bill criminalizing sexuality; 
• A so-called “constitutional mandate” to “promote morality”; 
• An anti-trans bill in Georgia;
• Declaring the right to abortion in Pennsylvania; and
• Woodhull’s take on book bans in Florida.

February Censorship Program Announced! 

On January 31, US Senators held a hearing about kids' online safety. For several hours, they grilled CEOs of five different tech companies about their role in keeping their platforms safe for children. The “hearing” was one of the best examples of political pageantry we’ve seen from legislators in recent history, and several Senators took the opportunity to bolster support for proposed legislation that claims to solve the youth mental health crisis by passing legislation to regulate the Internet. While the goals of legislators are laudable, their proposed solutions leave a lot to be desired. Current proposals will violate our human rights to privacy and free expression online.

This month’s Censorship Series program is a call to action! Experts in digital rights, tech, and free expression will join Mandy Salley to break this legislation down and embolden you to take action! 

(Terry Granger)

Woodhull Joins Allies to Oppose Maryland Social Media Bill

On February 13, 2024, we joined allies tech and LGBTQ+ groups in sending a letter to Maryland lawmakers regarding SB 571/HB 603. This bill, if enacted into law, would cause harm to minors, especially teens from marginalized and vulnerable populations.

The proposed legislation is similar to the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) because it gives the Attorney General the power to define “harmful content”. We fear that this will lead to broad censorship of issues that are not harmful, like sex education and discussion of LGBTQIA+ issues and identity. Thanks to Chamber of Progress for their leadership on this bill. 

Action Alert! Age Verification Bills Are Taking Over State Houses!

Right now, 20 states are considering age verification legislation in their statehouses. Woodhull is working in close partnership with the Free Speech Coalition, the association that represents the adult industry, and we have been tracking the progress of these laws. The first article linked below explores what is happening with age verification bills and why we’re concerned. TLDR: these bills pose serious threats to our human rights to privacy and free expression.

We all need to make our voices heard to stop these bills' momentum, so please, Bea, consider calling your state legislators! When you call, all you have to say is that you want your legislator to oppose existing age verification legislation and be open to working with human and civil rights advocates to craft legislation that will protect children.

Alternatively, if you’re uncomfortable calling, just use the Free Speech Coalition’s tool and click the Take Action button for your state to send an email.

(Rena Li for The 19th)

The 19th Explains: Why some states are requiring ID to watch porn online (The 19th) 

Increasingly, an unfounded moral panic about sex and sexuality is codified into age verification laws, which restrict our ability to view adult content online. Jasmine Mithani writes: “Proponents of these laws often rely on narratives and shaky evidence that exposure to pornography has devastating results on individuals. The Louisiana law cites resolutions passed in 2017 and 2019 that declare pornography a public health crisis, including an extensive list of alleged harms. These laws often focus on the dangers of porn addiction and sex addiction,  which are not listed in America’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD).” Read more.

(Illustration: Lex Villena)

Oklahoma Bill Would Ban Sending Sexy Selfies Unless You’re Married (Reason) 

In Oklahoma, Republicans are attacking our fundamental human rights, including our rights to sexuality and sexual expression. Elizabeth Nolan Brown writes: “An anti-porn bill in Oklahoma is so extreme that it could even make sexting outside of a marriage a crime. The wide-reaching bill would make merely viewing ‘obscene materials’ a felony. It would also restrict ‘unlawful porn’ distribution and production—with enforcement possible through both criminal prosecution and private lawsuits—and make it a misdemeanor to pose for, exhibit, or publish unlawful porn. And of course it would define these terms to include a huge array of sexually charged adult activity (far beyond what many people would consider pornography).” Read more.

(XBIZ)

Idaho Republican Behind Age Verification Bill Claims Constitutional Mandate to ‘Promote Morality’ (XBIZ) 

Anti-porn religious conservative activists are bringing us back to the 1930s, passing age verification legislation motivated by their concerns about sex and sexuality. Gustavo Turner writes: “Speaking in support of the bill, main sponsor Rep. Elaine Price (R-Coeur d’Alene) said, ‘We have a constitutional duty to protect virtue and sobriety and promote temperance and morality,’ the local NPR affiliate reported. The language of ‘sobriety’ and ‘temperance’ has not been part of mainstream constitutional debate since the repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933, after the complete failure of its blanket alcohol prohibition.” Read more.

(Robhainer/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Georgia Republicans Target Transgender People in “Women’s Bill of Rights” (Truthout) 

In Georgia, conservatives have introduced a bill to legally erase transgender people from the law. Zane McNeill writes: “HB 1128, titled ‘Georgia Women’s Bill of Rights,’ would deprive transgender individuals of their legal rights and protections while mandating that they utilize facilities like bathrooms, locker rooms, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and sports teams based on their gender assigned at birth. The bill would also remove protections for LGBTQ people from hate crime law.” Read more.

(Cage Rivera/Rewire News Group illustration)

Pennsylvania Just Got Closer to Declaring the Right to Abortion (Rewire News Group) 

Our fundamental human right to sexual freedom includes our right to abortion, to make critical decisions about our bodies and futures. Pennsylvania is getting closer to legally recognizing this right. Jessica Mason Pieklo writes: “Like many other states, Pennsylvania provides Medicaid coverage of abortion in very limited circumstances.

But that could now all change. In a 219-page decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that abortion providers could move forward with their challenge to the state’s ban on Medicaid coverage for abortion under the Pennsylvania Constitution. The decision overruled decades-old precedent that had previously blocked such a challenge, and it’s a tremendous win for providers. The court didn’t go so far as to declare the right to abortion fundamental just yet—but it got close.” Read more.

(Redd F.)

Woodhull’s Take: Escambia County School District versus Our Human Rights (Woodhull’s Sex & Politics Blog) 

We at the Woodhull Freedom Foundation share our take on book bans in Florida, which weaponize fear of sex to deny students their right to access information in their schools: “It is as dystopian as it is absurd to know that at their own school, Florida children can no longer freely access classic texts, reference materials, and books about their health and well-being. We at the Woodhull Freedom Foundation see book bans like HB 1069 for what they are: unconscionable, indefensible attacks on our human rights. Laws that codify moral panic about sex and sexuality into a far-reaching, punitive censorship regime have no place in our democracy.” Read more.

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