![]() No, there is no nudity in this site, as per Geocities policy, and given that same policy I can't link to a page where you can find it, though I imagine that the more resourceful among you already know about Men on the Net.
To begin, where did we get this notion that the Net should be in all ways perfectly inoffensive even to the most innocent child or sheltered adult who happens to wander onto it? We don't think the same about libraries and bookstores, which freely carry materials intended for adults, nor do we think the same thing even about cable television, which broadcasts some genuine trash. But when it comes to the Internet, we are suddenly driven down to the level of Saturday morning network television.
Doing this fairly, however,
means looking honestly at the motives of our opponents. Clearly those
who attempt to remove all gay and Of course, there are those who cynically exploit
the issue for personal gain, like Pat Robertson, the Family Research Council,
D. James Kennedy, Jerry Fraudwell, Focus on the Family, Jesse
Helms, and others. They deserve only contempt, and we should
oppose them by any legal means possible, no matter how Opposing censorship of the Net, however, also means
dealing with those who give strength to the idea that the Net is full of
pornography. One such group is those who spam porn ads into newsgroups
that are presumably intended for the general public. Even groups
devoted to such topics as bread-making, fonts, and painting are now filled
with messages that I cannot repeat here. The effect is that there
is literally But parents are also at fault
here because of their Which brings us to another
issue dealing with far more than just the Internet. Why do so many
parents seem to assume that the whole world should accommodate them simply
because they have children? The rest of us should pay more taxes
so that Uncle Sam can pay them to produce as many babies as possible.
The rest of us should simply smile when their dear young'uns make it impossible
for us to enjoy a meal or a movie. We should say not a word when
eight-year-olds are invited to join the poker game (with daddy playing
their hand and explaining every single move over and over while everyone
else struggles to calculate odds or at least remember what's in their hands).
We should see nothing amiss when the adults cannot watch a PG-13 movie
on the old VCR until after midnight because the kids don't This might seem like a digression,
but it's not. This notion that the entire world should reduce itself
to the level of small children is most of what's behind the whole controversy
over what we can and cannot discuss on the Internet. ![]() After so many struggles, we're right back to the age when Tobacco Road and Lady Chatterley's Lover were under legal assault. Could it be, perish the thought,
that there is some substantive difference between the Internet and Captain
Kangaroo? Could it be that there should be some space where adults
can talk to adults about adult concerns? Could it be, if you can
pardon my boldness, that parents have some responsibility for their own
children's upbringing? Is it possible that the whole world is not
their baby-sitter?
![]() I hope so, and I hope the majority insists on it. Otherwise the first truly democratic means of publication in history will become simply another form of mindless entertainment. It's sobering to read early pronouncements on the great educational potential of first film and then television because we know what's happened with them. Sorry to go on so long, but
I do think that the infantilizing of American culture, particularly as
it is exemplified in Net censorship, is enough of a threat to merit
some discussion.
![]() If you want to go on to the collection of perfectly innocent, clean, wholesome pictures, suitable for the observation of any small child or Southern Baptist, then please continue....
NO, I NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE
SAFER!
LINKS-- Here are some admittedly incomplete links to progressive, pro-gay sites: Mother Jones: one of the best magazines ever published. Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays: positive support for our loved ones. National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: a civil rights organization Human Rights Campaign: another civil rights organization. The Advocate:
the definitive gay newsmagazine.
The American Civil Liberties Union: the pioneer defender of civil rights. The Nation: one of America's oldest magazines, and unashamedly liberal. The Electronic Frontiers Foundation: defending freedom of speech on the Internet.
![]() A brief note--To see these pages as they were meant to be seen, you should have the font named "Verdana" installed on your system. It is available free from Microsoft, for both Windows and Mac, and is designed specifically to be clear and readable on both web browsers and the printed page. (I'm no fan of Microsoft, but they did a great job on this one.) Downloading this font and the others in the package is well worth your time. Also, Netscape gives the best results with this site, but is that really any surprise at all?
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