Anti-Censorship Face-Sitting Protest Set for Friday in London

LONDON—If the Facebook page for this Friday’s anti-porn laws protest outside the British Parliament is an accurate indication of the expected attendance (and participation?) for the mass face-sitting taking in the Old Palace Yard at noon, well more than 800 people will be looking for a face to sit on, or a butt to be sat on by. Indeed, if the numbers hold up, anyone within Parliament who happens to be looking out the window at about noon will likely see something to behold; one for the record books, even, and hopefully an excuse to reflect upon the inane regulations that went quietly into effect Dec. 1. Charlotte Rose, the host of the event and the recipient of the 2013 British Erotic Award for Sex Worker of the Year, posted the reason for the protest to the Facebook page set up earlier this month: To meet at OLD PALACE YARD and protest against the new sexist laws - This is not supporting sexual equality and something needs to be done! Pornography produced in the UK was quietly censored today through an amendment to the 2003 Communications Act, and the measures appear to take aim at female pleasure. The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 requires that video-on-demand (VoD) online porn now adhere to the same guidelines laid out for DVD sex shop-type porn by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC). Seemingly arbitrarily deciding what is nice sex and what is not nice sex, the board's ruling on 'content that is not acceptable' (p.23) effectively bans the following acts from being depicted by British pornography producers: Spanking Caning Aggressive whipping Penetration by any object "associated with violence" Physical or verbal abuse (regardless of if consensual) Urolagnia (known as "water sports") Role-playing as non-adults Physical restraint Humiliation Female ejaculation Strangulation Facesitting Fisting The final three listed fall under acts the BBFC views as potentially "life-endangering". While the measures won't stop people from watching whatever genre of porn they desire, as video shot abroad can still be viewed, they do impose severe restrictions on content created in the UK, and appear to make no distinction between consensual and non-consensual practices between adults. Many other sex workers and porn stars are apparently also participating along with a lot of other people. The face-sitting will be clothed, of course; no one wants to get arrested for public indecency at a pro-porn rally… do they? But the organizers are also determined to make the event entertaining as well as informative about the actual speech that was silenced with the implementation of The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014. The Register reports, "Protesters will also simulate sex en masse, lead off a roaring chorus of Monty Python's classic tune, "Sit on my face and tell me that you love me," and may add in a few extra verses of their own." And according to RYOT, “Protesters will also host a game show where clothed contestants will act out a banned sex move and judges will vote on the best. As of now, the Facebook page promoting the event boasts 730 attendees.” That number grew to 801 in under 3 hours, but it keeps growing. As this story is being posted, there are now 810 promises to attend, and counting. Considering there is more than a day to go, the number could well climb above a thousand, and the number of people who actually show up could far exceed that.