Graphic Artists Condemn UK Ban On Erotic Comics

mdwh2 writes "Graphic artists, publishers and MPs have condemned the UK's Coroners and Justice Bill, which will criminalize possession of sexual depictions that appear to show someone under 18 (the age of consent is 16 in the UK), as well as adults where the 'predominant impression conveyed' is of someone under 18, and even if they are merely drawn as being present whilst sexual activity took place between adults. The definitions could include Lost Girls, Watchmen, and South Park. The Comic Book Alliance has launched a petition against the law."

Comments

A little too alarmist

[carlzum]

The summary says

The definitions could include Lost Girls, Watchmen, and South Park.

But I don't see how any of those works are threatened by the definitions.

the image may, by virtue of being part of that narrative, be found not to be pornographic, even though it might have been found to be pornographic if taken by itself.

If anything, the law is less threating to legitimate art than existing obscenity laws in the US. If this law simply means possession of child porn is illegal regardless of how it was produced, I'm fine with it.

I don't always agree with how the laws are applied, but possession of "virtual" child porn is just as objectionable as a photograph to me. The person responsible for the photograph is still a child molester, but it shouldn't matter how an image was created when defining child porn.

Re:Does the law have the right direction?

[Antidamage]

He's probably referring to the idea that the presence of obscenity breeds obscene behaviour. Case in point: police blaming violent behaviour on GTA.

Re:Does the law have the right direction?

[Hognoxious]

In the UK, possession is a crime. What's more, copying a file is considered as producing it.

Re:Does the law have the right direction?

[fractoid]

Thank you, you wrote exactly what I would have if I wasn't being ironic. :)

And frankly, I can handle Christian-based laws (to an extent). It's things like Sharia law that really scare me. I'm not keen on things like my wife being legally stoned to death for marrying a non-Muslim.