Online pornography showing strangulation or suffocation is to be made illegal, as part of government plans to tackle violence against women and girls.
It follows a review which found depictions of choking were “rife” on mainstream porn sites and had helped normalise the act among young people.
Both the possession and publication of such material will be a criminal offence, under amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill currently going through Parliament.
You know, there’s a fun observation to be made here: for every perversion you ban, the more niche ones move further up the view list. In essence, short of a complete porn ban (which is their final goal), they’re likely to make the problem worse.
In terms of boys learning violence from this kind of porn - surely the online safety act is doing that right? Of course not; that act has failed gloriously and this proposed change evidences that.
The real solution they should be considering is strong messages about “safe, sane, consensual”. Stick it up on posters, make it a mandatory banner on porn sites (who would complain, really), even take that shit into schools (it’s good practice even for vanilla). The real issue isn’t the acts themselves, it’s the way we talk about them, or more don’t!
Dark fantasies and dark sex acts aren’t the problem. Abusive partners are the problem
To anyone celebrating this: you’re defending a fucking bad faith law!
Does any of the recent anti-LGBTQ+ laws are just to protect little Jimmy being a “little confused”, to protect him from “making life altering decisions”? Did any of the Nazi anti-Jewish laws were only made to stop predatory banking? Fuck no! And fuck you if you think we can just "undo it easily later on: no one wants to be the “pervert politician”, no one wants to be smeared by the opposition as “the real misogynist” or a “pervert being occupied with things other than the economy”, so no one will do it.
I don’t like choking in porn. The problem is a failure of both the lack of sexual education, and not holding platforms accountable for replatforming the likes of Andrew Tate, not some smut.
I think you’re also missing the part where some people are just legit into strangling.
One of my exes loved it, loved watching porn about it. Does she have to become a criminal now just to scratch her itch?
Prohibiting fantasies won’t stop actual bad people, as it never has. I’d say we would be better off with education on how to do it safely if you’re really into it, education of men on how to do this respectfully, again, of both are legit into it.
We should also makke sure it’s very clear for women facing abusive partners that they can leave, that they won’t lose everything they got, that they won’t lose their family, that they won’t face stigmatization, and we should make sure that they have all resources available to get back on their feet
Dark fantasies and dark sex acts aren’t the problem. Abusive partners are the problem
This guy chokes.
I am… Rather older than most of you, in all probability. My partner likes being choked; not hard, not actually cutting off air or blood, but the sensation of hands or an arm around their throat. They also like being caned, and spanked; I’m into fairly serious rope bondage (as a rope top) and CNC.
Under British law, a large percentage of the sexual activities that we both enjoy together would be criminal offenses.
For what it’s worth, in the 1920s, oral sex was considered shocking to moral sensibilities, perverted, an affront against nature, and grotesquely obscene. I suspect that the view from the year 2100–should humanity survive that long–will see choking in much the same way.
I’ve never been choked, but I like to hold my breath right as I’m about to ejaculate (cause it makes the orgasm stronger for some reason), so I could absolutely see the appeal. So long as it’s consentual, I see no issue with choking in sex.
The US and UK are in a race to see who can out-Fash the other.
It sure seems like the puritans are in charge these days. And their using kids to ram through whatever the fuck they want. As long as no one is getting hurt, I dont really see what business it is of any government what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes. I mean, even if you were choking her out, as long as it was what she wanted, its really up to you two to take on the risks.
I dont understand it, but who cares? Im not in the room. Its nothing to do with me, or anyone else. I cant help but feel this is the beginning of something a bit more sinister. Maybe someday soon, blow jobs will be looked down upon again. Or far more likely, being gay will be looked down upon again. Cos thats where these weirdos always look to when they talk about things “corrupting the youth”. A bit of slap and tickle first, attack the LGBT crowd next under the guise of protecting the children/young people. “Youre not gay, youve just seen too many blowjobs, Timmy. Youll be alright after we send you to a re-education camp.”…
Won’t be any kids to protect soon as the raging inequality continues to rise and people become completely unable to afford them.
Why do you think that sex ed is being banned, they’re trying to prevent people from having access to porn, and womens’ reproductive care is being sharply limited? They know kids are gonna fuck if they don’t have any other outlet, and kids are going to fuck unsafely. Then they’ve got the babies that they need to keep delivering Amazon packages and assembling iPhones.
If the argument for the ban is that depiction normalizes it, then there should be a ban on violence in all media, right?
Video games too!
Comparing brain death due to strangulation to moral panic is obviously incorrect.
But what if I like being choked? UwU
Is this an admission that we as a species can no longer tell the difference between fantasy and reality?
What’s next, banning wrestling and boxing matches? No more war films?
The way they define choking would also ban a lot of sucking scenes.
That’s the goal. First ban kink that are more extreme, but word the ban vague enough to be applicable to other things.
We call this kind of bad faith laws as “shotgun laws”, due to how reminiscent they’re to the operation of shotgun-type weapons from video games.
“from video games”? lol?
Video game shotguns have a lot more spread than actual shotguns
The morality police in the UK strike again. They’re slowly turning into Saudi Arabia the longer they keep this up.
No wonder they keep importing people with this exact moral view.
I suppose I would file this one under massive sex education failure, if youths are having to learn about sex from porn there’s already a problem.
So men don’t get choked? Why are these things always gender specific?
I like to get a little choked every now and then, during. Am I illegal?
Yes I recommend you handcuff yourself immediately, maybe tie yourself up a bit, you’ve been pretty naughty
Hhhhh okay Mami, I mean yes officer.
It’s less prevalent, but this content definitely exists too.
They do. Watch most pegging, or “Trans fucks guy” videos, and the dude will be turning fucking beetroot while getting pounded hard.
Maybe Timber is not as popular in the UK political scene.
I already don’t like that kind of shit, it’s an immediate turn-off for me.
But - I also know there’s a whole kink around it, and as long as it’s consensual…who tf cares?
The porn industry is now in non-consenting bondage
Jfc more conservative pearl clutching censorship laws in supposedly developed countries? What a time to be alive.
Don’t worry, it’s not the Conservatives, it’s the Labour Government implementing this!
Good thing Labour will never be anything like the Tories amirite fellow chokers?
Always great to see that politics are broadly similar everywhere. It’s always irritating to see Democrats cross the aisle when it comes to shitty pearl clutching laws like this. It’s somewhat comforting to know that your fake left wing party is also shitty in similar ways to our fake left wing party.
I’m a fairly progressive liberal, and I don’t think this is an entirely bad idea as it can be a dangerous practice. It’s so prevalent in porn (especially the free stuff those new to sex are likely to start with) that it makes it seem an almost routine part of sexual activity. The more aggressive young people sometimes will then pressure their partners to try it without really understanding the limits, potentially leading to deadly results.
I honestly don’t know if this happens much - if at all - so I admit I may indeed be “pearl clutching,” and am open to being proven wrong. As things stand, however, I don’t see how allowing the act to be so frequently portrayed can be seen as a net positive.
Then don’t look it up. My partner likes to be seriously choked during sex…what you gonna arrest me for making my partner cum?
what you gonna arrest me for making my partner cum?
It might be the endgame at this point, who knows. We’re currently at “actors doing plays and people watching plays might become illegal”.
One of the parasite class’ main objectives has always been to make female orgasm illegal (and male orgasm, for anyone in the wrong social class).
You would seriously give your partner permanent brain damage?
That is a seriously problematic study with few controls and a small sample size.
Pilots regularly train in for hypoxia in hyperbaric chambers, losing consciousness repeatedly to train.
Consent and education are important, but safely engaging in breath play is very unlikely to give your partner brain damage.
Yes but no. You’re not supposed to lose consciousness during those trainings. Generally if you do, it’s a failure and you have to do it again. The point is to be able to recognize hypoxia and respond before you lose consciousness.
This is patently false. It cause brain death period. Perhaps you can argue it is not that big of a deal because of the brains ability to rewire itself once you have destroyed a portion of it
People do all kinds a bad activities for the brain so this is really nothing new.
One person’s breath play (so gross to minimize it this way) is another person’s sexual violence.
Edit: I would also like to point out frequency. The frequency of preferred sexual activity dwarfs the training you are talking about. Seems like a convenient and not thought out excuse.
One person’s breath play (so gross to minimize it this way) is another person’s sexual violence.
Well, yeah, all forms of sex without consent are rape. This isn’t really saying anything.
I think you don’t get that the majority of women getting choked never gave consent. The extreme minority of people who do this consensually are just that.
What is happening is a lot of men choking women because they can and women putting up with it.
This is also similar to everyone knows a women who has been raped but no one knows a rapist.
I’ve NEVER “looked it up,” but it seems to be an almost mandatory part of most videos produced anymore - along with the usual several positions that must be assumed, and ending virtually every video in a facial. They all look the same.
Well okay, did the last time I bothered looking for porn videos regularly. It’s been quite a while since I just couldn’t seem to avoid shit like that. Text stories are my porn anymore.
I don’t GAF what you & your partner prefer to do in your private time. Conflating that with porn is both disingenuous, and possibly telling of how highly you think of yourself.
I mentioned what my partner and I do because at what point do these ridiculous laws stop? Right now, it’s just porn, but then it’s what you do in the privacy of your bedroom.
Choking has not been a big thing in porn. There’s a shit ton of porn so of course there’s a lot of choking porn, doesn’t mean it’s the main thing.
And positions now? What are you a nun? Does doggy bother you? Does Cowgirl? And highly of myself? Nah, I’ve been having a healthy sex life for 15 yrs…I’m just confident in my abilities.
You’re the one coming off highly of themselves. Like we should care that you get bothered by sex between 2 or more consenting adults.
Like, where do folks like you get this entitlement? That you can tell the rest of us what to do? Leave us alone. Leave others alone. Maybe worry about the pastors and government officials raping kids?
High horse riding.
Whatever you say. I’m done with this childishness. There are valid concerns on all sides, but the attitudes since my initial rather fair comment have been utter shit, and so I’m done here.
I’ve always wondered about people who use the word “anymore” like you do. Can I ask where you’re from?
Yeah I’ve noticed that too. I’d never seen someone use “anymore” for something they do currently until the last year or so.
I found this, which you might also find interesting!
https://ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/positive-anymore
I hate it tbhYou’re right, I hate it, but I am indeed from New England so that makes sense. I also hate the “it needs fixed” construction, it should be “it needs to be fixed”.
No, sorry. I already reveal more about myself than I should through my various comments.
Well, where are all those deaths caused by choking during sex because of porn? I would bet that many more visits to er are caused by trying to emulate the sex in the bath tube while having a couple wine glasses around scenes so typical in ‘romantic’ movies/shows, than by all the kinks seen in porn together.
Parents should, and I’m aware many do, tell their children that tv, movies, porn… are meant to entertain, not teach, and they are very different from how real life things work.
Exactly what I wondered when this was brought up 6 months ago!
https://vger.to/lemmy.world/comment/16311493
This article is feeling kind of clickbaitish, as the sources are … odd.
However, restricting blood flow to the brain can also have serious health implications.
While not all pressure on the neck will be fatal, research shows even relatively low pressure can cause death by strangulation.
The first source is a medical journal describing the physiology of the arteries in the neck, and does not seem to include anything about restricting blood flow (never mind temporarily) having serious health consequences.
The second source is a book from 1991 about autoerotic asphyxiation with the quote:
autoerotic asphyxia denotes death resulting from failure of a release mechanism of the device, apparatus or prop designed to attain cerebral hypoxia for heightened arousal.
Which is … not the same as doing this with someone, and doesn’t address the risks of a partner who releases pressure immediately after a loss of consciousness.
The issues around consent are troubling indeed, consent should always be paramount.
I also found it amusing that the beginning of the article said
Although rare, strangulation is the leading cause of death in consensual BDSM play.
Which links to a study that found a total of 16 cases that included strangulation between 1982 and 2020. Rare indeed.
My husband and I dabble in breath play, so I was curious and read a few studies myself. It seems that every case study I could find included atypical circumstances. Things like accidental hanging, or asphyxiation due to bags etc being over the head.
This paper includes a 50 year review of cases for anyone interested. https://benthamopen.com/contents/pdf/TOFORSJ/TOFORSJ-1-1.pdf
It is also worth noting that loss of consciousness due to cutting off blood flow to the brain (cerebral hypoxia) is not dissimilar to the hypoxia experienced by pilots, who even train with repeated exposure to hypoxia in hyperbaric chambers.
I would be curious to know if there were any studies of the long term effects of this on pilots. (My dive into the rabbit hole is done for the day, lol.)
You can read about the deaths in the Wikipedia article on the topic. Just because there are other mishaps during sex that also lead to injuries and/or death, that doesn’t invalidate concerns over this method as it even more directly can be shown to be problematic than accidents occurring due to other causes. Never mind the other possible life-altering outcomes such as brain damage.
We all know that the success rate of parents telling their teens anything can be wildly unpredictable. Often, it can even be a motivator to try to do the exact opposite of what their parents recommend. As such, that’s not really a reliable method of addressing the issue.
That article only cites deaths due to autoerotic asphyxiation, which I haven’t seen or heard portrayed in porn, and says that are mostly men, which contradicts the stated objective of preventing harm to women. Have you even read the source you linked or the article, mate?
No, it mentions both, “mate.” Just because you like that act doesn’t mean the concerns are warrantless/unjustified, and if you were truly objectively thinking about it then you wouldn’t be denying that fact.
I’m done arguing this. We’ve both said our pieces. Just because I’m not an expert ready and armed with documented facts doesn’t mean I don’t have a valid point. You don’t like it, TFB - go argue it with the lawmakers because I’m done with this childishness.
where the fuck do you source your porn from so that choking is so prevalent ?! When looking for this sort of content it’s super hard to find some…
Answered in a later comment. I’ve NEVER searched for it, but I rarely see it mentioned as a searchable item (or I’d have used that to avoid them) - it’s just automatically there. Where i can’t tell you for sure since it’s been so long since I watched due to always hitting upon that crap. Maybe redtube, xhamster, etc.
I’ve never seen any myself, though I also don’t go looking for it. Must have been some sort of algorithmic quirk.
At the same time, it seems to be overstepping a bit to be classifying it as equal in severity as CSAM and terroristic content. People presumably aren’t being choked to death in the video.
I didn’t read the details, and just went off the general concept, TBH. If that’s how they’re treating it, then there’s definitely some manipulative bullshit going on that I don’t agree with. That’s not at all what I was thinking about.
Yea, this will surely work out.
/s
