Earlier this week, a decision was made to prevent all UK media producers from creating BDSM/Fetish style pornography. Thankfully it doesn’t prevent British viewers from finding and watching their favorite pornography, whatever it may contain. It only restricts Brits from making it themselves. This change won’t affect the larger studios who focus on the usual sexual activities, but the smaller, independent studios may have been put out of business.
At the heart of the debate between the Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD) and independent producers of BDSM pornography is the definition of “TV-like”. With streaming video now widely and easily available on the internet, more and more people are using On Demand services to watch their favorite content when they want to watch it. Some are speculating that the changes are attempts to prevent children from seeing the content, but I don’t think this will successfully protect the children.
I highly recommend reading Vice’s article on the topic: British BDSM Enthusiasts Say Goodbye to Their Favorite Homegrown Porn (NSFW) because Itziar Bilbao Urrutia, a.k.a. Ms. Tytania, a professional dominatrix affected by this new legislation, and Jerry Barnett, founder of anti-censorship campaign Sex and Censorship, eloquently explain why this legislation could be detrimental to both sex workers and society as a whole.
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