Consenting Adult Action Network

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The Consenting Adult Action Network (CAAN) is a grassroots network of individuals in the United Kingdom that was formed in 2008 to protest and oppose laws restricting activities between consenting adults, most notably the criminalisation of possession of "extreme pornography" under Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.

Contents

History

On 14 June and 22 August, they attempted to seek advice on what material might be caught by the law. [1] [2] [3] They took a dossier of images to three major police forces, although none of them could yet say which pictures would be deemed illegal. [4]

On 21 October 2008, they organised a protest with Ben Westwood against the law on "extreme pornography". [5] [6]

They were awarded "Specialists Website of the Year" by the London Gay Sex and Fetish Awards 2008. [7] [8]

On 25 January 2009, the day before the law on "extreme pornography" came into effect, CAAN protested in London. They were supported by Backlash and The Spanner Trust. The protest was attended by Peter Tatchell. [9] [10] [11]

March 2010, CAAN announced they were to publish a book "Beyond the Circle: Sexuality & discrimination in heteronormative Britain" written by John Ozimek. [12]

Issues

CAAN is concerned about several issues regarding consenting adults: [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Rape pornography is a subgenre of pornography involving the description or depiction of rape. Such pornography either involves simulated rape, wherein sexually consenting adults feign rape, or it involves actual rape. Victims of actual rape may be coerced to feign consent such that the pornography produced deceptively appears as simulated rape or non-rape pornography. The depiction of rape in non-pornographic media is not considered rape pornography. Simulated scenes of rape and other forms of sexual violence have appeared in mainstream cinema, including rape and revenge films, almost since its advent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pornography in Europe</span>

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The Spanner Trust is a United Kingdom organisation set up to campaign for the right for adults to take part in consensual BDSM activities without fear of prosecution. It was set up after the Operation Spanner court case. As part of its campaign, the Spanner Trust has made a number of submissions to government consultations regarding sadomasochistic activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pornography</span> Portrayal of sexual subject matter

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Backlash is an umbrella group formed in 2005 to coordinate opposition to the “Consultation on the possession of extreme pornographic material” issued in the United Kingdom jointly by the Home Office and the Scottish Executive. Its stated belief is that the proposals underlying the consultation represent an unjustified assault on freedom of speech and freedom of expression.

Internet censorship in the United Kingdom is conducted under a variety of laws, judicial processes, administrative regulations and voluntary arrangements. It is achieved by blocking access to sites as well as the use of laws that criminalise publication or possession of certain types of material. These include English defamation law, the Copyright law of the United Kingdom, regulations against incitement to terrorism and child pornography.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legality of BDSM</span> Laws on BDSM

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Revenge porn is the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of individuals without their consent. The material may have been made by a partner in an intimate relationship with the knowledge and consent of the subject at the time, or it may have been made without their knowledge. The subject may have experienced sexual violence during the recording of the material, in some cases facilitated by narcotics such as "date rape" drugs which also cause a reduced sense of pain and involvement in the sexual act, dissociative effects and amnesia. The possession of the material may be used by the perpetrators to blackmail the subjects into performing other sexual acts, to coerce them into continuing a relationship or to punish them for ending one, to silence them, to damage their reputation, and/or for financial gain. In the wake of civil lawsuits and the increasing numbers of reported incidents, legislation has been passed in a number of countries and jurisdictions to outlaw the practice, though approaches have varied and been changed over the years. The practice has also been described as a form of psychological abuse and domestic violence, as well as a form of sexual abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clare McGlynn</span>

Clare Mary Smith McGlynn is a Professor of Law at Durham University in the UK. She specialises in the legal regulation of pornography, image-based sexual abuse, cyberflashing, online abuse, violence against women, and gender equality in the legal profession. In 2020, she was appointed an Honorary KC in recognition of her work on women's equality in the legal profession and shaping new criminal laws on extreme pornography and image-based sexual abuse. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Lund University, Sweden, in 2018 in recognition of the international impact of her research on sexual violence and she is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. She is a member of the UK Parliament's Independent Expert Panel hearing appeals in cases of sexual misconduct, bullying and harassment against MPs. She has given evidence before Scottish, Northern Irish and UK Parliaments on how to reform laws on sexual violence and online abuse, as well as speaking to policy audiences across Europe, Asia and Australia. In November 2019, she was invited to South Korea to share international best practice in supporting victims of image-based sexual abuse and she has worked with Facebook, TikTok and Google to support their policies on non-consensual intimate images.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 is a statutory instrument of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that applies regulations to R18-rated pornography that is available through paid video on demand or other streaming platforms. Prior to the regulations coming into force, neither Ofcom nor the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) had jurisdiction over such content. In force from 1 December 2014, these regulations were made by the Secretary of State in exercise of the powers conferred by section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972.

References

  1. ↑ Jane Fae (19 June 2008). "Do you know how much of your porn is extreme?". The Register.
  2. ↑ "Beware the kinky porn ban! We still can't get advice". Consenting Adult Action Network. Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  3. ↑ Jane Fae (29 August 2008). "Erotic artist urges spanking for Jacqui Smith". The Register.
  4. ↑ "Battle lines drawn over Bill to ban 'extreme' porn". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast, Ireland. 31 December 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "Porn protesters hit Westminster". BBC News. 21 October 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  6. ↑ Jane Fae (22 October 2008). "Government tied in knots by bondage protest". The Register.
  7. ↑ "London Gay Fetish Awards 2008". Archived from the original on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
  8. ↑ "News - CAAN - Consenting Adult Action Network". www.caan.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  9. ↑ Jane Fae (26 January 2009). "Deviants, perverts, 'weirdos' - who's going down?". The Register.
  10. ↑ "Extreme Pornography News: Latest". www.melonfarmers.co.uk.
  11. ↑ "CAAN Action Notice". Consenting Adult Action Network. Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  12. ↑ "Beyond The Circle by John Ozimek". Consenting Adult Action Network. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  13. 1 2 "Issues - CAAN". www.caan.org.uk. Archived from the original on 17 December 2008.
  14. ↑ "Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006". legislation.gov.uk.
  15. ↑ "Millions must be on vetting list". BBC News. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  16. ↑ Jane Fae (14 July 2008). "Criminal record checks could hit over 14 million people". The Register.

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