MOLLY IVINS IS SORELY MISSED!
THE VIDEO IS 'AGE RESTRICTED' INDICATES MUST BE WATCHED
ON YOU TUBE
TEXAS HAS A LOOONG HISTORY THAT MOLLY IVINS DOCUMENTED
& WROTE ABOUT.....
Molly Ivins in Dildo Diaries
Excerpts from award-winning feature-length doc that "probes" the absurd Texas sex laws. The late, great Molly Ivins adds her two cents worth in her inimitable way. Official website: http://www.dildodiaries.net
Sex (Mis)Education: Dildo Diaries
The Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival turns 15
Fri., Aug. 23, 2002
The Texas Penal Code isn't generally thought of as a laugh-out-loud read, but Section 43.23 is an exception: "A person commits an offense if he ... possesses with intent to wholesale promote any obscene material or obscene device. A person who possesses six or more obscene devices ... is presumed to possess them with intent to promote the same."
That's why when filmmakers Laura Barton and Judy Wilder walked into Forbidden Fruit, they saw row after row of penis-like objects, anatomically correct condom education models made of latex and silicone, and vibrating oblong-shaped massage devices. Some had leather harnesses for realistic demonstrations, others had suction cups on the bottom; some featured hand-painted veins, others sparkled with glitter. But when they asked for a dildo, they were informed: "Sorry, we only have educational models." No dildos here, pervert, this is Texas!
Wink, wink.
"[To buy a sex toy] we had to sign a statement that not only identifies you as the buyer but also certifies that you're using it for educational purposes," recalls Barton. "I'm 47 years old, I'm a grandmother, and here I am standing in the store feeling like I'm doing something shameful! I'm thinking, 'this is ridiculous.'"
The absurdity of the situation inspired Texas natives Barton and Wilder to make an eight-minute documentary, Dildo Diaries, aGLIFF's inaugural My Gay Movie competition. The film was a hit with audiences, later played at aGLIFF 2001, and won Best Short Film at the Inside Out Film Festival in Toronto. The positive reaction inspired the filmmakers to expand the project, and the version that will be premiering on Friday, Aug. 30 is a fast-moving 63 minutes. The film uncovers a chorus of objections to Texas sex laws, making use of interviews with legislators, porn stars, the curator of the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices in Minnesota, sex toy (oops, I mean educational toy) shop owners, and vagina enthusiast Annie Sprinkle.
The film rarely strays far from its sense of the absurd, but even in its frivolity, Dildo Diaries raises important issues about the possible dangers of these laws. "Last week, a clerk at a toy store in Houston was arrested by an undercover cop for selling an obscene device." explains Barton. "The problem with the law is it's on the books, it's a stupid law, and it can be used to harass people." Still, Barton is skeptical that the Texas Legislature will reform the penal code anytime soon. "It's going to take a lot of public awareness so the legislators aren't afraid of voting appropriately. As Molly Ivins says in the documentary, they're afraid everyone will think they're queer."
And until that changes, Forbidden Fruit is likely to remain the most popular educational store in Austin. -- Michael Connor
Dildo Diaries screens Friday, Aug. 30, 7:30pm.
… Dallas Observer reported that TX State Sen Angela Paxton is pushing a bill which would require online shoppers to submit photo identification before purchasing a sex toy. It would apply to any “obscene device”, which is defined as “a device including a dildo or artificial vagina, designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs.”
… Dr. Shamyra Howard, a licensed clinical social worker sex educator for We-Vibe: “Requiring ID to purchase a sex toy sends the message that pleasure is something to be policed and surveilled. It pathologizes something that is completely normal and turns a private, healthy act into something shameful. This kind of legislation doesn’t protect people; it embarrasses them. It creates unnecessary barriers and reinforces harmful stigmas that many of us have spent years trying to dismantle.”
… Paxton’s husband, TX AG Ken Paxton, was impeached two years ago after he had the target of a criminal investigation pay for a kitchen remodel of his longtime mistress. Paxton has crew of MAGA state Senators who banded together to vote to acquit him, which also included his wife who introduced this bill.
… Paxton is very likely to run against Sen. John Cornyn in the upcoming Republican primary, and has been pushing hard to get Trump’s endorsement while Sen. John Thune has lobbied Trump to back Cornyn.
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