Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is facing criticism after announcing a partnership with an anti-porn group. Earlier this week, Ocasio-Cortez announced her introduction of an anti-deepfake bill. However, the anti-porn lobby NCOSE was prominently featured in the statement. Per adult industry publication XBIZ, NCOSE is an organization that "seeks to criminalize all sex work and eradicate adult content, and that has an extensive, well-documented history of championing state censorship and opposing LGBTQ+ rights."
Furthermore, many sex workers have noted that Ocasio-Cortez's stance is contrary to her previous statements. In 2020, Ocasio-Cortez vocally supported sex workers. "Sex work is work. The federal gov has done almost nothing to help people in months. We must pass stimulus checks, UI, small biz relief, hospital funding, etc. Keep the focus of shame there, not on marginalizing people surviving a pandemic without help," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
Pornhub Blocks Access In Texas Over Age Verification Law
Elsewhere, Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, has blocked access to the popular pornography site to Texan users. The move comes in protest of a state age-verification law that was upheld in federal court. Texas becomes the seventh state to lose access to the litany of pornographic services owned by Aylo. Other sites blocked include YouPorn, Brazzers, Digital Playground, and RealityKings. Aylo has chosen to disable the website rather than comply with a highly restrictive and intrusive age verification law.
Furthermore, Texan users trying to access the site will instead find an open letter from Aylo rebuking the law, which was upheld in federal court last week. "Not only does this impinge on the rights of adults to access protected speech, it fails strict scrutiny by employing the least effective and yet also most restrictive means of accomplishing Texas's stated purpose of allegedly protecting minors," the letter reads in part. Furthermore, Alex Kekesi, VP of brand and community at Aylo, called the Texan law "ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous".
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