SALT LAKE CITY — As a majority of the sane world watched with no small befuddlement yesterday when Utah governor Spencer J. Cox signed into law a ridiculous piece of legislation mandating that every electronics manufacturer on the planet commission and place “porn filters” on any device sold in the state by 2022, many subsequently asked a very simple question: Why?

After all, it was one thing for Susan Pulsipher, an obscure State Representative and a former realtor with no known tech expertise, to insist in introducing a piece of base-pleasing censorship legislation that even some of her fellow Republicans rejected as impractical, unconstitutional and overreaching.

Pulsipher’s “porn filter” crusade was rejected in commission last year, and looked like it was headed for the same fate this February during hearings she organized. But then a few things happened in sequence that speedily propelled this bizarre bill through the State House and Senate approval, landing it on Cox’s desk earlier this month with the governor’s telling refusal to veto it or allow it lapse, unsigned.

First, Pulsipher got the nation’s leading (and best-funded) anti-porn organization, NCOSE (formerly Morality in Media) to come to Utah to lobby for the bill by offering their typical blend of exaggeration, moral panic and outright propaganda.

Then she obtained the support of some of the Republicans that opposed the measure as a ridiculous waste of the State legislature’s time — a common question went something like, “Why would a multinational Apple change their protocols just for the puny Utah gadget market?” — by agreeing to a similarly bizarre amendment stating that the law would not go into place until five additional states passed copycat legislation within 10 years.

Finally, in a move that surprised Salt Lake City capitol observers, the amended bill breezed through the House and the Senate, forcing the governor into either condoning the ridiculous mandate, or going against the gleeful will of his party’s own legislators.

But behind the push that propelled Susan Pulsipher — a name, again, so absurdly appropriate that it echoes that of witchhunter Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer, the joy-killing patriarch in Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s “Good Omens” — and her impractical demands for “porn filters” lies another tale: that of the Mormon church’s obsession with both pornography and the “filtering” of it for deeply religious reasons.

The Patriarchy vs. ‘The Adversary’

Mormonism is quite literally a patriarchy. The religion is organized around male leadership both in the church and the family household. As such, pornography presents a double challenge: it is seen as a source of demonic temptation against the spiritual strength of men (almost exclusively men) and also as a kind of intruder attempting to enter the household and attack the rest of the family.

Utah’s obsession with “filtering” comes straight from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints literature on these two dimensions of what they see as a ploy by “the adversary” (aka Satan, Lucifer, the Devil, the Father of Lies, the Prince of Darkness, perdition) to destroy Mormon households.

In April 2010, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched, with much fanfare, a dedicated website to give advice to the faithful on how to “filter” the entrance of pornography into their homes. Originally called CombatingPornography.org, the URL currently leads to a domain name broker in Poland because, at some point in the last decade, the LDS church decided to rebrand the page to OvercomingPornography.lds.org.

The renaming of the website was consistent with a deliberate branding and marketing effort by organizations that object to porn on a purely religious basis. These organizations have successfully shifted from belligerent War on Porn language (like “combating pornography”) towards pseudo-scientific claims about public health (“overcoming pornography” as one would a disease).

More recently, the LDS church has again changed the language again to something quite anodyne: OvercomingPornography.lds.org now redirects to a page called “Addressing Pornography.”

Outdated ‘Resources’ for the Faithful

The “Addressing Pornography” website currently includes a “Resources” page with a variety of LDS-endorsed material for Mormons who are troubled by pornography.

But the inspirational content is paltry for someone consulting it in 2021: only seven items, the most recent from 2012. Some of the materials go back to the 1980s.

The 2012 article, called “Keeping Safe & Balanced in a Google-YouTube-Twitter-Facebook-iEverything World,” warns that children can “with a few small clicks, unintentionally steer a computer or a smartphone app from the newest Mormon Message to an image created by man’s darkest imaginings.”

According to the article children should not be allowed to use “digital devices” until they are older. But the following section immediately goes into “Internet content filters.”

Filters, the LDS-endorsed author proclaims, “are as important to your family’s spiritual well-being as a child lock on a cupboard full of toxic cleaning supplies is to a toddler’s physical safety.”

The site encourages Mormons to download and install filtering software, check their modem or DLS routers for extra filters, add proxy filters from the ISP and to switch all the available “kids’ safe mode” offered by Google, YouTube and the like.

The section ends with the admonition that “by far the most important and effective type of filter is inside the mind and heart of the user.”

‘Ask for Angels to Help You’

The next article offered to Mormons in 2021 is from 2010 and was written by a patriarchal-looking church Elder, who blames the Devil himself for “immoral messages.”

“Tragically,” wrote Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “the same computer and internet service that allows me to do my family history and prepare those names for temple work could, without filters and controls, allow my children or grandchildren access to a global cesspool of perceptions that could blast a crater in their brains forever.”

“And just to make sure that temptation is ever more accessible, the adversary is busy extending his coverage, as they say in the industry, to cell phones, video games and MP3 players,” Elder Holland warned.

Elder Holland advices Mormon men (the article is squarely directed to “husbands”) who may be accidentally exposed to pornography to “talk to your bishop. Follow his counsel. Ask for a priesthood blessing. Use the Church’s Family Services offerings or seek other suitable professional help. Pray without ceasing. Ask for angels to help you.”

“Along with filters on computers and a lock on affections, remember that the only real control in life is self-control,” Elder Holland continues. “Exercise more control over even the marginal moments that confront you. If a TV show is indecent, turn it off. If a movie is crude, walk out. If an improper relationship is developing, sever it. Many of these influences, at least initially, may not technically be evil, but they can blunt our judgment, dull our spirituality and lead to something that could be evil.”

“An old proverb says that ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step,’ so watch your step,” Elder Holland concludes.

The LDS ‘Family Safety Wiki’

The LDS church offers among these already technically obsolete articles (MP3 players?) a more up-to-date resource in the form of an updated “Family Safety Wiki,” which includes an entire section on “Internet Filtering (Family Safety)”.

This official LDS wiki is even more explicit about the religiously motivated Mormon obsession with “filtering” pornography and other “harmful” content.

“Why get a filter?” the wiki’s FAQ asks.

“For many years the Brethren have warned us of the dangers that accompany the Internet, and have counseled us to employ some technological barriers to the unending flow of filth that permeates the otherwise wonderful and extremely useful virtual world of the Internet,” an anonymous LDS-church endorsed editor wrote.

“Recall President Hinckley’s warning in 2002, when he said: ‘Guard your homes. How foolish it seems to install bars and bolts and electronic devices against thieves and molesters while more insidious intruders stealthily enter and despoil,’ or more recently when Elder Oaks told us in April conference, 2005: ‘We must also act to protect those we love. Parents install alarms to warn if their household is threatened by smoke or carbon monoxide. We should also install protections against spiritual threats, protections like filters on Internet connections’.”

This obsession with “filtering,” it soon becomes apparent, is considered a husbandly duty, part of the head of the family’s responsibility for keeping his household in order and improve surveillance on his spiritual dependents.

“All of these features help keep our family safe, and help provide us with more information regarding how our computers are being used,” the wiki explained. “From this perspective, it would be safe to say that filters work.”

The Need to Survey and Control

But if the intro claims that these filters should be installed to prevent “accidental” access to content, the rest of the questions make it perfectly clear that the filter mentality has more to do with blocking women and older minors from deliberately accessing the material.

“One of the unfortunate side-effects of installing a filter is the false sense of security that it provides,” the wiki admonishes. “Most teenagers can get around just about any filter if they really want to, and parents need to know how this is done so they can watch for the warning signs. Also, be sure to use the tools that the filter provides, such as usage reports [and] blocked site reports. A filter is not a silver bullet, and it is not a set-it-and-forget-it solution.”

A constant need to survey and control the family are key to understanding the Mormon obsession with these filters. “It is a good practice to place the computer in a public place, and to limit the use of the Internet to times that others are around,” the wiki advises.

“Let’s consider the content on the Internet to be analogous to mail that is delivered to your home,” the article continues. “A filter could be thought of as a guard that is hired to sort through your mail before it is delivered to you. This guard could be asked to remove any junk mail, or even mail from any individual or company, and set it aside so you don’t have to deal with it. The guard would then review each piece of mail before handing it to you.”

“Filters work in similar fashion, sorting through the content that your computer requests, and preventing certain content from entering your home.”

Software filters are “like putting a guard at your front door. A software filter looks at data as it arrives on your machine. It is important to note that because the filter is actually installed on your computer, the bad content will exist on your computer, but the filter intercepts it before it displays on the screen.”

NetAngel and Covenant Eyes

The official LDS wiki also gives recommendations to heads of household on filters “to block pornography.” Even more commercial filters are promoted via the official LDW website’s page linking to “Outside Sources,” a page that includes War on Porn allies across denominational lines (NCOSE) and covertly Mormon-associated groups like Fight the New Drug.

Mixed with more clearly non-denominational commercial filters like Norton, the LDS church endorses two clearly religious companies that would profit from initiatives like Susan Pulsipher’s mandatory porn filter requirements — NetAngel and Covenant Eyes.

According to the LDS “Family Safety Wiki,” NetAngel is “a cloud-based solution that protects all devices (computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, gaming consoles). This filter uses blacklists as well as true content filtering (where it scans every webpage for objectionable content). The most unique feature of the NetAngel filter is the instant alerts. A text message is sent to a parent or spouse whenever a site is blocked in realtime. This invites conversations to happen about appropriate internet usage. This service is free when protecting one device or computer. NetAngel also supports specific routers and also sells preconfigured routers to protect your entire WiFi network with a premium subscription.”

Other than how exactly the “objectionable content” is classified and by whom (does it censor, for example, sex ed or non-sexual LGBTQ+ content?), that description looks techie enough to be convincing; that is, until one goes to the NetAngel “about us” page where instead of describing the company’s tech bona fides, it declares the following:

1. Pornography in all forms is destructive to individuals, families and society.
2. Intimacy and Sexual Attraction are natural and appropriate within appropriate limits.
3. We believe healthy human relationships are the foundation to avoiding and overcoming pornography. This requires: a) A desire to avoid or overcome pornography; b)Willingness to be completely honest and transparent; c) Accountability, acceptance, and responsibility for one’s own actions; d) An understanding that Guilt and Shame are not the same thing: i. Guilt is a sense of remorse for discord in behavior and values, which motivates an individual to change in a positive way; ii.Shame is a discord in behavior and values which negatively motivates an individual to hide the behavior rather than change.
4. Technology can be an aid, not a solution, to pornography: a) We believe education about pornography and responsible technology use are essential to preventing and overcoming pornography addiction; b) Instant notification can aid in timely positive human intervention
5. Pornography addiction is a real disorder that can be overcome with proper support and treatment by professionals.
6. NetAngel is not religiously affiliated.
7. We do not believe legislation is the solution to the problem, but encourage concerned parties to be involved politically to shape legislation as dictated by their own conscience.

This is followed by a video testimonial by the NetAngel co-founder declaring himself a “pornography addict.”

Covenant Eyes is even more blatant about its mission. As XBIZ reported in 2019, Covenant Eyes is the brainchild of religious activist Ron DeHaas, offering what they call “accountability software” from a small office in Owosso, Michigan, somewhere between Flint and Lansing.

The company employs a Director of Church & Ministry Outreach, apparently something like a targeted sales agent for their product. “Talk about porn to everyone — and regularly,” Director of C&M Outreach Karen Potter advised in an article titled “3 Keys to Creating a Strong Battle Plan to Fight Porn in Your Church.”

At the time influential D.C. news source Congressional Quarterly, published a laudatory profile of Covenant Eyes in its Roll Call vertical.

“Evangelical groups are turning to artificial intelligence and machine-learning technologies to help their members fight addiction to online pornography in a budding industry that one scholar calls an emerging ‘purity-industrial complex’,” wrote CQ’s tech reporter Gopal Ratnam.

Covenant Eyes’ service makes churchgoers input their porn usage and leave it in the hands of his small staff, so it can be shared with designated “allies.”

“Partner Up to Defeat Porn,” their website invites. “Your allies will receive comprehensive reports of your screen activity, lessening the temptation to look at porn.”

The Ghost of CleanFlicks

Those with longer cultural memories may remember CleanFlicks, a company founded in Utah in 2000 that rented and sold their own “chaste” edits of Hollywood movies.

CleanFlicks would copy copyrighted films onto their own DVDs and VHS tapes, editing out and muting from the audio what their team of censors considered “unclean,” which included any and all sexual content, profanities and references to the name of God in vain.

When the the world outside Utah took notice of CleanFlicks in the early 2000s, it reacted with the same mixture of amusement and WTF-ness that met reports of Susan Pulsipher’s bill.

Eventually, Hollywood studios sued CleanFlicks into the ground for the obvious copyright infringement issues. The company eventually refocused on making a list of wholesome movies that they were happy to distribute, but they went under in a few years, unable to compete with Netflix on the open market.

Pulsipher said last week that her law “doesn’t take the place of good parenting. It doesn’t take the place of family rules or family discussions. It’s just a tool to help good parents be good parents [and] nothing would prevent adults from deactivating the content blockers and viewing pornography if they chose.”

But Pulsipher doesn’t really believe this is an honest choice. Her “porn filter” bill — which is now actually a law that belongs to Governor Cox and the majority of the Utah political establishment — is only the latest in a long-running chain of odd, “only in Utah LOL” news items that really stems from the Mormon church’s obsession with porn as a demonic ploy to destroy the household, and their male leaders.

MONTREAL — Adult Time has introduced the “zany, slapstick” new series “Go Stuck Yourself” featuring sexy-but-clumsy starlets literally caught in compromising positions.

A dedicated channel for “Go Stuck Yourself,” produced by the creatives behind the “Caught Fapping” channel, debuts on the streaming service today.

“‘Fun’ is the name of the game when sexy-but-clumsy starlets find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. Whether they’re searching for lost jewelry under a couch or bed, fixing a leaky pipe under a sink or realizing they don’t quite fit through the elevator door, they’re going to need a hand getting out of a sticky situation,” teased a rep.

Adult Time Director of Marketing Frank Stacy described the premise of “Go Stuck Yourself” as “just as ridiculous as it sounds.”

“It’s an unusual trend that we have seen getting quite the traction on tube sites, and this is our take on it,” he said. “Fans that enjoy a side of comedy with their porn, like I do, are in for a treat with this one.”

Vignettes currently available include “Stuck at the Slumber Party” with Kenzie Reeves and Nathan Bronson; “Stuck Under the Teacher’s Desk” starring Crystal Taylor and Angel Youngs; “Mom’s Stuck in the Washer Again” with Vanna Bardot, Lauren Phillips and Codey Steele; and “Stuck Nanny With No Panties” featuring Riley Jacobs, Preston Porter and Brick Danger.

The content, added the rep, “makes the most of life’s most awkward and embarrassing situations by treating its viewers to a very happy ending.”

Click here for additional details and follow Adult Time on Twitter for the latest updates.

Mar 24, 2021 3:13 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES — Chanel Grey has the cover spotlight of the latest fauxcest title from Elegant Angel and director Sid Knox with pre-orders shipping now ahead of a March 30 street date.

Besides Grey, Alita Lee, Isabel Moon and Sera Ryder with Isiah Maxwell, Scotty P, Slim Poke and Rico Strong fill out the cast in four tales of “vixen stepsisters who jump at the opportunity to seduce their willing stepbrothers,” noted a rep.

The four-scene, two-hour effort includes “a quick storyline to set up each scene [so] fans won’t have to wait too long to see the hot-and-nasty action, including squirting and creampies,” the rep added.

Click here for additional details and follow Elegant Angel on Twitter for updates.

For sales inquiries, please contact Jerry at sales@elegantangel.com or (818) 576-9464. Broadcast and foreign inquiries can be directed to juicyvideo@aol.com.

LOS ANGELES — Following in the retro footsteps of Smell-O-Vision, scratch-and-sniff cards and John Waters’ Odorama, VR Bangers is touting the release of “Smell VR” with the tagline, “Smell the Sexuality.” The recently introduced tech allows users to experience their adult VR fantasies in a whole new way.

The studio is the 2021 XBIZ winner for “Best Virtual Reality Sex Scene” for “Wedding Night Cuckold” starring Shyla Jennings and Charlotte Stokely.

While its proprietary “scent generator” is capable of incorporating “hundreds of different scents,” a rep explained, the prototype kit includes four odors — named Happy Ending, MILF Sensations, Teenage Dream and Squirt Delight — and retails for $299.

VR Bangers sold out the 500 initial units that were initially produced.

“Our patented technology stimulates tactile sensations to immerse you even deeper — letting you smell the body of your favorite VR porn star and feel like being there with her in a way that until now was only a dream,” reads the promotional text.

“We have worked with the best perfumers and olfactologists to make sure that our scents are second-to-none in terms of their quality and realism — you will be surprised how important the smell is and how with Smell VR extension your brain will perceive VR porn in an entirely new way.”

The tech was recently profiled by Vice.com’s Samantha Cole.

“What does a MILF smell like?” Cole asked, and noted an earlier attempt by CamSoda and its “OhRoma” device in 2017 with scents that included “private parts,” “body odor,” “panties” and “breath.”

“Scents are created with a combination of perfumes and real smells of women. As women age, they have different smells of their bodies, hair, vagina, sweat,” VR Bangers CEO and Co-Founder Daniel Abramovich told Vice. “Each scent has its own unique smell. For example, ‘Happy Ending’ has a real vagina smell, ‘MILF Sensation’ has a heavier perfume smell, ‘Squirt Delight’ has a slight scent of a woman squirt and ‘Teenage Dream’ has a natural hair smell with a pinch of sweet perfume. We’ve also talked to our most popular porn stars to determine what perfumes, shampoos or any other natural body product they use to create their scents.”

Find the Vice article here. Learn more about “Smell VR” here and follow VR Bangers on Twitter.

Mar 24, 2021 1:28 PM PDT

LAS VEGAS — Aphrodisia.Live, described as a combination fansite and camming platform, has formally launched.

“The website offers livestreaming, video and photo uploading, paid messaging, paid subscriptions and social media integration and automation options,” a rep explained. “Content creators can charge for subscriptions as well as for unlocking individual posts and messages or they can set posts as free. It offers physical product merch sale capability as well as custom video orders.”

“There is also a built-in affiliate program which enables models to have their fans make money promoting their page. Models earn up to 85% gross (or total) earnings,” added the rep.

Visit Aphrodisia.Live to register as a content creator or subscriber.

“We are stoked to see all the tools most relevant to models nowadays manifest together all in one place,” Founder Conor Coxxx said. “With Aphrodisia.Live there are many flexible options and incredible features that enable content creators and their fans to take their interactions to the next level.”

Follow the platform’s newly established Twitter profile for the latest updates.

Mar 24, 2021 1:20 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES — Chaturbate is celebrating its win for “Best Live Cam Affiliate Program” from the 2021 GFY Awards.

“Chaturbate is honored to be recognized as the best live affiliate program by GFY. We value our affiliates and we are constantly building out new tools to help them gain traffic. Not only do we offer all-encompassing stats and 24/7 support, but we also just launched Version Two of our Users Online Affiliate API allowing for gender, region, tag, geo-targeting and HD cam filtering and pagination,” COO Shirley Lara said.

“This year we hope to continue to not only offer the best live cam affiliate program, but also give our community the support they need to thrive,” continued Lara.

Find the GFY Awards online and on Twitter.

In related news, Chaturbate recently marked wins from the 2021 Transgender Erotica Awards and trophies from the 2021 Live Cam Awards.

Follow Chaturbate on Twitter for the latest updates.

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — Swiss Navy has announced they are now offering virtual training as part of an ongoing commitment to help and support retailers as they adjust to the current pandemic lockdown.

“The M.D. Science Lab family realizes the pandemic has changed the landscape when it comes to product trainings and they’re actively finding new ways to safely support their customer-partners,” said a rep.

Earlier this year, Rocky Bowell joined the team as Swiss Navy’s brand ambassador and travels around the country to help retailers within their stores.

“Our customers need to be supported as we all work through the ever-changing landscape that this pandemic is creating,” VP of Sales and Marketing Briana Watkins said. “We know that everyone wants to continue to prosper and learn, but also wish to maintain their safety. This is why we’ve put together virtual options in addition to having Rocky on the road.”

The live classes are conducted by Dr. Sunny Rodgers — with Watkins and other members of the Swiss Navy team — and focus on areas with which retailers need help.

“We work around our customers’ schedules and go beyond traditional product training,” said Watkins. “We include a mix of knowledge and helpful information that empowers retailers as they work directly with consumers. Being able to supply retailers and distributors with everything they need to be successful is one of our top goals.”

M.D. Science Lab has already launched two new collections in 2021 and have more products and promotions in the works, in addition to building an online training video library as well.

To schedule live online training, retailers are encouraged to reach out to a preferred representative.

For additional product details, visit SwissNavy.com.

VENICE, Calif. — Brandi Love stars in Bang.com’s “Mama’s Busting Out 2,” an AEBN VOD exclusive released last week. The title also features Katie Morgan, Cali Carter and Kaylani Lei.

“A celebration of MILFs with perfect racks, the mesmerizingly magical scene features Love arousing her onscreen lover Manuel Ferrara with a seductive dance and then enjoying the ravishing her erotic artistry has helped conjure up,” said a rep.

Love explained that “there’s nothing like getting a guy worked up and hot until he can barely control himself and then giving yourself to him. It’s such an amazing compliment being able to feel just how much he needs you, how turned-on he is.”

“I teased Manuel good in this scene and it paid off in multiple orgasms,” she added.

For additional details about “Mama’s Busting Out 2,” visit AEBN.com.

Follow Brandi Love and AEBN on Twitter.

Mar 23, 2021 3:58 PM PDT

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — SexToyDistributing.com is now shipping the 7X Pulse Pro Pulsating & Clitoral Stimulation Vibe with Remote from XR Brands’ Inmi line.

The toy’s clitoral stimulator features two speeds and five patterns of pulsing, and an additional two speeds and five patterns of vibrations in the G-spot stem. The Pulse Pro can be controlled by the button on the toy, as well as a wireless remote control.

“In a market packed with near-identical toys, the Pulse Pro really stands out and we’re excited to bring it to our customers,” SexToyDistributing Wholesale Supervisor Brenda Reynoso said. “Inmi products appeal to sophisticated shoppers who are looking for something more unique, luxurious and well-made than and the Pulse Pro is made for those shoppers. Not only does it have powerful individual motors with a multi-purpose design, but also the wireless remote control gives it an accessibility upgrade and gives users options for how to play — and with whom. We expect the Pulse Pro to be quite popular.”

The USB rechargeable 7X Pulse Pro Pulsating & Clitoral Stimulation Vibe with Remote is made with silicone and ABS plastic. It has an MSRP of $79.95 and comes packaged in Inmi’s black and gold box featuring with the image of the product and its features. It is suitable for shelf or slatwall displays.

View the Pulse Pro here.

To place an order or learn more about Inmi products, contact a representative or email info@sextoydistributing.com.