US Censorship News

Advertising website Backpage.com, which includes small ads for sex workers, won an appeal on the 14 th of March, 2016. The ruling states that Backpage is not responsible for any trafficking that may happen because of the advertisements on their website.

Backpage provides free or cheap advertisements and has been used a lot by sex workers since the removal of Craigslist in 2010. Ads are moved to the front using Bitcoin transactions after credit card companies were pressured to stop working for the website. In recent years, the website has been subject to multiple lawsuits in different states. The website has also been subject to hearings in the United States Congress, as NSWP reported here .

Three young women who alleged they had been trafficked through ads on Backpage brought the civil case forward. They were all minors at the time the events occurred. As Mike Masnick reports at Techdirt , the case alleged that Backpage was responsible for this activity under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorisation Act (TVPRA) of 2008. The TVPRA states that, anyone who "knowingly benefits, financially or by receiving anything of value from participation in a venture which that person knew or should have known has engaged" in an act of sex trafficking.

However, Backpage argued that they were not responsible because they are protected through section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Section 230 states that websites are not responsible for the actions of their users.

The three women argued that Backpage was aware of and encouraged sex trafficking on their website. The court did not accept this assessment, upholding their protection under section 230.

The CEO of Craigslist-style classified ad website Backpage.com may be the first person in 20 years to be found in contempt of US Congress.

Carl Ferrer was subpoenaed by a Senate subcommittee back in October to answer questions over allegations that his site was responsible for nearly three-quarters of all reported child sex trafficking ads. He refused to attend.

The subcommittee responded by formally approving a contempt motion that will be reviewed by the full Senate, likely this week. If approved, it will be the first time since 1995 that such a motion has been passed.

Update: In contempt

21st March 2016. See  article from movie-censorship.com

Led by Senators Rob Portman and Claire McCaskill, the Senate voted today to hold Backpage.com's CEO in contempt of Congress.

Michigan senate passes bill punishing anal sex with 15 years prison.

While the bill does not specifically target the gay community, that is the clear intention. The legislation outlaws anal sex completely:

A person who commits the abominable and detestable crime against nature with mankind or with any animal is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for no more than 15 years.

If the person is found to a sexually delinquent person or an existing sex offender, they will face a life term in prison.

Twelve US states including Michigan have anti-sodomy legislation, even though the US Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional in the 2003 case Lawrence v. Texas.

Deathgasm is a 2015 New Zealand comedy horror by Jason Lei Howden.
Starring Milo Cawthorne, James Blake and Kimberley Crossman.

The Walmart DVD edition of Deathgasm will be changing titles to Heavy Metal Apocalypse. The artwork has also been changed, removing the pentagram and demon.

The distributor is being forced to do this to get the movie into Walmart. And since it's one of the biggest retail locations in the United States, it makes sense that they'd make this change.

The movie itself is uncensored.