Less than a year ago, I wrote a letter to The Salt Lake Tribune pleading with Utah politicians to focus less on anti-porn piety and redirect their efforts toward ending Utah’s rape culture. Yet, here we are again.
State Sen. Todd Weiler recently announced he is considering bringing back Utah’s obscenity and porn complaints ombudsman (also know as the porn czar) at the expense of taxpayers’ money. Though a laughable proposition, the porn czar would reinforce harmful stigmas that hurt sexual assault survivors and Utah youths. Weiler veils his attempts to encroach on Utahns’ First Amendment rights and bodily autonomy by insisting the primary goal is to protect Utah’s teenagers from pornography.