VICTORY FOR PANDORA

Well it goes to show that if you have the courage and commitment and the knowledge that what you are doing is the right thing you can overcome all obstacles. I do not think there were many people in the spanking and fetish scene who thought that Pandora Blake would open the box, shake out the worms and then be able to crush them. She did, she took on the establishment and won and this was not just a victory for her but for freedom of thought and action for adults everywhere in the UK. She showed that if you have the conviction that what you are doing is right you have to fight, she did and we congratulate her.

Pandora Blake, award-winning activist and feminist pornographer, has won her appeal to Ofcom against ATVOD and can reinstate her site Dreams of Spanking, which was banned under the AVMS guidelines in August 2015, triggering widespread anger among free speech advocates as well as porn fans.

The controversial Audiovisual Media Services Regulations came into effect in December 2014, banning consensual sex acts from online porn including facesitting, female ejaculation, and spanking that leaves marks. Pandora Blake took part in the ‘facesitting protest’ outside Westminster, and also spoke on Newsnight and Women’s Hour challenging the sexist and regressive nature of the regulations. She believes that speaking out made her a target for censorship.

ATVOD – the Association for TV on Demand – were tasked with regulating online porn in 2010. While porn critics often focus on the ‘mainstream’ industry, ATVOD made a point of targeting independent niche and fetish porn producers, including a disproportionate number of female filmmakers. In January 2016, Ofcom shut down the quango amid rumours that it was acting beyond its remit.

Pandora Blake said, “The point of Dreams of Spanking was to make ethical porn based on my own fantasies. I’m not ashamed of being kinky and there’s no harm in adults sharing consensual BDSM films. The AVMS regulations effectively criminalised my sexuality. I was singled out because I criticised the new laws. ATVOD tried to shut me up, but they failed.”

“Now I’ve won my appeal I feel vindicated. It proves that it’s worth standing up to bullies. The war against intrusive and oppressive state censorship isn’t over, but this decision is a landmark victory for feminist porn, diversity and freedom of expression.”

Notes

1. Dreams of Spanking has been offline since August 27 2015, but will be reinstated very soon – the team is hard at work behind the scenes to get billing set up and the full site back online. Meanwhile you can browse Dreams of Spanking films on Clips4Sale.
2. Press can contact Pandora Blake for comment on hello@pandorablake.com and 07762 599 557
3. Details of the AVMS regulations were published by Myles Jackman in 2014.
4. Pandora Blake’s interview with Ann Atkins on Newsnight can be viewed here  (Pandora also wrote a blogpost about the debate)
5. Pandora Blake’s appearance on Woman’s Hour discussing “Can porn empower women?” at the Woman of the World festival is discussed in more detail here and here.
6. Details of ATVOD’s investigation into Dreams of Spanking
7. Ofcom’s announcement that ATVOD is being folded
8. ATVOD’s website has been taken offline, but Determinations including Pandora’s can still be viewed via the Internet Archive.
9. Pandora Blake’s December 2015 statement about the censorship of her website.