South Carolina Considers Sex Toy Ban

Republican Rep. Ralph Davenport is proposing a bill that would make it a felony to possess or sell sex toys in South Carolina. According to the Columbia, S.C. newspaper, The State, the law would empower police to close sex shops and confiscate offensive merchandise. Violators of the proposed law could face a $10,000 fine and a 'stiff' five years in prison.

Pat Irons, owner of the Sugar N' Spice sex shop, believes the proposed law is a thinly veiled attempt to close down adult bookstores in the state altogether.

"Even pastors shop in here," Irons said in her defense. "They send couples in here they counsel for marriage problems."

Don't laugh. Although a similar law was rejected by Alabama courts in 1998, other southern states enforce these kinds of barbaric statutes. In Mississippi, "a person [found committing] the offense of distributing unlawful sexual devices when he knowingly sells, advertises, publishes, or exhibits to any person any three dimensional device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs or offers to do so or possesses such devices with the intent to do so," can be fined up to $500 and sentenced to six months in jail.

Whew. Ain't the law a mouthful?

The really interesting thing about this whole situation is that the proposed bill is based upon the Supreme Court ruling on the 1973 Miller v. California case. In that case, the Court found that obscenity is determined by "contemporary community standards" and qualified by whether or not it possesses any "serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value." As a result, we now have dedicated public servants pushing legislation that makes facsimiles of human genitals obscene and the normal, healthy act of sexual stimulation a crime.

This is why we all need to stay on top of this kind of stuff. Remember, our day to day freedoms are not guaranteed, we've got to defend them diligently.

In my research, Mr. Davenport had not made himself available for any comment to the media regarding this issue. If you'd like to ask him a question about his proposed bill, you can e-mail him at GRD@schouse.org. In the meantime say hello to the folks at Good Vibrations in San Francisco or buy an expensive strap-on for your favorite fuck-buddy at www.somethingsexyboutique.com.