Recently there have been a few cases of censorship and controversy that I have not liked and have felt personally riled and at odds with. This post will deal with my rant and views against the censorship and ultimately the withdrawal of Graphic Sexual Horror, a documentary by Barbera Bell, from Amazon.com on the basis of it’s content even though the product page at Amazon will lead you to believe it is due to some fabricated licensing issue.

Graphic Sexual Horror takes a peek behind the terrifying façade of Insex.com, the most notorious of bondage websites, exploring the dark mind of its artistic creator and asking hard questions about personal responsibility. Original Insex footage, behind-the-scenes interactions, and interviews with PD, models, members, and staff reveal deep fascinations with bondage and sadomasochism that run parallel, and in fact become irreversibly entwined with the lure of money.

I can’t comment directly on the contents of the documentary as I have not yet seen the full film, I can imagine it is intense having seen some Insex content as well as researching the documentary as it was being shot, produced, edited and touring the various American festivals. You only need to visit the new home of the former Insex at www.insexarchives.com, which is hosted and operated by a Dutch citizen to get a little taste of the original insex footage you will be seeing created and pieced together through the documentary.

That being said, I imagine the documentary is more than that or it would simply be another update in Insex’s catalogues, it seems to me to be very much about the minds, mind sets and desires/needs of those that were directly involved with the site and the crew from Models to staff to the creator himself. The comments i’ve been hearing from those lucky enough to have seen it have all come away from it noting the questions and the way the documentary presented consent and consensual kink and weather or not bringing money in to the equation coerced to a certain degree the consent that was ‘freely’ given.

As any good documentary does, GSH has been reported to keep it’s distance without forcing you down one route of thought to form opinion that mainstream society would have you commit to.

One of the former crew members at Insex.com states that the US government shut Insex down for torturing people who want to be tortured but have secret rooms where the US Government torture those who don’t want to be tortured. I love this quote, it should be made in to a T-Shirt or something. In a sentence it highlights the mega hypocrisy taking place in both the shutting down of Insex and the removal of the product from Amazon.

The method utilised by the US Government to force Insex to close was by the the back-door, the US Government applied pressure to the banks that provided the Merchant accounts to these type of sites using a very dangerous piece of legislation come to be known as the Patriots Act. The creator was left no choice once his revenue was gone, I think that kind of action from my Government against me would have seen me left the country but PD still resides in the US and operates a couple of other ‘softer’ sites. He sold Insex on to a Dutch citizen who continues to present the former insex catalogue in an archive format, no new productions are planned.

I penned the following message to Amazon.com:

I am pretty disgusted with your decision to remove Graphic Sexual Horror, in a time when all kind of attacks from all kinds of people are being made on the freedoms and liberties of consenting adults are being attacked people in a position to do so should be standing up for the rights we used to enjoy. It is poor that Amazon have joined in the fight against individual freedoms of not only what they can choose to and choose not to watch but also the implication that no one can enjoy the activities enjoyed by those in the film and by many people in the World.

I dare say there are employees within your own organisation who practice these acts and who may even enjoy a subscription to what you and mainstream media may consider an ‘extreme’ sex site. Would you fire those individuals, knowing that they indulged in their freedoms?

You can not even be honest about the reason why it has been removed from your store, you have attached a ‘due to licensing reasons’ disclaimer… which is a lie isn’t it as you told the producers it was due to the graphic content in the film. Why release it in the first place just to remove it? With a name like Graphic Sexual Horror the signs were clearly there for you to observe and reject the submission.

Your decision will severely effect the film’s releasing options and limit the exposure it receives, you have taken a teams livelihood by ruining a project they worked years on putting together.

It is a documentary, yet you have recognised it more as an adult product. Yes there are some sexual imagery, some swearing but how does that compare to other titles you carry; rap music, games, books. Are you going to ban the sale of kitchen knives because they have the potential to be misused. No your not!

So why ban a film that offers an insight in to a movement and a sexual practice that has earned it’s way in to many peoples hearts, minds and bedrooms across the world.

As a result of this decision you have lost my custom and respect.

I really wasn’t expecting a response, but Amazon returned;

Thank you for writing to Amazon.com with your concerns. I understand that you feel very strongly about this issue.

As a retailer, our goal is to provide customers with the broadest selection possible so they can find, discover, and buy any item they might be seeking. That selection includes some items which many people may find objectionable. Therefore, the items offered on our website represent a wide spectrum of opinions on a variety of topics.

Let me assure you that Amazon.com does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts; we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.

Amazon.com believes it is censorship not to sell certain titles because we believe their message is objectionable. Therefore, we’ll continue to make controversial works available in the United States and everywhere else, except where they’re prohibited by law. We also allow readers, authors, and publishers to express their views freely about these titles and other products we offer on our website. However, Amazon.com doesn’t endorse opinions expressed by individual authors, musical artists, or filmmakers.

We value all feedback from our customers, and I thank you again for taking the time to send us your comments about this issue. Although we won’t be able to comment further on this topic, we hope you’ll allow us to continue to serve you.

I suppose the fact they responded when they really didn’t need to should earn them points however the fact that they skated round the issue like our Prime Minister skates around elections, I am inclined to not shop or deal with Amazon in the future.

I’m not going to respond, it will make little to none differance, I am just sadder more than anything, if these bigger companies stood up and fought in favour of certain causes the wider world and governments would listen. They should not allow themselves to be bullied in such a manner.

I’m also sad as this development further reinforces my concerns that we won’t get a release here in the UK given the recent clamp down on this type of imagery as well as the highly restrictive BBFC who will most likely outright ban the film across the country.

I have offered my services to producers in anyway that I can assist with distribution but it is a sad, sad day for freedom of speech and expression.