The First Amendment and Your Sex Life.

Changes. Sometimes we love them and sometimes we don’t agree in the least with them. I am all for change, as long as it is an improvement of a current situation and has a positive influence or impact on people. I am not at all for a change that causes division of people, takes away the rights of people, displays any kind of hate, phobia, or racism, and especially if the outcome has a negative effect and forms a fear-based future for people.

This brings me to the topic of Amy Coney Barrett...I have several issues with this change in the Supreme Court justice. First, let me just say that I truly believe our Political system is in turmoil and in my opinion, has been for far too long, I fear it is only getting worse and causing more division of the people of this country we claim to have been great at some point. I have a difficult time saying this country was ever great when so much has never improved nor changed. Why are we still discussing race as any kind of issue? People are people. Why is that so difficult for so many to comprehend? Why are we contemplating equal rights for everyone to have available healthcare no matter their gender identity or sexual preferences? I have so many questions. These are just a few prime examples.

My main topic of Amy Coney Barrett comes to her religion seemingly ruling her decision-making in the Supreme Court. I am happy for her to have found a faith-based religion that makes her feel complete, but just as I have found erotica and adult entertainment to make me happy, there is a time and a place for such thing to become an influence in our decision making and I don’t believe her religion belongs where my rights do, just like I don’t believe my erotica and adult entertaining work belongs in her church.

This being said, it is unfortunate that our commercial sex industry and work for many of us could be threatened, or even in danger of complete loss due to her religion interfering with her Supreme Court decisions. She is filling the community of sex workers with fear of losing not only our jobs but our viewers on adult sites and outlets. This is not only an outrage as a sex worker but as a human who enjoys viewing porn as well. Why should anyone get to take that away from us? We have the right to watch consensual sexual material just as much as anyone has the right to watch the films they enjoy. For many people, online sex-based websites and viewing opportunities for sexual experiences are all they have. Why deny them the only access they have? Like Siri Dahl (an adult actress) says “Instead of supporting equal free speech for all Americans, she seems to support privileged free speech for religious Americans. There’s no way that will be good for the porn industry.”

Not only are sex workers worried about their jobs and the possibilities of losing the viewing availability of their work, but as women, we are all fearing what will happen as far as our reproductive rights are concerned as well. Nobody should be making decisions about a human’s body except for that said human. Taking away birth control and abortion rights are disastrous suggestions, to say the least. If she is appointed, the Supreme Court will be at an imbalance of republicans and democrats 6-3, giving conservatives much like her the upper hand in these decisions, and this imbalance is unfair.

The topic of pornography laws is just the tip of the iceberg in examples to give of why this imbalance is never going to be fair and is absolutely necessary when balancing issues that affect everyone, whether republican or democrat. The First Amendment protects sexually explicit material (except for obscenity or child pornography), and is in immediate danger of being changed based on religious beliefs which should be null and void in the Supreme Court. Penthouse Pet, Mary Moody said it best, “The adult industry is founded on bodily autonomy and freedom of expression, freedoms that religious extremist Barrett will happily erode or remove. She will even be considering First Amendment cases that could outlaw porn. While she claims to be for freedom and liberty, it’s clear she will happily regulate the bedroom on- and off-screen, we might hope that Barrett could separate her extremist religious beliefs from her judgments but while teaching law she argued justices should be allowed to judge based on these beliefs. Her history speaks for itself, and when given the option to rule on cases that will impact sex workers, it is clear she will lean on her radical conservative religious beliefs to aid her.”

Where does the separation of church and state come into play here? Is Amy Coney Barrett or any Supreme Court justice capable of setting aside their personal religious beliefs and/or biases to make fair decisions in cases? Why are their terms for life? We need change and we need to rotate the decision-makers to ever get close to having fairness in the Supreme Court. Following the law does not mean when you agree with it, or when you have the power to persuade change as you see fit. Judges take an oath to follow the law and that is what I expect of anyone judging another person, no matter where they stand in their choice of a political party.