The Tom Flanagan issue certainly set of a shit storm. However, Brenda Cossman rightly points out that it might not have been the necessary debate.
Canada’s child pornography laws are certainly controversial. They don’t even resemble our sexual consent laws. I do echo the point that yes, kiddie porn is bad, but as Brenda notes, the broad legal range encompassing those words prohibits far more than what we most fear.
A year or so ago I was involved in an erotica writers group. One of the writers submitted a story for our review, autobiographical nonetheless that included a sexual situation between an adult and a 16 year old.
Having followed the legal status of such worl for some time, I immediately printed a hard copy,deleted the file and email it came in and when our meeting came, cautioned the author of the story’s controversial legal status.
This was that writer’s life. Even if it were fictional, consent was involved. Are we to presume that no story, fact or fiction, can involve those under 17/18–even given what we know about teenagers and sex?
I do not know if writers are being charged under this law. Media reports all seem to suggest that those being prosecuted are in possession of the kind of photos and videos that we do fear. If anyone has stats of this nature, I will receive them gladly.
In the meantime, let’s keep this conversation open and hopefully government might take a second look.
