Tax Dollars Fuel Easy Porn Access?
"Explicit Images of women having oral sex with one another, masturbation, graphic nudity, and sexually explicit love triangles are
being used as teaching tools in some English Literature courses at the University of Utah.”
For_Immediate_Release: March 14, 2008
(Press Release)-
Students all over Utah are banding together to tell the “U” school officials, “enough-is-enough.“ This past week, students at the
U, are starting to come forward, disturbed over a teacher’s recent homework assignment. The teacher had required her English
class as an assignment to read a graphic novel, depicting a vivid & highly erotic account of a young woman exploring her
sexuality. The novel, Fun Home by Allison Bechdel, graphically depicts accounts of women having oral sex with other women,
graphic nudity, and the open account a young woman masturbating.
The teacher, Dean of English and the Dean of Students are arguing in favor of the book, refusing to replace it altogether with a
countless array of more traditional novels most U.S. English classes have depended on for centuries. The Dean felt it was a valid
teaching tool in some English Literature Courses, and and has declined to replace it with a novel that does not promote lewd
behavior.
Students are banding together all across Utah to voice their concerns. As a successful, and recently victorious student run
Coalition, “Stand For Decency” looked things over and agreed to support the U students’ cause. They are currently determining
a possible rally or petition, until school officials & public sentiment make the necessary changes. Some students shared they feel
the University of Utah is creating porn addicts with state tax dollars instead of educating its' students, with not only books like,
Fun Home and An Autobiography of Red, by Anne Carson- a novel about a violent love triangle among three monsters with
extreme sexual explicitness. The teacher also encouraged the class to use vulgar and crude language. The following are some of
the student quotes concerning the novel Fun Home:
"I have to wonder what the professor's thought process was to give us material like this. Who wants to look at pornography?"
"I feel exploited as a woman to have a book like this be shown in our classroom. It is disgusting and the images are incredibly
disturbing. This material should not be allowed in a college classroom."
"The University has gone too far."
"The images of oral sex make me feel uncomfortable."
"Pornography is inappropriate and does not belong in the classroom."
“We do not want pornography being distributed in an institute of learning in our community."
“Students are allowed to view a variety of types of pornography for free on campus, help paid for by state taxes.”
There are no filters used on the public web at the U and some areas do not even offer security protection so that a minor may
have easy access to viewing pornography. This is in violation with the harmful to minor's law. Utah State Representative Brad
Daw is personally looking into it. Students feel it’s only right the university adopt a similar filter which thousands of public
libraries across the country have.
Other U of U Student's Comments:
"This surprises me a lot that such graphic content is allowed in the classroom. The computers on campus should have a
verification login so that minors cannot be exposed to obscene materials."
A Student transferring to the English Department in the fall of 2008: "As a prospective student I want to be in an environment
where I can be educated in an enlightening atmosphere. If a Nationally Awarded University is supporting pornographic literature
and access to pornographic images in the student library their definition of education is clearly misleading."
More student quotes available.
contact@NoMorePornography.org
www.NoMorePornography.org