“The Mormon war on porn is coming for you.”
This subtitle is the least obscene part of the latest issue of Penthouse, a porn magazine angry at the state of Utah for their public declaration that pornography is a public health crisis and their belief that the Church is influencing legislation.
The magazine specifically calls out Utah Governor Gary Herbert, who declared in March 2016 that pornography is a public health hazard, the first state to do so. He also signed a resolution aiming to combat pornography in Utah. Penthouse, who obviously disagrees, blames the “hyper-conservative” LDS Church. In the official press statement for the issue, Editor-in-Chief Raphie Aronowitz, said:
“The Mormon Church has a long-standing tradition of repression and control over its local residents in Utah. It has now permeated the roots of local and national politics, and influenced policy.”
The eight-page essay itself was written by Huffington Post staff writer Andy Campbell. He writes, “Nobody wants to show their young children pornography, much like nobody wants their toddler driving to preschool. By the same token, nobody wants their government — or that government’s preferred religion — to define their sexuality. Even the LDS Church touts free agency and ‘the privilege of choice which was introduced by God’.”
Aronowitz openly stated that Penthouse sent issues to “several folks in Utah,” including Governor Herbert and “the heads of the Church in Salt Lake City.”
“Since the Mormon Church brings its unsolicited moral, religious, and political values to our doorsteps, we decided to return the favor,” he said. This isn’t the first time this has happened. In June, Hustler magazine delivered their pornographic magazine on the home doorsteps of Utah legislators.
The press release also taunts the inclusion of pornographic images of “Mormon inspired ‘sister wives'” in the issue.
To learn more about the Church’s stance on pornography, click here. For more resources to help those struggling with pornography, check these out.
