Group Activism
Plan your own Antiporn Action Weekend!
In July 2006, five antiporn activists got together in a certain North American city for a weekend of antiporn activism.
They used a mix of semi-permanent supplies (stickers) and non-permanent supplies (sidewalk chalk and flyers). If you plan to do similar actions, please check with your local ordinances for guidance on using permanent materials such as spray paint. The following is a summary of their event:
Preparation
We took along the following:
• APAN brochures
apanbrochure.pdf
• Sidewalk chalk
• Destroy and Warning stickers
• Spray paint
• A large bedsheet
• Assorted duct tape, twine, markers, etc.
Next, we proceeded with the following steps.
Step 1. General Informational Outreach
• We went to the heart of a busy city and put APAN brochures on the windshields of parked cars.
• We split up for maximum coverage.
• This is completely legal in our city, so we didn't worry about complaints.
• We didn't discriminate in which cars we flyered, since pornography impacts everyone.
Of course, not everyone was immediately convinced.
Step 2. Parking Lot Outreach
We visited a Big Box Porn Shop and decorated the cars in the parking lot with "Destroy your Porn Collection" stickers.
They peel right off, so we didn't damage the cars.
Step 3. Nightclub Re-education
Since we did our outreach in a college town, we paid special attention to nightclubs featuring "foam parties" and "get in free with a thong!" nights.
We got there early in the day before they opened. We brought our chalk and stickers, and kept an eye out for surveillance cameras.
Step 4. Brothel Exterior Redecoration
How did we know it was a brothel and not a legitimate massage therapist? Firstly, you must peruse the back of the local alterna-weekly for small ads that include two or more of the following phrases: "relaxing massage," "walk-in service," "body shampoo," "body rubdown," "now hiring - no experience necessary," and "American hostesses."
No legitimate massage therapist accepts walk-in customers, hires unlicensed staff, and tells you the ethnicity of its therapists. In our case, the brothel listed its street address and we confirmed by checking the door for lots of "We Support Our Police" decals (another tip-off).
Sidewalk chalk in hand, we expressed ourselves on the sidewalk outside the brothel. Chalk is obviously a non-permanent material, but if confronted by unruly brothel owners, we planned to say we were thinking about applying to be hostesses, because we had no experience whatsoever.
Step 5. Highway Signage Augmentation
Armed with a large bedsheet and thin galvanized wire, we identified a suitable overpass. Our spray-painted slogan said YOUR PORNOGRAPHY USE HURTS WOMEN AND CHILDREN, but another one we're fond of is: WOMEN ARE RAPED TO MAKE YOUR PORNOGRAPHY. If you try this yourself, make sure you find a way to secure the bottom (we didn't).
Prior to our Action Weekend, we asked a local cop about this tactic, and he said it's perfectly legal as long as the banner doesn't interfere with visibility or get tangled up in a passing truck. Our banner stayed up two full days before removal.
Please note that we will take no responsibility for the legal outcome of your Antiporn Action Weekend. We do not advocate using any materials that will permanently damage someone else's property.
We need your stories and photos! If you had your own antiporn adventure, please send us your report.
This is a video from our European colleagues Object UK:
This photo was contributed by member Liz in Maryland:
