Myths About Erotic Media And Human Trafficking

A bold and serious charge that is brought against erotic media by people on both sides of the political spectrum is the assertion that sexual material promotes human trafficking.  While this claim is just as asinine as the idea that video games cause players to commit violent acts, it remains one of the primary arguments used by those who are against erotic media as a whole.  At worst, some opponents of erotic media realize that there is nothing coercive or degrading about making and publishing sexual material online in itself (given that the sexual acts displayed or written about are not sinful) and still claim that erotic media itself feeds human trafficking.

Moreover, the components of human trafficking, which start with kidnapping and may lead to the sexual exploitation or physical abuse of men and women, are explicitly condemned in Mosaic Law (see Exodus 21:16 and Deuteronomy 22:25-27), while the creation and enjoyment of sexual media that does not promote sexual immorality is Biblically innocent (Deuteronomy 4:2).  Biblically speaking, there is an enormous difference between human trafficking and mere erotic media as it is.  Logically speaking, one can prove that the two are not synonymous just by realizing that one does not have to involve the other.

Erotic images and videos are not associated with abductions, rape, or other nonconsensual acts simply because they are sexual in nature.  However, myths about erotic media and human trafficking go beyond insisting the opposite.  It is specifically insisted that women are victimized by virtue of being featured in sexual images and videos--as if no men are ever victimized for the online amusement of others!  This sexist emphasis on female victims is only one of many ways that violence and sexual assault of men is trivialized by conservative evangelicals and liberals alike.

Women and men can celebrate their physicality and sexuality in legitimate ways using erotic media, and yet it is largely women alone who are encouraged to see this as empowering.  Women and men can be sexually victimized by others, and yet it is largely women alone who receive aid as victims.  A truly rationalistic approach to erotic media is an egalitarian one; in turn, a genuinely egalitarian approach to erotic media disregards all stereotypes and all forms of discrimination against either gender where sexuality and visual media intersect.

Regardless of which objection someone might raise, there is nothing about erotic media that requires human trafficking.  At most, human trafficking is only behind a subset of erotic materials, although conservatives and liberals have condemned the entire category of media because of the potential for some people to abuse it.  Anything can be misused, sexual or otherwise, and the person intelligent enough to see this can identify slippery slope arguments as the powerless non sequiturs and red herrings they are.