Here’s a good one. Scoop (via) is reporting that New Zealand’s chief censor, Bill Hastings, has declined an application from to reclassify anti-gay Conservative Christian group, the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards (SPCS) Lesbian Cops.

Hastings dismissed the Society’s concerns by arguing that There is no evidence of reluctance, coercion or power imbalance in the feature and there is very little in the video recording that bears any resemblance to the events to which the applicant refers [news stories about the alleged misuse of police batons by NZ police in sex and group orgies involving former NZ police members].

The Classification Office’s decision on video Lesbian Cops… notes: The feature mostly has an easy and relaxed tone, except the role-plays are simulating the stereotypical attitude of the ‘tough cop’. The rather humorous role-play … often puts the police character in a position of dominance. The use of a police baton as a dildo (’sex toy’) is degrading too, as it presents an object usually seen as an authoritative weapon, as a penetrative sex toy… a variety of wooden and plastic dildos are used throughout the sex scenes.

What makes this interesting is the SPCS’s response in which they claim that Hastings has “been watching hardcore porn for too long and should be removed from office by the Minister of Internal Affairs.” They go on to say that he has been “desensitised to the toxic and insidious impact of hardcore porn.”

I’m not sure that they’ve really thought this one through because, if watching explicit films disqualifies someone from working as a film censor, then anyone who works as a censor would have to be immediately disqualified from their job because of their job. So, do the SPCS want to ban everything or ban nothing?

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