The strange bedfellows driving — and winning — the war on porn

Anti-pornography crusaders are on a winning streak

Anti-pornography crusaders are on a winning streak.

On almost every front, those who argue that pornography is a scourge on society are racking up wins. States are implementing online age verification laws, and some politicians are pursuing aggressive bans on explicit content. Culturally, the viewpoint that porn is not only harmful to women but increasingly men and the sexual development of young people has made significant inroads.

As porn has become more mainstream, so has the discussion around it.

“Porn is bulls---. It is dangerous, not real, and a performance,” pop star Gracie Abrams said in a February interview with Cosmopolitan. “It’s really dangerous for young people for that to be their introduction to sex.”

Once viewed as a fringe moral crusade, the war against porn has ballooned into a multipronged, mainstream force over the past decade that now counts feminists, religious crusaders, alpha male influencers and a growing number of politicians among its ranks. And after several key social and legislative wins, the movement faces its biggest test. A Supreme Court ruling this summer is set to determine whether a Texas law, which mirrors legislation in over a dozen states and requires porn websites to confirm a visitor’s age or face financial penalties in the name of protecting minors from explicit content, infringes on the First Amendment rights of adults.