Defending Pornography
Nadine Strossen
A new edition of a groundbreaking, feminist defense of pornography as free speech
Named a Notable Book by The New York Times Book Review in 1995, Defending Pornography examines a key question that has divided feminists for decades: is censoring pornography good or bad for women? Nadine Strossen makes a powerful case that increasing government power to censor sexual expression, beyond the limits that the First Amendment sensibly permits (for example, outlawing child pornography) would do more harm than good for women and others who have traditionally been marginalized due to sex or gender, She explains how the very anti-porn laws pushed by some feminists have led to the censorship of LGBTQ+ and feminist works, and she examines the startling connections between anti-porn feminists and right-wing fundamentalists. In an illuminating new Preface, Strossen lays out the multiple current assaults on sexual expression, which continue to come from across the ideological spectrum. She shows that freedom for such expression remains an essential prerequisite for the equality, safety, and dignity of women and sexual/gender minorities.
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About Nadine Strossen
Reviews for Defending Pornography
Entertainment Weekly
"A passionately argued, cogently written, lively discourse on the increasingly peculiar politics of sex."
New York Times Book Review
"Proves without a doubt that free expression is an essential foundation for women's liberty, equality, and sexuality."
Betty Friedan
"Strong medicine for all those who would censor sexual expression in cyberspace."
Jerry Berman,Executive Director, Center for Democracy and Technology
"Defending Pornography is valuable precisely because of its lucid, broad exploration of the long debate over pornography."
The Washington Post Book World
"A triumphant (and sensual) view of women that stands in stark contrast to the bleak version of powerlessness and paternalism offered by her critics."
Wall Street Journal
"In her true-to-form spirit, Strossen tackles her subject yet again with a blend of verve, acumen, and nuance. Make of the always controversial 'First Lady of Liberty' what you will, but one must grant this: Strossen is formidable in making her case."
Ronald K. L. Collins, FIRE