부산대학교 도서관

The article discusses how nationwide crackdown on obscenity in the U.S. could freeze out gay and lesbian expression for years to come. In November 2001, Los Angeles police officers raided actor Paul Reubens's Hollywood hills home, seizing what they alleged to be stacks and stacks of obscene material and what Reubens called his vintage art collection. Reubens, popularly known as Peewee Herman, was accused by the city of Los Angeles of possessing child porn. Reubens fought back for more than two years, but on March 19, he agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor obscenity charge, pay a $100 fine, and register with the police for three years. In 2004 in the United States of America the definition of obscene is suddenly broadening to encompass all kinds of adult self-expression. Indeed, conformity to the new, narrow definition of what is acceptable is being harshly enforced. On April 8, Stern's talk show was dropped by Clear Channel Communications, the nation's largest chain of radio stations, after the Federal Communications Commission proposed a $495,000 fine for broadcasting Stern's indecent material. While queer programming on broadcast TV and basic cable seems to be enjoying an all-time high in popularity--with hits such as NBC's Will & Grace and Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy--many are concerned that the green light for new projects may change to red as media companies attempt to curry favor with regulators and politicians. In fact, the U.S. Justice Department has launched a vigorous new crackdown on what it calls adult obscenity. Given President George W. Bush's vocal, politically motivated support of a constitutional amendment denying marriage rights to same-sex couples, some producers and writers imagine networks may be under pressure to keep gay-oriented programs off the air.