This week in class we viewed Inside Deep Throat, an odd documentary
about an odd porn movie from the 70’s. As
far as I knew, Deep Throat was only
famous because of Watergate but was it more than that? The discussion of porn
made me immediately think of the University of Maryland and the censorship that
was forced upon it from the state government over its desire to show a porn
movie on campus.
The
University of Maryland, College Park, canceled the screening of a hard-core
pornographic film because state lawmakers objected to the movie and threatened
to cut funding. The movie, Pirates 2: Stagnetti’s Revenge, was to be shown at
the student union and had been approved by a student programming committee.
“That's really not what Maryland residents send their young students to college
campus for, to view pornography," (Stephen Kiel 2009) said Senate President Thomas V.
Mike Miller. He acknowledged the legislature should not get involved in
censoring movies but went onto say “the General Assembly is not going to
support screening hard-core pornographic movies on a state campus paid for by
taxpayer dollars” (Stephen Kiel 2009) .
“Sen. Andrew P. Harris, a
Republican from Baltimore and Harford counties, suggested amending the state's
annual budget to deny any funding to a higher education institution that allows
a public screening of a film marketed as a XXX-rated adult film, unless it is
part of an official academic course” (Stephen Kiel 2009) .
The students planned to show the movie with the help
of a Planned Parenthood presentation on safe sex. A few years earlier the
students showed Deep Throat and felt
that showing this movie would be a better alternative to drinking or drug use.
After all of the bickering between the State and the
students, the students got their way and showed the film. As of the writing of
the article, the Student Union did not receive any complaints.
Bibliography
Stephen Kiel,
Laura Smitherman, Gadi Dechter. "Creening of Porn Film at University of
Maryland Canceled." The Baltimore Sun, April 2, 2009.
