FACE-SITTING PROTEST
One of the examples of democratic participation which proves that political and activist endeavors do not need to be unattractive, dull, or unsexy is London’s Face-sitting protest. It took place on December 12, 2014, in UK’s capital. The background was new restrictions on the porn industry imposed by the government. They were designed to forbid content such as female ejaculation, spanking, caning, fisting, and for sure face-sitting on sites with video-on-demand for adults. While the regulator ATVOD – the Authority for Television on Demand claimed that they are just aligning “regulatory inconsistency”, the industry’s workers have seen it as censorship.
The sole topic and background of the protest inspired a lot of creativity which turned into a public exhibition of acts that were to become censored, mainly face-sitting (admittedly it is the most practical one for outdoor use). Protestors displayed their disagreement by committing collective face-sitting in front of the Parliament. And more than that, actually. Pictures and videos tell a thousand words so judge for yourself.
Back to arguments made by one of the organizers of the protest. Charlotte Rose who was voted as “Sex Worker of the Year 2013”: “How does anyone define aggressive whipping? f I am whipping you with a smile on my face, do I look aggressive?” Wow, what a logical explanation. Pure ingeniosity. The protester’s signs such as “Squirt does not hurt.” really make a strong point. Some of them were happy to try out something completely new because as they said: “I never did this with my trousers on.”
FROM BURNING WITCHES TO FACE-SITTING
One must admit, scenes that were seen during the face-sitting protest are something unimaginable to relate with the surrounding of Westminster palace. But that happened. Just imagine telling someone from Medieval England during the inquisition that in a few hundred years such an event will take place. Right on doorsteps of the institution where rulings to burning witches took place! It would seem like a doomsday prophecy. Or perhaps like the second arrival of Jesus Christ. It drastically depends on the viewer’s perception. But objectively this is how democracy and human freedom progressed in a few hundred years. This is how free we humans have become no matter what we are currently struggling with.
So the next time you complain about something in your life remembers that you can always perform a Face-sitting protest in front of a responsible institution. Completely free and unharmed. This property was unavailable to our ancestors. Hail to the democracy for you can be as sexy as hell! So the next time there is a protest be sure not to miss it because you never know what valuable experience you might gain 😉
