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Michigan GOP bill aims to ban pornography online, including content on "disconnection between biology and gender"

A group of House Republicans has introduced a bill in Lansing that intends to ban all pornography online, including descriptions of "a disconnection between biology and gender." 

House Bill 4938, named the "Anticorruption of Public Morals Act," was introduced Thursday and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. 

"Don't make it, don't share it, don't view it," lead sponsor Rep. Josh Schriver of Oxford, a Republican from District 66, said in a social media post about the bill along with a request to add porn distributors to the sex offender registry. "These measures defend children, safeguard our communities, and put families first." 

Schriver said in his social media post that existing obscenity laws are outdated and rarely enforced online. He also said that there are few tools for parents and schools to restrict access to minors. 

With exceptions for scientific or medical research or instruction, House Bill 4938 would prohibit two categories of behavior: 

  • The depiction, description or simulation of specific sexual activities, "whether real, animated, digitally generated, written, or auditory" to include intercourse and "sensual voice content." This would include, according to the text of the bill, "erotic autonomous sensory meridian response content, moaning, or sensual voice content."
  • The depiction, description or simulation "whether real, animated, digitally generated, written, or auditory, that includes a disconnection between biology and gender by an individual of 1 biological sex imitating, depicting, or representing himself or herself to be of the other biological sex by means of a combination of attire, cosmetology, or prosthetics, or as having a reproductive nature contrary to the individual's biological sex." 

The bill then states a commercial entity, individual, public institution or internet platform "shall not knowingly distribute or make available prohibited material via the internet to any individual in this state." The offense would be a felony with a prison sentence of up to 20 years and/or a fine of up to $100,000. 

Should there be more than 100 pieces of prohibited material involved, the offense would be a felony of up to 25 years in prison and / or a fine of $125,000. 

The bill would require content moderation tools to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide real-time content scanning and immediate takedown steps. 

If enacted into law, the bill would take effect after 90 days. 

The bill has five co-sponsors, all Republicans: Joseph Pavlov from District 64; Matt Maddock from District 51; James DeSana from District 29; Joseph Fox from District 101; and Jennifer Wortz from District 35. 

CBS News Detroit contacted the Michigan Democratic Party on Monday and is waiting to hear back.

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