CENSORSHIP

Taxpayers’
money has been
spent in the delay

of the Little Sis-
ters’ court case...

For years and years a battle has
been waged between a Vancouver
bookstore, Little Sisters, and the Ca-
nadian Customs. A battle that started
in the eighties has become a court case
that has been in progress for four years.

It almost seems as though the gov-
ernment prosecutors had hoped that
Little Sisters would run out of money
before the trial was over. (Afterall, they
had no worry of running short them-
selves.)

This has not happened; both gay
and straight communities have sup-
ported Little Sisters throughout the trial;
there have been numerous fund raising
events raising about $130 000 so far and
many more events are planned, now that
the court is in deliberation, with the goal
being to raise another $120 000.

Censorship has been the main fo-
cus of this court case, but there is also
homophobia present.

With the heterosexual porno-
graphic industry booming, isn’t it in-
teresting that erotic images of gays, les-

bians and bisexuals are deemed offen-
sive and are subject to Canada Customs’
censorship?

Why is one group given more free-
dom than another - if not because of
blatant discrimination?

One fear that Canada Customs has,
is that by letting pornography with a gay
theme into the country, they may some-
how be condoning pedophelia.

An all too common myth is that
pedophiles are homosexuals. We must
educate ourselves about pedophelia,
homosexuals are not pedophiles in
fact, studies show that 97% of
pedophiles are heterosexual males.

Over 100 different titles destined
for Little Sisters have been seized at the
border. Ironically, if a book is deemed
obscene when enroute to Little Sisters,
the same writing can be purchased from
other local bookstores.

Why spend taxpayers’ money on
censorship, when the money could be
used to educate ourselves about what
it is that is crossing our borders?

Some of the authors who took the
stand in defense of the Little Sisters
bookstore are: Richard Burton, Jane
Rule, Pat Califia, Bonne Ryder, and
Sarah Schulman.

Not all of the writers testifying
have had their own work censored, but
each author realizes how rigid censor-
ship threatens free thought and expres-
sion. After all, we are still taxpayers in
a free country. A democratic country.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Other Press February 25, 1995

  

contract with the world
A book by Jane Rule

review by Tammy Coombes

On March 27th. the B.C. premier
of the Jane Rule documentary will be
aired on the Knowledge Network, (see
your local listings for the time.)

Jane Rule is a brilliant Canadian
author who has had some of her writ-
ings censored by Canada Customs. An
articulate and eloquent speaker, she
tells about her experience as a writer.
One of Jane Rule’s previously
banned books is contract with the
world, published by Pandora
Press. The List of zany charac-

ters is as follows:
Joseph Rabinowitz has a

   

x) :
b contract:
with the world

nervous disorder that causes
him to constanly babble. To
cure himself, he walks... and

walks... and walks.
Mike Trasco is a

  
  

flailing artist who
repeatedly applies for
Canada Council grants for
his art projects and is
frustrated when he is
turned down.
Alma Trasco is
spoiled by her parents,
tolerates her husband,
and has an affair with
Roxanne. She writes
about it all
afterwards.

portrait photographer. In anger, he
displays pictures of people he knows to
be homosexual. They aren't impressed.

Carlotta has a dark view of life.
She is a starving artist who paints por-
traits... and usually sleeps with her sub-
jects.

The book is divided into six sec-
tions in which Jane Rule gives a diverse
description of what is taking place by
adopting the voice of one of the book’s
characters.

These characters try and make

Roxanne records

 
 
 
 
 

sounds. Sounds
from all over the
cy... ~ she “is

obsessed with her

art and gets

herself into trou-

ble with the law
because of it.

Allen

Dent is a

sense of their lives through artistic ex-
ploration; however, success and under-
standing of the world come to some and
elude others.

The book is set in Vancouver.

Other Jane Rule books published by
Pandora Press are Desert of the Heart,
Memory Board, This Is Not For You,
Against The Season, After the Fire, and
The Young in One Another’s Arms.