"Joy of Gay Sex" in Canada
- Artist/Author/Producer: Dr. Charles Silverstein and Edmund White
- Confronting Bodies: Canadian Customs and Toronto Police
- Dates of action: 1985+
- Location: Canada
- Description of the Art Work
- "'The Joy of Gay Sex' contains just about everything one needs to know
about being gay. It is straightforward and illustrated and designed like
the others in the series - 'The Joy of Sex,' 'More Joy of Sex,' and 'The
Joy of Lesbian Sex.'"
- Description of incident
- Two Toronto police officers citing a customs ban were able to have the
book removed from virtually every bookstore in Canada. Glad Day Bookstore
in Toronto appealed the action. The deputy minister of customs turned
down this appeal, ruling that the book's depictions and illustrations of
anal sex make it obscene.
At the time, the book did not appear on the monthly Canadian customs list
of over 3000 titles which were denied entry to Canada.
- Results of incident
- More and more magazines sold at Glad Day Bookshop are missing whole
sections, and any pictures depicting anal intercourse have a large black
dot covering the offending act.
Guidelines have been instituted by the federal justice department
concerning importable materials. "Depictions of incest, bestiality,
necrophilia, and sexual relations involving children or juveniles are
prohibited. So are depictions of sexual acts which 'appear to degrade or
dehumanize any of the participants' and 'portrayals and descriptions of
the act of buggery.'" In most cases of appeal, "the deputy minister
confirms the original ruling and the vast majority of the 12,000 books,
periodicals, comic books, films, videotapes, records, laser disks, audio
cassettes, and pamphlets that are each year declared obscene stay that
way."
Source: "NOW", May 22, 1986
