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Mr. Hall (Police Raid on abbywinters.com Fitzroy Offices)
Hall said yesterday morning (Monday 15 June, 2009) Victoria Police acted on a warrant to search the premises of the adult web business AbbyWinters.com.The raid was instigated by a tabloid journalist from the Herald Sun. The journalist has written about AbbyWinters.com in the past, trying to encourage authorities to act.
Hall said no charges have been laid by the police and that no hardware was seized. Police were supplied with copies of all information that they requested and they (the police) were polite and amiable.
Hmm.. police could have just requested the relevant 2257 documentation, there's no need for a search-warrant for that. Bit overkill. Still the 'looking for underage models' thing by itself is good. AW has a detailed 2257-compliant administration just for that. The number 2257 refers to a US law covering identification and documentation of participants in an adult movie, including production dates for said movie or scenes thereof.
This is an interesting read from AW's local rag Fitzroyalty. A previous report about the first newspaper article can be found in Fitzroy porn scandal (yawn).
I definitively love AW and AW's conception of sex, which I find fascinating, innovative and totally honest. However, I must say that law may be harsh, but it is the law. And moral often is what we "rightly" want it to be...
Well, I think the whole problem is: did "the company" ever lure an under-age person "into performing prohibited sex acts on camera"?
As far as I know, AW never did that and the website is as clean as spring water.
Wishing AW a long life filled with love, usefulness and beauty!
x
Not living there or being in the "industry" I do wonder -- exactly what IS legal as far as "porn production" in Victoria? Is it, in fact, legal to create the videos? I assume so or AW wouldn't have been doing it for 10 years. I know the distribution online in AU is prohibited, but I thought producing it was legal.
Good luck to G-Media and everyone who works there. You all do GOOD work and I'm proud to subscribe. I even tell people in real life that I am a happy member of the site, that's how un-embarassing it is.
Mr. GH & Team Abby - I'm a newbie here while the rest of you are veterans. As you well know, the US is no stranger to knucklehead newspapers, cable TV channels and politicians crusading for 'morality.' I trust that you will make it through these difficulties and will be back - bigger, better and stronger than ever.
......the world needs to harden the fuck up and get over puritanism, and prudishness....
The definition of Puritans....people who are in constant fear that somewhere, someone is having fun.
The one bright note that may come out of this is that once AW is found to be innocent of any wrongdoing, and the public gets exposed to the high values set by AW, it will generate many new customers who will want to see what AW is all about. By getting these new members, it will not only increase AW's bottom line, but will show many more people why the porn laws in their country are outdated and need to be changed. AW will be in effect, creating a new army of voters who will not be opposed to porn.
One thing that keeps nagging at me about this.....why do those people who are anti-porn try to stop the viewing of people enjoying sex, whether it's a woman alone or with a partner? If a woman masturbates, that is okay. If she videotapes the masturbation and let's others view it, then that's wrong? What has she done that is wrong? She is only sharing her act of self enjoyment with others, so why is that bad? If she had gotten a massage instead, would that be wrong also? In both cases she is enjoying herself, so what's the harm in either one?
I think that AW is on the verge of a battle that I feel AW can easily win. That battle is going to be the changing of the attitude of mainstream society's views on porn. Society has always viewed porn as something that is dirty, abusive to women, degrading, and should be only viewed in smoke filled, back rooms in bars.
With AW breaking that mold and showing that porn is not something that is dirty or abusive to women, they are allowing mainstream society to see that women can show their sexuality in a fun, non-abusive, and friendly atmosphere, that actually builds a woman's confidence in herself and her sexuality. I honestly believe that the models on AW have attained a growth that they could never have achieved without AW. The experience at AW has left them with more confidence, and a higher level of self awareness of their sexuality. This is easy to see here on the boards, and it comes through loud and clear.
One thing that keeps nagging at me about this.....why do those people who are anti-porn try to stop the viewing of people enjoying sex, whether it's a woman alone or with a partner? If a woman masturbates, that is okay. If she videotapes the masturbation and let's others view it, then that's wrong? What has she done that is wrong? She is only sharing her act of self enjoyment with others, so why is that bad? If she had gotten a massage instead, would that be wrong also? In both cases she is enjoying herself, so what's the harm in either one?
I think part of the answer to these questions is that an essential part of the belief-set of "those people" is the suppression, confinement and control of female sexuality. Allowing women to enjoy sex autonomously poses a threat to this belief-set.
I think that AW is on the verge of a battle that I feel AW can easily win. That battle is going to be the changing ofhttp://forums.abbywinters.com/vbulletin/images/smilies/cool.gif the attitude of mainstream society's views on porn. Society has always viewed porn as something that is dirty, abusive to women, degrading, and should be only viewed in smoke filled, back rooms in bars.
I hope you're right, but I'd dearly like to know what makes you so optimistic. My impression is that there is a deeply puritanical streak in Australian society — and Australia is where AW has to fight its battle (unless AW management has plans to go into exile in Nauru or some such island fastness)
With AW breaking that mold and showing that porn is not something that is dirty or abusive to women, they are allowing mainstream society to see that women can show their sexuality in a fun, non-abusive, and friendly atmosphere, that actually builds a woman's confidence in herself and her sexuality.
Don't underestimate the strength of the forces (patriarchalism + prudery, to name but two) ranged against this (see my previous comment but one).
I honestly believe that the models on AW have attained a growth that they could never have achieved without AW. The experience at AW has left them with more confidence, and a higher level of self awareness of their sexuality. This is easy to see here on the boards, and it comes through loud and clear.
That is certainly true, and a number of models have stated this in various ways on various threads. And it is not just true of their sexual self-awareness/confidence. They have become more confident and competent and personally mature in all manner of respects.
And that brings us back to why there are those who regard AW and the values it stands for as inherently threatening — including the kinds of porn-merchant for whom women are commodities, and who are at one with the puritanical mob in their opposition to and fear of female sexual and personal autonomy. That
is a very dangerously powerful combination of forces.
Dakota, very well said! As a model, i definitly agree, AW has been an amazing experience,and i'm so glad it exists. I'm definitly infinity more comfortable and happy with sex, its a big part of my life, and i love it being so. I'd love for the world around me to relax too.......
I seems funny, coz sex isss very mainstream in today society, but what we see is either 'dirty porn' like that or the 'almost sex' of the mass media. AW is much better than both of those branches....how can we bring it more to the forefront?
Hello again... Very impressive support for Mr. Hall and all the staff at AWHQ, very pleasing to see, just goes to show what amazing people you have working for you Garion to get this big of a ground swell has a lot to do with everyone loving the AWHQ girls.
Is there any idea when things are going to get back to some sort of normality??? POTD kinda stuff?? I gather the US has all the next scheduled shoots safely over there but what about after that?
I know this is probably the wrong time to ask but... what happens if the site does have to change format in some way, will there be credits offered to members with subscriptions still running?? Should we be hurriedly downloading our favourite T3's as one day we my log in and they are not there??
Once again... you have got a wonderful site here and I hope that nothing changes and thus my above questions are redundant.
I also just read the Fitzroyalty article..was pleasantly surprised with how nice and thorough it was, and the nice interview with an AW model...seems like it turned the stupid herald sun article on its head showing what crap it was
I also just read the Fitzroyalty article..was pleasantly surprised with how nice and thorough it was, and the nice interview with an AW model...seems like it turned the stupid herald sun article on its head showing what crap it was
Aye Kara I agree, a thoughtful well written piece, reading it makes for a fine comparison between journalism and that which the HS proffers.
To those who feel I'm being overly optimistic, I'll offer this.....AW wasn't "raided" as the Herald states, they had some police stop by to check out their licenses and offerings....nothing was confiscated and the police were very amiable. That doesn't sound like a raid to me, it sounds like a government agency doing it's job and checking out the credentials of a business to make sure it is conforming to the law. There is nothing wrong with that.
I haven't read anywhere that AW was closed down, so that tells me that the police didn't find any wrong doing by AW. That is also a plus.
I would highly recommend to AW that once this has ended and nothing illegal was uncovered, that AW should then go after the reported who published this story and sue the hell out of him....as well as the rag that published the story, since it was based on unfounded information. Suing rags like this is the only way to put them out of business, and AW will be in the position to do this.
If everything turns out the way I feel it will, with AW being cleared of any wrongdoing, then suing the rag and the reporter would be justice for all concerned. If the rag doesn't go out of business, then AW should take out a full page ad in this rag, telling everyone what the rag did. Doing so would put the rag to shame, and hopefully stop people from buying it.
that would be great dekoda but unfortunately the herald sun is the highest selling newspaper we have here, and i do think they could afford to get sued by AW without it causing too much damage to there reputation which is shit anyway!!! but it was an awesome idea
Yes, I understand that they get sued all the time, but what would happen if AW sued them for damaging their reputation by publishing untrue statements, and that they caused irreparable harm to AW? They could sue the newspaper for say, $500 million. Wouldn't that put the paper out of business?
Even if it wouldn't close down the paper, it would stop the paper from publishing more false stories about AW, and that in itself would be a victory.
Dekoda - Thanks for saying that! After talking witha lot of the girls and keeping up with stuff on here, i agree that seems to be the situation. Some of my friends have asked me if my work is getting shut down, and one if AW got sued for 10 million...i'm like wtf, they didnt do anything wrong, they havent been charged with everything, they are just dealing with paperwork and shit to get themselves back on schedule....i dunno why people seem to automatically assume AW is getting shut down or something. Sensationalist fucking papers...
Yes, I understand that they get sued all the time, but what would happen if AW sued them for damaging their reputation by publishing untrue statements, and that they caused irreparable harm to AW? They could sue the newspaper for say, $500 million. Wouldn't that put the paper out of business?
Even if it wouldn't close down the paper, it would stop the paper from publishing more false stories about AW, and that in itself would be a victory.
Some fights are just not worth getting into. Some are not even worth "winning" — ever heard the expression "Pyrrhic victory"?
I just want to add my voice to the chorus: best wishes and all my support for Mr.Hall and the AW staff, disgust with the puritans and tabloid rags. I hope this resolves quickly and quietly. If there's anything we (the customers) can do to help with the situation, please let us know!
i'd love to see some out of date laws be liberated but i don't think "AW vs The Herald Sun" is the way to do it. i think it would be better for this to be cleared up without too much media involved. i know that there's a number of models who don't want all of Australia's eyes on aw.
but once this is over then yes i'd love to be part of something to get the laws changed. but probably not directly coming from aw. isn't there a political party who are all about that kind of stuff?
Last edited by katherine_f; 18 June 2009, 01:01 PM.
toby, thanks so much for that splendid poster. when i saw manifested the infinite stupidity of publishing that all-revealing sentence, i could only hope someone with talent would use it for us.
and you did! i love it. those goofy sated looking guys..
Dekoda, keep in mind that the Australian law is stupidly conservative when it comes to porn, not to mention fuzzy and self-contradictory, which means that G Media may well be honestly in the shit, so I am not entirely sure they'll be able to sue anyone for damaging their reputation. A lot of people assume things about Australia, such as the right to freedom of speech, but it's not actually written anywhere in our laws, as far as I know. What do you think about [I]that/I]? While in many ways, I consider Australia is ahead of America, in others, we are lagging behind most terribly.
Sorry, I'm being very much the defensive pessimist, and have kind of prepared myself for the worst. It's funny though how it awakens that primitive caveman (or cavewoman) instinct to go and clock the person causing the problem, in this case, whoever wrote those stupid anti-porn laws. I don't appreciate the government telling me to keep it in my pants.
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