Pornography and Rape: A Causal Model

Abstract Proponents of the anti-pornography-equals-censorship school deliberately obfuscate any distinction between erotica and pornography, using the term erotica for all sexually explicit materials (e.g. Pally 1994; Strossen 1995). In contrast, most anti-pornography feminists consider it vitally important to distinguish between pornography and erotica (see Itzin 1992; Lederer 1980; Russell 1993). While condemning pornography, most of us approve of, or even advocate, erotica. Although women’s bodies are the staple of adult pornography, it is important to have a gender-neutral definition that encompasses the various types of pornography, including gay pornography and child pornography.