I really became interested in this issue way back when I started reading a UK magazine called Bizarre. I think this magazine is a great example of community organizing in unexpected places. Bizarre has long been an advocate of personal and sexual freedom, and has been covering developments in the Spanner trials since the very beginning. These trials occurred when a police raid turned up a violent sexual video originally believed to possibly be a snuff film. When all of the participants stepped forward to state that the video was, in fact, depicting consensual sex acts between adults who all remained alive and well, they were arrested none-the-less. In a landmark ruling it was declared that BDSM is not legal, and all "tops" were arrested for assault while "bottoms" were arrested for aiding and abetting their own assaults, (nevermind that activities such as boxing can utilize consent to bypass assault laws). Additionally, the UK has passed an extreme pornography ban, also reported on multiple times by Bizarre magazine, which outlaws images of a sexual nature depicting (either real or fake) activities that could cause death or grave damage to the genitals, anus or breasts. The only exception would be those immediately involved in image production, (the photographer and the model specifically). In addition to speaking out about the discrimination involved in these laws, Bizzare magazine has also launched the Proud to Be Different campaign in response to the brutal beating death of Sophy Lancaster, who was attacked and kicked to death due to the gothic appearance of herself and her partner in early 2008. The campaign offers a place for community members to share stories, ideas, and a sense of solidarity, and can be accessed through Bizarre's article on the campaign.
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