A Crime of Misogyny, Not Simply of Homophobia: How Misogynistic Porn Culture Creates Violence Against Women

Photo credit: Huffington Post

News flash: the recent violent and unhinged beating of two women on a bus in London was not simply a homophobic crime. Homophobia was not the core motivator. The young men were not afraid of these women’s same sex love for each other. They could care less about that. No, they were disdainful and livid over the refusal of two lesbian identified women to act out one of the most disgusting of straight male fantasies- these women refused to be objects and to give in to culturally approved misogynistic porn culture driven demands.

It’s the Misogyny, — -

Like most of our culture, reporting on this issue missed the point. Misogyny all on its own is disturbing, cruel, and deadly. Misogyny happens in ways big and small, and is reinforced over and over again. These young men were following a well worn cultural script that says men can do whatever they want to women, men can demand whatever they want from women, and that women are little more than objects here to perform for men or be punished for not falling in line.

These scripts come from a variety of sources in our toxic culture but they are the generalized playbook of all pornography. Countless mainstream movies and…