Groupon Promotes Sex Tourism and the Normalization of Porn

PornHarms.com has an initiative to boycott Groupon and we at PoSARC fully support that effort. If you have never been a clicktivist, this might be a good place to begin. Clicktivism is signing an online petition to register your position. And it is effective. We at PoSARC are asking you to both sign this petition and boycott Groupon until they change their existing policies.

You may already enjoy saving money using Groupon. Who doesn’t like to save money? Who doesn’t like to use coupons? However, Groupon is currently offering sex tourism in San Francisco and, more dangerously, promoting the normalization of porn by doing so. We fully support PornHarms in both their boycott and petition to ask Groupon to cease and desist with such offerings.

For us, the incremental savings that Groupon offers comes at the cost of an ever more pornified culture, which is a really bad bargain for PoSAs (Partners of Sex Addicts). From Porn Harm’s petition link:

For the second time, Groupon has sent out thousands of emails to individuals advertising a tour where people can view a live filming of sadomasochistic, torture porn at Kink’s studios. Groupon even advertises that groups may get to see a live filming in progress. When confronted about their choice to feature this company, Groupon defended it, saying that they “thoroughly vet the featured businesses…fortunately, this business has proven to be a responsible member of their community.”

This “responsible member of the community” specializes in the live filming of “young, sexy teens who are overwhelmed and outnumbered by men…who need to learn a lesson by multiple men;” of women being “bound, whipped, objectified and humiliated. They are immobilized, caged and humiliated as objects; of women “suspended and tied in rope bondage…tormented beyond all reason;” and of women “naked, tied up, bound, punished, exposed in public…who are taken to public bars for public sex and public humiliation….”

The material in italics and quotations are the exact words written by the porn producer that Groupon is promoting.

Is this really corporate responsibility? Shouldn’t we demand that Groupon refrain from selling torture porn tours that exploit and degrade women?

Revolting. So what is next, Groupon sells the chance to be an actor on the live sets? Or porn tours are added to family vacation packages? The process of ever-encroaching porn offerings to more and more mainstream venues is called normalization. And we staunchly object to anything that smacks of such increased normalization. Porn is already far too normalized.

No, this is where we draw the line: No public tours at porn studios, Groupon!

We PoSAs know that porn is inherently exploitative of both the performers and the men who use porn, not to mention their partners and families. Groupon’s sad acceptance of porn as a “responsible member of the community” can be countered by signing the petition.

How can a “responsible member of the community” humiliate and exploit girls and women through such degradation? Porn is a wholly misogynistic industry and there is nothing responsible about that whatsoever. Groupon has no business justifying the acceptability of porn tours, and, until they change their stance, we want nothing to do with Groupon.

No savings is worth furthering and normalizing porn. We must speak to Groupon in the language that it understands, by refusing to do business with any businesses that promote and normalize the disgusting porn industry (boycott) and sending them a direct message stating that position (signing the petition). Vote with your wallet by refusing to participate in this.

This is not the world that we want to be considered normal and/or acceptable. Nor do we want to be associated with s business that promotes sex tourism and the normalization of porn. If you agree, be a clicktivist, and please sign this petition: http://bit.ly/HSEA1G