Utah Porn Czar, Paula Houston

The Salt Lake Tribune profiles Paula Houston, Utah's new "porn czar," a position created by the state legislature last year to stamp out the sexual menace. The new official "unabashedly brings the values of her Mormon faith to an assignment that will include viewing XXX-rated movies, pornographic Internet sites and sexually explicit magazines." The article notes that Houston is a 40-year-old virgin and continues, "Houston's lack of personal sexual experience disqualifies her in the minds of some from passing judgment on just what constitutes pornography." Tellingly, the article doesn't quote a single person actually making that argument; it sounds suspiciously like a straw-man argument invented by Houston's right-wing supporters in order to tout her moral rectitude. Critics quoted in the article instead broach the dangers of government crusades to restrict free speech rights and to suppress nonconformist worldviews.
Salt Lake Tribune (Feb 2001)

Not every Utahan thinks their state needs a "porn czar." In fact, some think it's a downright stupid idea. In February, Ben Fulton reviewed Utah's sorry history of smut crackdowns and suggested some utterly filthy works for the porn czar to consider: Plato, Shakespeare, Chaucer, The Bible, et al. In March, Fulton took up the issue again, cutting through the rhetoric to figure out what exactly the porn czar's duties are and pointing out the dangers of abuse with a mandate so vaguely worded.
Salt Lake City Weekly (Feb-Mar 2001)

Utah State University hosted a panel discussion about free speech and pornography on Thursday, pitting Utah "porn czar" Paula Houston against the ACLU's Stephen Clark. Regarding Houston's newly created positon, Clark said, "My best hope is that her job will end quickly and innocuously she won't accomplish much."
Standard.net (Apr 2001)

David Bienenstock interviews two women from opposite sides of the porn wars: Houston, the porn star known for her "world record" 620-man gangbang video, and Paula Houston, Utah's new "porn czar." Penthouse calls the feature "A Tale of Two Houstons: Porn Star vs. Porn Czar." The porn star interview is predictably uninteresting fluff; she declares the gangbang "awesome," "a blast," "wild," etc. The lengthier Paula Houston interview quickly becomes more a debate between the anti-porn and anti-censorship positions, with some hostile exchanges and revealing statements.
Penthouse (May 2001)

The Salt Lake Tribune weighs the impact of Utah's porn czar after eight months on the job. Paula Houston, whose official job title is "obscenity and pornography complaints ombudswoman," has not initiated any cases against porn purveyors. She spends much of her time responding to citizen complaints by "explaining what makes something pornographic and why much of the material some people find offensive is nevertheless legal." She also encourages parents and advocacy groups to take action against publishers, advertisers and stores. . . . A related Tribune article profiles one such group, Women for Decency, which met with the porn czar last month. In one of the most offensive, asinine evocations of September 11 I've come across, the director of Women for Decency claims, "The parallels between [smut and terror] are uncanny. Pornography destroys families. It's not a one-time shot like an airplane flying into the World Trade Center. But little by little, blow by blow, it can be just as destructive. We are getting bombarded on all sides."
Salt Lake Tribune (Oct 2001)

Utah legislators are debating a bill which would relax the state's current outright ban on public displays of nudity. Porn czar Paula Houston is pushing the bill because the existing law is clearly unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable, but some conservative activists and legislators are fighting to keep the existing law.
Salt Lake Tribune (Jan 2002)

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff insists on continuing to fund the state "porn czar" position created two years ago and held since by Paula Houston. The state legislature's budget analysts recommended eliminating the Obscenity and Pornography Ombudsman Office, which has done very little under Houston's leadership. I love this part:

But lawmakers agreed to let the position continue as long as Shurtleff could come up with the funding. He did so, and promised he would move Houston toward a more aggressive role in prosecuting cases. He also promoted a Web site, still being developed, where anyone could access the most frequently asked questions regarding pornography and obscenity laws.

Hell, if they need someone to write a Pornography FAQ, I'd be willing to do it freelance for a lot less than $120,000. (Sep 2002)