Is there too much hostility towards the strip club in Ampthill?

Tensions are growing in the Bedfordshire town Ampthill over plans to open a lap dancing club. 

Jonathan Vernon-Smith speaks to Matthew Dear from the we love Ampthill Campaign and Benedict Garratt a Male stripper Social and Sexual Activist.

Listen on the BBC iplayer:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00zbp5c

Source:  BBC

Stacie Halas, Former Haydock Intermediate School Teacher Fired For Porn Star Past, Fighting To Get Her Job Back

Stacie Halas, the former junior high school science teacher who was dismissed from her position at Richard B. Haydock Intermediate School after it was revealed she was once a porn star, is fighting to get her job back, NBC Los Angeles reports.

At a hearing Thursday, Halas made an emotional plea, saying that her first porn shoot made her feel "dirty" and "shameful."She let herself down, she said, but felt trapped because she needed cash as her parents and sisters couldn't even afford groceries.

Her lawyer, Richard Schwab argued in court that Halas, 32, was done with the X-rated business when she started her job as a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at the Oxnard, Calif. school in 2009. Furthermore, while porn might not be a respected industry, it is still legal, and Halas only resorted to the profession because she needed the money.

"I think most of us have something in our backgrounds," Schwab told NBC Los Angeles after the hearing. "And I ask anybody here to cast the first stone."

Oxnard school officials are unsympathetic. They say that they never knew she had appeared in pornographic videos until April, and that lying to her boss was grounds for dismissal, according to district spokesman Tom DeLapp. He said the fact that Halas listed being a lifeguard and working at Subway as prior employment but omitted her porn star past “is very telling.”

Schwab claims that his client’s appearance in adult films — a career that spanned from 2005 to 2007, years before her teaching job — has not hindered her ability to be an effective teacher.

School officials view the situation differently, however, and maintain Halas’ past is too much of a distraction to allow her back in the classroom. She was put on administrative leave in April and eventually fired after some students and teachers reported they had seen her in a video they described as "hardcore pornography."

The administrative panel is expected to take several days to make a decision on Halas’ case.

Two months ago, Susan Brennan, a former West Ottawa High School teacher, filed a federal employment discrimination lawsuit against the Michigan district, claiming her firing two years ago was due to her previous job as a stripper, which her then-husband had forced her into taking. The school claimed she was dismissed due to her frequent absences, failure to teach students the prescribed curriculum, failure to use acceptable grading practices and using a cell phone during class.

Source: Huffington Post

Should children be taught that porn is not real?

Many teenagers regularly view porn. But does this give them a distorted view of sex and relationships, and is there anything that can be done?

For many parents, the idea of their child seeking out, or stumbling across, online porn is the stuff of nightmares.

But with many children's bedrooms equipped with computers and the proliferation of the smartphone there are plenty of parents who would accept the inevitability.

There is no clear statistical picture as to how many children access porn online, or how often they do it.

In 2011, an EU-wide survey found that a quarter of 9-16 year-olds had seen sexual images and only 11% on websites.

Almost a third of 16-18-year-olds have seen sexual pictures on mobile phones at school at least a few times a month, a 2010 YouGov survey suggested.

The National Association of Head Teachers is calling for children to be taught, "in an age-appropriate way", about the impact of pornography as part of the national curriculum. So from a young age, about 10, children would be taught about internet safety and warned about content, while teenagers would cover the issues in more detail.

"Children are growing up in an overtly sexualised world and part of this includes easy access to pornography on the internet and they need the skills to deal with that," says policy adviser Sion Humphreys.

The key concern is that teenagers personal lives, and even their adult sex lives, will be shaped by what they have seen.

Porn is not normal sex, the campaigners note.

Cindy Gallop, an advertising executive turned web entrepreneur, has set up a site which compares the "porn world" with the "real world" of sex.

Gallop, who spoke on the subject at a TED conference in 2009, says this "ubiquity, and freedom of access to online porn, combined with a society that is reluctant to talk about sex", has resulted in "porn becoming the default sex education".

One of the campaigners' concerns is that teenage girls and boys feeling pressured to do certain things they would not otherwise choose to do.

The idea is that if many teenagers are watching porn, and a certain activity is widespread in porn, their inference is that it is widespread in people's sex lives.

Commentators have already noted how aesthetic standards spread from the world of porn. "Brazilian"-style waxing is now considered normal by many in the US and UK. Even teenagers can feel they have to conform.

Boris Johnson's sister, Rachel, made headlines when she revealed her horror at her 15-year-old daughter's desire to wax.

In 2010, a Home Office report warned the "drip-drip" exposure to sexual imagery - which included pornography, "lads' mags" and sexual imagery in advertising - was distorting young people's perceptions of themselves, encouraging boys to become fixated on being macho and dominant, and girls to present themselves as sexually available and permissive.

One 17-year-old, Rebecca, says porn changes boys' expectations of how girls should look. "Long hair, big boobs, big bum. If I had short hair, guys would be like, why short hair? You should grow it out."

Her classmate Femi says porn can worry boys too.

"Maybe you're not physically living up to what porn is showing you," he says.

Karen, 20, says when she was 16, her boyfriend and his friends watched online porn "like it was a hobby". She says he would often watch it in front of her, copying what he saw.

"I thought there was something wrong with me for not enjoying it," she says.

A survey of 16-24 year olds by the University of Plymouth and the UK Safer Internet Centre found that one in three admitted porn had affected their relationships. ChildLine said it had seen a 34% rise in the last year in the number of calls from teenagers distressed by sexual images they had viewed online.

But conclusive proof of sexual behaviour changing among teenagers is hard to come by.

At the moment, personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education - which can include teaching on sex and relationships - is not compulsory in England, unlike other parts of the UK, although it is in the national curriculum.

Secondary school science lessons include basic biology. Beyond that it's up to schools how to address sex, and parents have the right to withdraw their children from any sex education.

So should school children be taught that pornography is not "real"?

Leonie Hodge, from the charity Family Lives - which has taught more than 7,000 students about the subject - is a firm believer that children need to learn the difference between porn and reality.

With 90% of children owning a smartphone, she says it is no longer relevant to talk about "making a baby".

"Teenagers are bombarded with pornography from a young age, you can't escape it. Its patronising to say they can't cope with the lesson because they can."

The charity uses role-play exercises to discuss with young people how they would react if they receive indecent images, and what porn makes them feel like.

But the National Union of Teachers say referring to pornography in lessons is a step too far and that it should only be discussed if students approach it.

This is the "most wired generation" ever, says Gallop.

And the 52-year-old, who has spoken of her series of relationships with men in their 20s, says her first-hand experience includes young men who derive many of their sexual attitudes from pornography, rather than anything more loving or intimate.

"I also get emails every day from young people pouring their hearts out, saying they had been utterly confused, and had no idea what was normal," she says.

But as well as teaching children about the impact of porn, Gallop thinks parents should also have more of an open dialogue with their children.

"The key is not to get embarrassed, or say something like 'nice girls don't do that', and it doesn't matter if a child doesn't really want to listen, the important thing is to keep the line of communication open," she says.

Siobhan Freegard, co-founder of Netmums, says the issue of online porn regularly comes up on forums, and there is quite a strong feeling among mothers that protecting their child from it, or educating them about it, is a parent's responsibility.

But she says mothers frequently panic when they come across porn on a computer at home.

"It can be a minefield - many don't know what to do or say. For example a single mother may struggle with teenage boys, a single father may not know how to approach the subject with his daughter. In very traditional households, they might not even talk about sex at all.

"The ideal solution is for schools and parents to work together," she says.

Source: BBC News

Porn star axed from panto role over X-rated movies

A PANTO star has been axed from his role as Prince Charming – after it was revealed that he appeared in a PORN film.

Craig Chalmers, 30, found fame after appearing on hit BBC show Any Dream Will Do in 2007, which searched for a new lead to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

Craig, from Edinburgh, since established himself as a musical star and was due to play Prince Charming at the Alhambra Theatre in Dunfermline, Scotland, this festive season.

But he was sacked and replaced with co-star James Mackenzie after bosses were tipped off by a member of public that he had starred in X-rated movies.

In the married actor’s adult film, in which he used the name Ryan Ryder, he can clearly be seen taking part in sex acts.

His profile and picture also feature on the JEM adult talent agency website.

A spokeswoman from the Alhambra Theatre said today that the content was not appropriate for someone appearing in a family show and that Chalmers had admitted his involvement.

She added: “In light of information given by the public, of which we were completely unaware, we can confirm Craig Chalmers is no longer taking part in the pantomime.”

Craig remained defiant over his X-rated career and blamed an unexpected “crossover” between the launch of his porn career and his kids' panto role this Christmas.

He said: “I’m not ashamed of it. I’m being well paid and I’m comfortable with doing it.

“The plan was to wrap my panto career up after this Christmas and concentrate on my new career.

"However there has been an unintended crossover and I’m well aware that there is a clear conflict of interest.

“I understand that a lot of people are going to judge me badly for it but at the end of the day both my friends and family are fully aware of my career and they support my decision."

Craig has previously performed with an all-male strip group called G-Force and also had a short-lived career in boyband No Reason.

He became a household name in 2007 when he finished fifth in Any Dream Will Do and was later chosen to play Joseph in the UK touring production.

Source:  The Sun

Pornography impact lessons 'should be taught' in school

School children need to be taught about the impact of porn as part of the national curriculum.

The National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) says more young people are now getting information about sex from online and sex education guidelines are out of date.

Policy adviser Sion Humphreys said: "Children are growing up in an overtly sexualised world.

"That includes easy access to porn and they need the skills to deal with it. "

"We would support children being taught in an age-appropriate way about the impact of pornography as part of a statutory Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) programme. "

He said that lessons could start from primary school but that the material would depend on age.

"Evidence suggests 10 isn't too young to start lessons on pornography, but it wouldn't be a full on lesson but the grounding would be laid down."

At the moment, PSHE, which includes sex and relationships education, is not compulsory in England unlike other parts of the UK.

Biological facts are part of all lessons in secondary school science lessons.

Beyond that parents have the right to withdraw their children from any sex education.

But The National Union of Teachers say referring to issues of porn in lessons is a step too far and that schools should only talk about it if asked by students.

The Department of Education wouldn't comment on the impact of porn in lessons, but said it's up to individul schools on how the teach sex education.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland also say policies should be devised by schools.

Source:  BBC

Benedict Garrett, Ex-Porn Star, Stripper, Teacher, On Fired New York Guidance Counselor: 'So Bloody What'

On the heels of New York City high school guidance counselor Tiffani Webb being fired over racy images that emerged from her modeling past over 17 years ago, HuffPost Live host Abby Huntsman hosted a discussion Monday about whether we should care about what went on in educators' pasts.

Benedict Garrett, a London-based former secondary school teacher who also stripped and starred in porn, shared the story of when his students found out about his extracurricular activities.

Garrett said he was fired from the job after students saw an ad on an adult channel featuring him.

"I was sacked from my teaching job because of the work I did outside school hours," he said. "I'm surprised by the story of this lady in New York. I assumed she was naked in these pictures, which first of all made me think, 'So bloody what. If a child sees that a woman has breasts and genitals, what a surprise?' And in fact, she's wearing underwear! I just find this whole story utterly ridiculous, I'm sorry."

Sinnamon Love, an adult film star and mother of three, even suggested that Webb's past could be beneficial to students in her work as a guidance counselor.

"I feel very strongly that young people need to be able to have guidance counselors that they can turn to about whatever personal issues they have at home," she said. "They need to be able to have someone to talk to about their career choices that they would like to make. They need to be able to have that person that actually cares and can give them a hand that they may not be getting at home. And to have someone that they can identify as being very real, I think that it's better for them than that they can't relate to."

Source: Huffington Post

Brooke Magnanti: Prostitution was empowering

As Belle de Jour, Dr Brooke Magnanti achieved global notoriety for years, writing a blog about her sexual encounters as a high-class escort girl working in London.

Now, after revealing herself to be an expert research scientist and no longer engaged in prostitution she is calling for prostitution to be decriminalised. She tells BBC World News HARDtalk's Katya Adler she found the escort work empowering and would do it again.

You can watch the episode on BBC iplayer at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01nmz9f/HARDtalk_Dr_Brooke_Magnanti_Scientist_and_former_prostitute/

Source: BBC