Should Conservatives Get in Bed with Porn Stars?
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Charlie Kirk, founder of TPUSA Photo by Gage Skidmore
Turning Point USA sparked a bit of a controversy this past weekend after revoking the purchased VIP pass of porn star Brandi Love. Once Love arrived at their leadership conference, she posted photos to her social media. Outrage broke out, and Love was informed by Turning Point that she was not welcomed.
Love said TPUSA was a part of “cancel culture.” She claimed to be a big fan of Rush Limbaugh and President Donald Trump. She initially said she was happy to be around so many young conservatives, and it gave her hope.
Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for TPUSA said they were adhering to their standards, and they don’t “involve porn brands, influencers, or personalities that post or publish sexually explicit and pornographic content.” TPUSA is an organization aimed at high school and college kids, so it’s not surprising that concerned parents alerted TPUSA of some of Love’s pornographic posts.
Just because Love attended doesn’t mean she was there to promote her business, but she did put her stage name on her VIP badge. Her real name is Tracey Lynn Livermore.
Even still, discussions broke out on the right whether conservatism should be focused purely on low taxes and limited government or if morality plays a role. Ben Domenech of The Federalist criticized TPUSA, stating the right has the “opportunity to be the big tent party.” He also said, “Don’t be a bunch of prudes.”
Mary Margaret Olohan of the Daily Caller pointed to vulgar content Brandi Love directed toward her critics. She questions if Love is worth defending since the conference is for teens and young adults.
Love also went on to mock and demean the Christian right. She claimed, “TPSUA is every bit as frightening to me as Antifa.” She also likened them to a religious cult.
Chad Felix Greene said that “objecting porn is not the issue,” but rather forcing sexual morality onto others. He and others on the right are making the claim that focusing on the protection of liberty benefits all of us.
Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire went on to say, “The problem with the Left is not they are too stringently moralistic. It’s that their ‘morals’ are depraved and insane. We offer an alternative by standing for the correct morals, not by abandoning the whole concept entirely.”
I believe Walsh is correct. When the Left makes a case like kids should be exposed to kink, it’s fine if minimum wage destroys small businesses because the workers deserve more, or Medicare for All is worth destroying the private healthcare market, those are moral positions. You can argue the details and fine points of how the policies are enacted, but what drives them is their moral position.
What does “conservatism” seek to genuinely conserve? I believe most conservatives would agree the government has a legitimate role in our lives, but it is limited. We cherish our constitution and don’t see it as a living document meant to change at the whims of society. We also believe in preserving our God-given rights.
I believe conservatism is deeper than that. If we don’t fight for things like objective truth, such as biological reality, we’re going to keep heading down a tremendously dark path. We have young adults who self-diagnose as trans, take hormones, have surgery to mutilate their body, then realize they’ve made a terrible mistake and detransition, all within the span of a year. Yes, grown adults can do what they want with their bodies, but it would be foolish to believe there isn’t a social component to this particular phenomenon that is captivating particularly young women.
Conservatives debated whether Caitlyn Jenner should be the frontrunner to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom. Jenner appeared on Hannity and was defended online staunchly by conservative Tomi Lahren. Lahren said she agreed with Jenner’s policies of lower taxes and cutting regulations, which are standard Republican positions, and there are other Republicans in the race. Jenner received praise for telling TMZ biological men shouldn’t compete with biological girls, as a matter of fairness. But Jenner also said he’d create a board to determine whether a transgender athlete can compete in girls’ sports. "Trans women who are truly trans, who at a very young age, started proper medical treatment, they've grown up as girls, they should be able to compete in girls' sports," Jenner told Fox News. This may be something Jenner believes is a moral or conservative position, but this would further incentivize children facing gender confusion to alter their bodies with hormones at an earlier age. Jenner’s position is more inhumane than simply allowing biological men to compete with women.
Do conservatives genuinely want to stand up for sexual depravity? Matt Walsh has gotten into heated debates with the right, mostly from libertarian-leaning individuals, over regulating popular porn sites with methods to confirm their identification. The argument began because children are exposed to porn at such an early age. The argument against this was that government should stay out of grown folks’ business. Walsh’s position was in the interest to protect children. Since then, several in-depth articles have come out linking sex trafficking to major porn sites, including the exposure and abuse of minors.
Are “conservatives” truly fighting for a YOLO mentality in the interest of liberty? Because Turning Point USA did what was right in the interest of their brand, and they certainly have a right to practice freedom of association. The argument isn’t whether TPUSA should pass a bill outlawing porn stars. The controversy is whether they should have their own set of moral standards, then promote and enforce them in their organization. They have a duty to create a safe environment for children, and parents would like to believe they aren’t sending their children to an event to take selfies with a 48-year-old porn star. It’s a young conservative leadership summit, not a pride parade.
Brandi Love feels attacked. What she should feel is shame for participating in such a perverse profession. I make no apologies for saying something that would have been so obvious ten years ago. If “conservatives” or even libertarians want to have a conversation about whether a porn star has a right to practice their profession, that’s one thing. But having such a big hoopla over a young conservative organization, revoking the pass of an adult porn star, should not be remotely controversial.
Conservatism and the Republican Party used to be synonymous with family values. Now, it would appear the right is determined to be the liberty-minded version of the left. Well, I don’t want to be an off-brand version of the left. And if there truly is not a grand distinction, those in the center will go with the devil they know. Being weak in our convictions will not grow our base. Promises of low taxes aren’t enough either. The majority of Americans received a Trump tax cut and didn’t even notice they benefited from it.
But mothers are taking notice of men who claim to be women, walking into spas and exposing themselves to little girls. Parents are taking notice of radical teachers forcing their children to go on privilege marches. Social issues still matter, and culture wars need to be fought. Republicans didn’t open their arms to Trump because they wanted a catalyst to dramatically alter the morality of the party. They fought for him because he—despite being extraordinarily imperfect—gave the impression he was willing to fight on their behalf.
Ben Domenech talked about the “big tent.” I do believe the Republican Party is a big tent, but the Republican Party doesn’t necessarily mean you’re conservative. Political parties have platforms, agendas, and so on. Not everything has to appeal or apply to you, but you pick what party best fits your beliefs. You make compromises, have debates, get involved, etc. We’re not going to agree on everything, but there should be particular tenants of the platform that unite people of different faiths, ethnicities, sexual preferences, and so on.
I want conservatism to be a large movement, but it is not a big ideological tent and should not be.
