Poll: Is 18 old enough to do porn?

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April 14, 2014 | The Biz

Poll: Is 18 old enough to do porn?

[VOTE at the bottom of this article]

Minimum legal ages exist to protect young people, yet by their nature they are somewhat arbitrary because they don't take into account individual differences; a 21-year-old guy may very well be less mature and capable of making responsible decisions than another fellow who happens to have been born seventeen years ago. But a calendar age is straightforward and easy to measure; a "maturity index" that depends on some kind of test would be nightmarishly impractical.

Helix and Boy Crush are known for their boyish twink models, but any number of porn sites will film 18-year-old models as long as they fit the type they're looking for. And the industry is extremely vigilant in documenting models' ages and keeping those proof of age records on file.

The porn age of consent came up for debate recently when 18-year-old Noel debuted on Sean Cody. He's still in high school and when fellow students found out about his porn gig he was bullied - and then suspended - from his Florida school. He was later allowed back because he hadn't actually done anything wrong. Apparently the bullying hasn't been too bad since then, because Noel has done additional scenes for Sean Cody.

During the controversy an anonymous school teacher wrote an open letter to the gay porn industry in which he argued:

You may see “Noel” as an adult, but those of us in the education community and most parents see all students in high school as kids until they graduate, regardless if they are 18 or not. Otherwise, the privileges they gain when becoming legal can be counterproductive to keeping them in school and on track to graduating ...

I would even accept shooting the scenes while in high school, but the releasing of them should have been held until he was graduated and all college admissions offerings were secure. We must be the adults. High school students think they are invincible and are sometimes blind to the consequences of their behavior.

This is no doubt sincere, but it's probably too much to ask. What if the model has flunked once or twice?; is the studio going to wait two years to release a scene? And what if he had gone on to his first year of college before the scene release? Is it going to be all that much easier for him as a college frosh?

Age limits vary for different activities. In most jurisdictions young people can legally drive a car on their own at the age of 16. Eighteen is the age at which you can vote in elections and will be treated as an adult in a court of law. Eighteen (seventeen with parental consent) is also the age that the army will accept recruits and send them off to kill or be killed for their country. The legal age of consent for sex can vary when one or both of the persons are under 18, but if both are 18, then they are free to go at it. Yet young adults can't get a legal drink of alcohol until they turn 21.

What do you think?

April 14, 2014 | The Biz

Poll: Is 18 old enough to do porn?

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