I was recently in Canada at their main glbt bookstore. A generally great shop on the surface. Then I happened to see a cartoon book about daddies having sex with their young sons. On the cover the boy was licking his father's chest. It made me sooo angry. I will never visit that shop again. I won't give the name. Many of you will know what it is. Should I contact the authorities. The manager is Bulgarian. Why would he allow such shit on the shelves. Help please.

Just because it's a GLBT bookstore, and we are gay, doesn't mean we should ignore the law.

I would call the Metro Toronto Police child pornography squad, or the comparable division at the OPP.

if they're breaking the law, then they should suffer the consequences. Period.

No special treatement.

If we want to be truly equal, then we must be equal EVERYWHERE.

Start a-dialin.

I will take your advice at once. I agree that when an allegedly gay store has child porno material then they should be prosecuted just like any other breaker of the law. I hope to receive more comments on this vital topic. Depressing but must be faced.

I would confront the owner or if you'd prefer to stay anonymous (understandably) contact the authorities immediately. That's simply wrong and criminal. Is it at all possible that the magazine you saw was isolated, possibly a delivery mistake? That's just giving the benefit of the doubt to the owner (who may face jail time if convicted) but who knows?

If you are sure the book is pornographic, then I think you should cotact the police immediately. There is no excuse for child abuse or pornography; and it should not be tolerated anywhere.

I know that there is a segment of the gay communitty out there that has 'daddy-son' fantasies ; but it is not something I have ever understood.

Unfortunately, just by the cover you describe, I am not sure if the book you found would qualify as pornography - especially since you said it was a 'cartoon' which to me would also imply drawn by hand.

At the very minimum I would complain to the shop owner and express your displeasure.

R

Agree with everyone else. Contact Metro Police to investigate.

This is gross. Crap like this gives gays a bad name. Shame on the owner for allowing that trash into his/her establishment in the first place. Call the cops. What did the owner have to say about this?

Dude, honestly, I don't know what the dilema is here. If you think you saw child porn report it. If you didn't see it, don't report it.

It seems pretty black and white, and I rarely see things as black and white.

Shep

Off topic question. Are you the Shep from the old CNN boards?

I don't know about Canadian laws, but if you feel it is illegal, then report.

I know here in the states it probably would not be considered child porn, because it is a cartoon and not actual pictures. Writing, graphics, even digital altered photos, do not fall under child porn, because they are exploiting or uising actual children.

But there are local laws that do regulate adult content. In some communities a book like that, which is sexually explicit would be required to be placed in a lcoation and not allow people under 18 to access.

IMO as much as I might dislike that material, because it is a cartoon book and not photos of actual children, it falls under the realm of free speech for me and shouldn't be illegal. Although it definitatly should not be in a location where a minor could easily have access to it.

If I understand correctly, the images in question are drawings, not photographs. In that case, this is a depiction of a disgusting act that didn't include any actual people (other than the artist) in its production. I don't know what the law says (esp. in Canada), but to me, that's just an exercise in free speech. It is speech I find offensive, but it is still speech. I can turn on my TV every night and see depictions of murders or people in lab coats cutting up corpses. I find that repellent and so I don't watch. I would use the same technique to avoid this comic. I enjoyed a movie called Mysterious Skin that depicted child molestation. Do those who advocated reporting this unseen comic as a crime also want that movie banned? I understand that child abuse is an emotional topic but I distinquish between the abuse and speech about abuse.

I also doubt that it is illegal, since different rules apply to drawn material. No bookshop owner in his right mind would have child porn on his bookshelves, he'd be sure to get in a lot of trouble.

Let the owner know that the book offends you and that you'll stop buying from his shop because of it. If you're a regular customer he might very well reconsider keeping such a book in stock.