No Dildos in Texas?

It’s not the first time, and it surely won’t be the last, where a U.S. state is trying to enact legislation to curtail the purchase of sex toys.

Texas Republican state Sen. Angela Paxton (who also happens to be the wife of the heavily ‘right-leaning’ Attorney General of the same state) just introduced a measure to require age verification for online sex toy

purchases made from local IP addresses: Senate Bill (SB) 3003. Although such ‘lawful’ attempts are usually introduced with the supposed intent to protect children, 3003 reaches even further than what the Lone Star State already has in place for age verification targeting adult entertainment platforms.

What The Bill States

"A person commits an offense if, with criminal negligence, the person sells or delivers an obscene device online," reads Sen. Paxton's legislation. "A violation of this section is a Class A Misdemeanor. ... [A] person who violates this section is also subject to a civil penalty of an amount not to exceed $5,000 for each violation."

The above language pretty much boils down to, Paxton’s measure making it a criminal misdemeanor offense if e-commerce websites don't verify the age of sex toy buyers. Charges could be levied against sex toy retailers, and even against minors who use various forms of fake ID to acquire an ill-begotten vibrator.

The Usual Confusing Language

Senate Bill (SB) 3003 is built around some rather vague language, as is not uncommon with legalese in general. But terms like "commercially reasonable" when defining third-party age verifiers, the ubiquitous "protect children” and Texas’ already odd phrase of "obscene devices,” make for a more open-ended read of the new law. Additionally, Texas is already one of handful of U.S. states that makes it illegal for a resident to own six or more sex toys or exhibit them for “intent to distribute.”

(And according to Texas law the term “obscene device” is used for anything “designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs.”)

Further Reach

A previous House Bill 1549 has already been introduced in Texas, again under the nebulous “protect children,” ethos. This bill would keep kids from viewing those ‘obscene devices’ in any store in the state not classified as a “sexually oriented businesses.” If this law passes, with or without Paxton’s measure, dildos, anal beads, or any other adult fun product could not be sold at major retailers, like Walmart, Target, CVS, etc.

Remember the Alamo?

Hell, forget the sex toys!