“When we are able to shine light on these things, it emboldens us to stand up for ourselves in society.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Strong and Free, Canada’s first anti-pornography summit, is being organized in Ottawa, bringing together international experts to address North America’s pornography epidemic. Hosted by Strength to Fight, an Ottawa based anti-porn organization, the May 25 to 26 conference aims to equip participants to take action against the harms of pornography, both inside the Church and in the broader culture.

“Pornography is infiltrating everything: our families, churches, and schools. You name it, porn is there,” states conference speaker Jonathon Van Maren, of the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform. “It has taken a long time for anyone to notice because Christians have always been terrible at talking about sex. To understand how we got to this place, we have to understand the history.”

Digging into the roots of the pornography crisis is one of the conference’s goals. By understanding what led to the rise of pornography, you can begin to undo the broader cultural damage, explains Josh Gilman, Strength to Fight’s executive director.

“Any good change in society that ever happened has been when the Church learned how to speak into culture,” says Josh Gilman. Photo courtesy of Strength to Fight.

“Often what we do when we address pornography is look at symptoms,” Gilman states. “How do you protect your kid? How do you deal with the fact that almost every marriage is affected by pornography in some way? That is good work because people need help and healing and wholeness, but if we are going to see change on a wide scale we need to look at where this came from. Then we can figure out what to do about it.”

During the sexual revolution, Gilman says there was a purposeful release of false claims and research. Much of that research still dictates what modern sex-ed teaches about human sexuality. As an example, Gilman points to Alfred Kinsey, who is held up as one of the first sexologists. Much of Kinsey’s work is now known to include falsified data. Some of his papers were even based on blatant child sexual abuse.

“When we are able to shine light on these things, it emboldens us to stand up for ourselves in society and not feel like we are fighting science and research. The worldly messages lose a lot of their power. We are actually the ones on the side of truth.”

That type of equipping, Gilman says, is crucial to the success of any social justice issue.

MP Arnold Viersen introduced Motion 47, which called on Parliament to study the public health effects of violent pornography. Photo courtesy of Strength to Fight.

“Any good change in society that ever happened—from the ending of slavery to the ending of child labour—has been when the Church learned how to speak into culture.”

Jaclyn White, who plans to attend, says that is exactly what she hopes to take away from the conference.

“The culture we live in (with rape culture and hook-up culture) has been shaped by porn use,” she says. “So I believe being able to eloquently discuss the porn problem is so needed in our society, whether it is the scientific arguments about how porn can negatively impact your brain’s functions, or the societal impacts of how porn breaks up relationships.”

Justine Carr says she, too, wants to be better able to discuss pornography. She is especially excited about the lineup of speakers from Canada and the U.S. Some of the speakers, she says, were the reason she first became passionate about the issue.

Anti-porn activist and speaker Jessica Harris was one of the people who inspired Justine Carr to speak out about the harms of pornography. Photo courtesy of Strength to Fight.

“Canadians under 35 years old have [a very low] chance of being in a relationship that isn’t affected by porn. Solutions do exist. If the Church can be properly equipped, it will be able to help so many people find the freedom they desperately need.”

The conference lineup includes Dawn Hawkins (who was instrumental in shutting down the sex-trafficking site backpage.com), Michelle Brock (director of the “Over 18” pornography documentary), Michael Browning (a local sex-addiction therapist), and Arnold Viersen (the MP behind Motion 47, which called on Parliament to study the public health effects of violent pornography).

“The truth is easy to understand,” Gilman says. “It is very accessible. When you hear from these speakers, who are some of the best in the world on this topic, you are going to feel empowered to speak out in your own life.”

Strength to Fight is offering Spur Ottawa readers a $20 discount on conference registration. To take advantage of this offer, use the promo code “spur20”.