The racy novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” is at the center of debate again as its publisher fights against a library ban, calling it unconstitutional.
The explicit book’s publisher, Random House, is pushing back against several libraries in Florida, Wisconsin and Georgia that have banned “Fifty Shades” from gracing their shelves.
What’s the fuss about? Passages like this:
Before I know it, he’s got both of my hands in his viselike grip above my head, and he’s pinning me to the wall using his lips … His other hand grabs my hair and yanks down, bringing my face up, and his lips are on mine … My tongue tentatively strokes his and joins his in a slow, erotic dance … His erection is against my belly.
I pull him deeper into my mouth so I can feel him at the back of my throat and then to the front again. My tongue swirls around the end. He’s my very own Christian Grey-flavored popsicle. I suck harder and harder … Hmm … My inner goddess is doing the merengue with some salsa moves.
He leans down and kisses me, his fingers still moving rhythmically inside me, his thumb circling and pressing. His other hand scoops my hair off my head and holds my head in place. His tongue mirrors the actions of his fingers, claiming me. My legs begin to stiffen as I push against his hand. He gentles his hand, so I’m brought back from the brink … I come instantly again and again, falling apart beneath him … then I’m building again … I climax anew, calling out his name.
When faced with the ban, Random House says it’s not just going to lay down and take it, per se. A rep told TMZ that the publishing house “fervently opposes literary censorship and supports the First Amendment rights of readers to make their own reading choices.”
“We believe the Brevard County Public Library System [in Florida] is indulging in an act of censorship, and essentially is saying to library patrons: we will judge what you can read,” the rep added.
Is mommy porn protected under free speech? The Supreme Court’s Miller Test says that “obscene” literature — material that appeals to “prurient interests,” involves “patently offensive sexual conducts” and contains “no literary, artistic, political or scientific value” — is not protected by the Constitution. Does “Fifty Shades of Grey” fit the bill?
