Thousands flock to see porn debate

Crowds of students packed the University Union and quickly filled Chumash Auditorium, chanting, “We want Ron!” in unison as they waited for legendary adult film star Ron Jeremy and pastor Craig Gross to take the stage for a debate on pornography last Thursday.

The event began around 8:45 p.m., almost an hour behind schedule, as event staff tried to escort Jeremy and Gross through hordes of people to the auditorium.

Associated Students Inc. (ASI), who hosted the event, estimates that more than 3,200 students waited in line for the debate, according to ASI Events student manager Grant Zanini. They had to turn away more than half of the anxious crowd because Chumash Auditorium can only accommodate an audience of about 800 people.

Students began forming a line outside of Chumash Auditorium at 6 p.m., two hours before the event was set to begin.

“At that point I knew we were in for a much bigger crowd than expected,” Zanini said.

Earlier in the day, ASI staff began to expect the debate would be a hit when they found out that all of the signs promoting the event, with the slogan “Vote for Ron,” had been taken from around campus, presumably as souvenirs.

Gross took the stage first, kicking off the debate by poking fun at himself and acknowledging Jeremy as the crowd favorite.

“Thanks for the one person that stole my poster,” Gross said.

Each speaker was given 12 minutes to form their argument, and then the floor was opened up to free debate and questions from the audience.

Gross based his argument on the often-unrealized consequences of pornography, including how it affects intimate relationships and disempowers women. He also cited his Web site, www.XXXChurch.com, as a resource for people to find help if they have developed a habit of watching pornography.

“Porn will let you down,” Gross said. “We’re not trying to judge people, we’re trying to help people.”

Gross also mentioned adult material as a danger to children, who can easily come across it by browsing the Internet or receiving it in junk e-mails. He said that pornography is desensitizing, even for teenagers and adults, making it difficult to experience the true joy of intimacy in relationships.

He added, “obviously I’m not going to convince you in 12 minutes,” but his purpose for participating in debates with Jeremy is to get students thinking about issues surrounding pornography, long after they’ve left the auditorium.

Jeremy defended the merits of pornography by claiming that it isn’t harmful to relationships, and can even enrich them by giving couples inspiration to try new things. He likened the adult film industry to any other form of entertainment, available to people who want to escape their everyday lives and enjoy a fantasy experience.

“It’s part of that wide world of entertainment,” Jeremy said. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

Jeremy also made a point to defend the adult film industry, saying that it doesn’t target children, and takes every precaution to prevent pornography from getting into the hands of a minor.

“We do not want to target kids,” Jeremy said. “We’re not trying to appeal to people under the age of 18.”

He called Gross’ example of children viewing pornography on the Internet “an example of bad parenting.”

Jeremy went on to say that the adult film industry does not include every person who uploads video footage of a sexual act onto the Internet, and the big companies that mass-produce adult films must adhere to strict rules just like any other industry.

Modern languages and literatures sophomore Cayla Broun said she thought the debate was surprisingly balanced.

“Gross made logical points, but Jeremy successfully countered those points with logic, as well as concrete evidence,” Broun said.

Wine and viticulture sophomore Jeff Onysko was impressed by the event, and said he thought it was valuable for students to attend.

“I think now more than ever it’s important to bring these topics to a community like San Luis Obispo that’s so isolated,” Onysko said.

Both Gross and Jeremy fielded a number of questions from the audience before closing the debate, many of them regarding Jeremy’s personal life. Gross and Jeremy sat at a table outside of Chumash Auditorium for a meet and greet directly following the event.