There were some people I admire who upheld the ban on sex toys in Texas. While I admire them, their reasoning was illogical. If fact, I'd say they had no reasoning at all.

Basically, they said sex was for procreation only. While social conservatives may not like obscene things, the mass majority of them will tell you sex is for more than just procreation. So, this isn't a conservative versus liberal issue. It's just very, very stupid.

The stigma against masturbation is astoundingly bizarre. If people are against it for religious reasons, where does it state in their religious texts that it's wrong? I can tell you that there's nothing in the Bible against masturbation, only lusting after one who is not yours. I can't recall any religious texts that are against self pleasure.
More weirdly, if a person is against masturbation, but not because of religious reasons, then why are they against it?

I feel strongly about self pleasure because I had lived so long with erroneously thinking I was doing something wrong. I had no proof of it being wrong. No scientific proof nor religious.

There's more restriction on sex toys than there is on porn. It boggles my mind. Keeping toys out of sight of those who don't want to see them, I can understand, but I can't understand banning them all together. I've seen much worse in Spencer's Gifts.

Personally, I would have rather had the state kill the ban instead of the SCOTUS. I don't think it was a federal issue.

Sorry for the rant. :-|

Mostly, it goes along with the sodomy laws, etc (similar to what innocently masturbating said). Basically, there were (and still are) many people who believe sex is only for the purpose of procreation, and that anything else (oral sex, anal sex, and even sometimes masturbation in some cases) is immoral, and should be strongly discouraged.

So really, it's a case of one person's morality against another.

Hmmmmm I guess I see...Though I find it extremely difficult to understand why one person's discomfort of masturbation or anything beyond procreational sex, makes it seem acceptable to some to have laws against all that jazz.

Thinking so...for lack of a good vocabulary...self centeredly...seems nearly impossible to me...Do they believe they are making things better for everyone else somehow? That sex toys and masturbation in general is leading to the degradation of our society...despite being done in private...?

Such things I cannot possibly fathom...

I think they assume if you use sex toys, you are a perv and will ruin socitey or destory something. I cam from a big religious family and masturbation was looked down on. I never understood why? I did it by myself, not involving anyone or hurting anyone. Also, I think it made me a better person. I would take time and take care of a basic human need. I didn't get girls in high school, so by doing that. I wouldn't be horny and well just thinking of sex all the time. Ok, I still do but haha.
However, it's kind of a double standred. My parents taught me masturbating was wrong but then I found theri sex toy collection. Now, as an adult, I see nothing wrong with it. But thought sex was dirty, yeah I thought it was the worst.
I think it's more people just don't want to understand or see, yeah people might like this but doesn't make them bad. I can't imagine life without sex or sex toys.
Well their lost.

What confuses me, and makes me laugh, is that now the toys will have to be disguised as foot massagers or novelties. People will have to go to the hardware and kitchen stores and improvise again. I think that this is a step backward for society. It's scary.

In Texas you can have guns and rifles but no dildos or vibes.....

As you may know, in a lot of states there are bans on "obscene devices" that deter others from having sex for procreation. Now although sex toys often fall into that category of sexual pleasure without producing expected offspring, the original reason for many of these laws were for birth control. In the late 1800's there were laws that even outlawed the discussion of controlling reproduction as well as distributing information about it through the US mail. 24 states criminalized the dissemination of contraceptives devices, calling them obscene and immoral.
In fact, Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in 1916 in Brooklyn, NY. She was arrested a few days later and was convicted and spent 30 days in jail for promoting birth control.

-I major in Political Science, History and Women's Studies so talking about this was fun

I have friends from Texas. They all own arsenals. You can wear a gun in public, and they are easy to buy, and same thing in GA. I lived there for 8 friggin years. I owned a couple Glocks but no sex toys. I shot a rat in an apartment building and was fined 2K, but no jail time, no arrest. I guess if I took a trip out of state and came back with dildos, I'd be in jail.

churches originally made masturbation, anal, oral and all other non-baby-making forms of sex a sin-- because that meant fewer new church members.

a church's power was often times their congregation, more money, more support, more people. if you said touching yourself was a no-no, then you have to get someone touch you if you wanted to sate those hormones.

toys improve your libido, so you can't say a dildo will steal your wife (or husband)

toys are hygienic and clean, sanitized properly they don't spread anything.

toys can come in all colors and flavors, whimsical and realistic.

toys can be abused and thrown away. toys don't have feelings.
toys won't make you babies or break your heart.

There is no earthly reason to ban them. if you don't like them, you don't have to buy them.

I don't get this one,I read that you can buy a gun,ammo,and beer all at the same time in a Walmart in Alabama,yet the government is all up tight about sex toys.Somebody give me a bat please!

There's a lot of comments on here that I have to agree with. This discussion made me think of The Vagina Monologues. There's this bit where they say, "As far as we know there has never been a major crime spree committed with a vibrator," or something of that nature. Very cheeky. Lol

i have been hearing about this too.... happening in some states. even a few are trying to ban the sale of condoms (cities to be exact)

I think a lot of people have more of a problem with the porn and very obscene images that come with the sex toy shops. My area does not have sex shops and I don't know anyone who isn't ok with traveling a few extra min. to get them or get them online. We don't believe sex is only for procreating we just choose to keep the risks of children getting ahold of porn and (the majority of us here voted not to have it because of that issue) I don't think it's worth it. I mean we've seen a lot of damage come from the way people ran those shops in our close area that does sell them. A lot of gangs meet there, children get ahold of the porn and the people that came over to run the shop have caused serious turmoil within the area my mother works right close by and was held at gun point as well as several of my other family members. The people who were doing this crazy fang-violence are the ones who run the shop. I mostly have the problem with the people and the porn and just I think that it shouldn't be soo extreme. If a shop had a section where the toys and items did not contain porn or nudity, I'd shop at that section and that section only. But, I just stay away since it doesn't go well with me. I don't mind at all. I prefer shopping online anyways. But, I know my area is more worried about our children getting ahold of porn and a lot of us here choose to keep that stuff totally out of out view and lives so we're shy about those things. It's just a really conservative town, but we still like toys and I and my partner are Christian and no, that does not mean we will go to hell for using toys.