Novelty

Maryland Shop Targeted by Protesters

By: Remy Craft

Posted: 10/27/2008

BELTSVILLE, Md. – An anti-pornography group planned to protest Saturday at the Wholesale Lingerie Shop, claiming the store's name is a deliberate attempt to cloak the store's inventory of adult films and novelties. Philadelphia-based outfit The King's Men and the Maryland Coalition Against Pornography, the groups that planned the demonstration, say the store's 24-hour-a-day operation and its location within 1,000 feet of a residential area are in violation of local statutes.

 

A Washington Times reporter spotted adult films, viewing booths, and novelty products for sale in the embattled establishment. However, store employees declined to confirm or deny the accusations of illegality or comment on the protest. Still, one Wholesale Lingerie worker said during a phone call with the reporter, "These protesters don't know that [selling pornography] is so much better for business."

 

Mark Houck, president of The King's Men, told the Washington Times, "We want to damage the multibillion-dollar pornography industry." The assembled protesters planned to pray, fast, wave signs, and "call out" customers. Photographs from previous rallies, held as part of the organization's summer-long No More Porn Tour, show protesters with signs reading "Real men don't exploit women," "Love does not equal lust," and "Pornography is for posers."

 

Source: The Washington Times and The King's Men