Virgin Killer controversies

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The Virgin Killer controversies were two (almost certainly) related internet censorship disputes, firstly involving Chelsea Schilling, Wikipedia and the FBI (In America), and then Wikipedia, the IWF and various other media outlets that covered the controversy (in the UK).

Both controversies centre on Wikipedia's use of an image called "Virgin Killer", which depicts a naked prepubescent girl from the cover of a 1976 Scorpions (rock) album. Whilst the girl in the image has not developed breasts, and her vulva is deliberately concealed, it has been argued that the image is provocative and may in fact be child pornography. Despite the image being freely available on the internet, we do not display or link to it for legal reasons.

Timeline

May 06, 2008

Chelsea Schilling, a former congressional staffer and aspiring writer for the ultra-conserative, American "pro-family" website World Net Daily publishes a provocative editorial entitled "Is Wikipedia wicked porn?". In it, she attacks Wikipedia for hosting informative images that may otherwse be seen as pornographic, listing a number of inclusions that she, as an anti-gay/ultra-conservative, is offended by:

  • Recordings of women experiencing orgasms
  • Videos of nude men participating in "ejaculation educational demonstrations"
  • Detailed photographs of men and women masturbating
  • Images of mammary intercourse
  • Close-up images of topless women and male and female sexual anatomy
  • Large-scale photos of men performing oral sex on one another (and performing oral sex on themselves)
  • An illustrated list of sex positions
  • Threesomes
  • Photos of nude strippers
  • An image called "Virgin Killer" depicting a naked prepubescent girl from the 1976 cover of a Scorpions album (banned in the U.S.)

May 07, 2008

Schilling continues her outburst against Wikipedia, publishing a new editorial ("FBI investigates 'Wikipedophilia'") based on the following revelation:

"In the wake of WND news coverage, the FBI is now reviewing a Wikipedia photo of a nude adolescent that could violate federal child-pornography laws. [...] The album's cover was banned in the United States due to its extremely controversial nature and was later replaced with a photo of the band. When WND brought the image to the attention of several Wikipedia representatives, they denied any knowledge of it.
Asked if the photograph of the nude child would remain on the site or be taken down, Jay Walsh, head of communications for the Wikimedia foundation, responded:
"I have no idea when it will come down, as I probably already discussed with you – the foundation does not play a direct role in making edits to Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a platform for use by members of the public, around the world.
I understand your concern has been raised with volunteer administrators and editors. They will review and consider your request, in the context of the Wikipedia editorial policies."
As of this evening, the photo of the nude child was still available online.
Matt Barber, a constitutional law attorney who serves as Concerned Women for America's policy director for cultural issues, expressed outrage at Wikipedia's decision to allow sexually explicit images.
"Children use Wikipedia all of the time for reports for school, and this stuff is not just pornography, this is hard-core pornography," he said. "Much of it may even be in violation of our nation's obscenity laws.""

Over the following days, Wikipedia editors discuss whether to censor the image or retain it in the face of conservative uproar. Despite deletion attempts by editors including Richard Weiss, a consensus to keep the image eventually develops.

May 08, 2008

Schilling's final editorial, entitled "Wikipedia debates kiddie porn action" mocks the nuance with which the editors approach the topics covered in her two previous articles.

UK - http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Censorship_of_WP_in_the_UK_Dec_2008QA

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikimedia,_IWF_respond_to_block_of_Wikipedia_over_child_pornography_allegations?curid=117877

http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/08/12/07/1253228.shtml

Trivia

Chelsea Schilling follows in a fine tradition of congressional staffers who have attempted to censor wikipedia.