Sex Industry Becomes Outragiously Blatant

CHALLENGE WEEKLY Vol 58 Iss 24 July 4, 2000

It is extraordinary that the sex industry is becoming so outrageously blatant!" Pastor Graham Lee of the Greenlane Christian Centre made the comment in regards to an adult concepts and lifestyle exposition to be held at the Logan Campbell Centre in Greenlane from August 4 to 6. The event called Erotica is the first and only adult expo to be held in NZ and is modelled on the successful SEXPO exhibitions held in Australia three times a year.

An R18 only show, Erotica will feature a lineup of 'so-called' celebrities including a Penthouse Pet from the United States and a porn star from Europe.

Challenge Weekly was told over the telephone by a woman called Gerda that although sales for the New Zealand event were initially slow, they have improved and there have been a number of enquiries from interested members of the public. She says that the exhibitions will include sex shops and massage parlours and there will also be live strip shows.

"We are hoping the event will become as popular as the Australian shows". The 1998 Melbourne SEXPO is reported to have attracted more than 62,000 visitors. The ticket sales page on Erotica's web site describes interest in the expo as having reached "frenzied proportions ...Erotica will have all sorts of exhibitors and the wildest stage shows ever held at a public expo in New Zealand... be prepared to be shocked".

A scandalised Mr Lee says that the event is a new moral low for the country. "This kind of thing used to be limited to back streets and hidden joints.

"We all know that massage parlours are just cover-ups for brothels and places of deviated sex practices".

Mr Lee, a former Member of Parliament and head of the Christian Democrats says he hopes that the event will be a financial loss and that it will be brought to the attention of Members of Parliament, as well as the mayor.

"We should expect the mayor who is supposed to be cleaning up Karangahape Rd to take a stand in this matter. We should also encourage people to boycott the Logan Campbell Centre and at the same time remind ourselves that Logan Campbell himself was an outstanding city father.

"He would be spinning in his grave if he knew about this".

Mr Lee says he wants to bring the event to the attention not only of the church but to all moral-minded people in the city - "This is a new attack on families and the values of society".

Paul Subritzky, the national director of Promise Keepers sees the increasing openness of the sex industry as yet a further attack on men and their families.

"The enemy is trying to capture the thoughts of men through events such as this in an area that they continue to struggle with. "The greatest evil of an exhibition such as this is that the lifestyle it promotes does not lead to fulfilment and satisfaction, but to guilt and shame".

Mr Subritzky says Christian men are just as susceptible to the temptations of the sex industry as men the world over.

"Promise Keepers teach effective biblical strategies that give men the ability to resist those temptations and puts in place safeguards that prevent men from treading down this dangerous path".

On how he feels about Promise Keepers holding their conference at the Logan Campbell Centre in October, Mr Subritzky's response is that, "the conterence provides an effective way to counter the negative effects of the Erotica exhibition by promoting standards of Christian living based on holiness and righteousness".

Denise Krum, the Vice President of Future NZ says for the sex industry to be moving from the backstreets of NZ to the showgrounds of Auckland is "utter nonsense. The small sector of society that enjoys the exploitation of women and children shouldn't be given any prominence whatsoever. "We've certainly hit an all-time low when we present such exhibitions and make them available to 18 year olds. It's one thing to lower the drinking age to 18 but it's another thing to give easy access to a sleazy menu of underground sexual deviations. This is not normal society".

Mrs Krum says there are many courses of action that people can take to prevent such events fron happening which include writing letters of complaint to the management of the centre, to the City Council and to the local MP for Epsom, Richard North. People can also write letters to the Editor and call radio talk shows.