Texas Lawmakers Propose Ban on Sex Toys in Retail Stores
Texas is known for its relatively lax regulations, but that hasn’t stopped politicians from targeting what they consider questionable items. The latest target? Sex toys in retail stores.
Representative Hillary Hickland has introduced House Bill 1549, which would prohibit retail chains like Walmart, Target, and CVS from selling sex toys. The bill would allow sex toys to be sold only in “sexually oriented businesses” like adult bookstores and video stores.
The proposal stems from a desire to protect families from what Hickland calls “obscene devices” and to keep children safe from being exposed to sex toys while shopping with their parents. She believes that family-oriented retailers should reflect the values of their communities and that parents do not want their children exposed to sex toys while shopping for everyday items.
The proposal comes as no surprise, given Texas’s history of regulating sex toys. The state’s obscenity law, Section 43.21 of the Texas Penal Code, was instituted in 1973 and initially made it illegal to sell sex toys. However, the law was ruled unconstitutional in 2008, making it unenforceable.
Despite this, the sex toy ban has never actually been removed from the books. Instead, it remains on the statute, essentially making it a symbolic rather than practical law.
The ban has caused controversy in the past, particularly in 2016 when students at the University of Texas at Austin organized a protest against a new law allowing concealed guns on campus. The students handed out thousands of dildos, which were once also regulated by the state’s obscene device law, which specified that residents could own no more than six of these items.
The controversial law gave the appearance that the state was heavily regulating sex and sexuality, leading many to question the authority of the state to dictate what individuals can and cannot own.
Despite this, the sex toy industry has continued to grow, with the sexual wellness industry now worth $10 billion annually. Many companies, including Bloomi, believe that the increasing acceptance of sex toys can be attributed to the release of popular books like 50 Shades of Grey, which brought sadomasochism and sexuality to the mainstream.
In the end, while the Texas proposal may seem out of touch, it reflects the ongoing debate surrounding sex and sexuality in the United States. Whether or not the bill passes, one thing is clear: the regulation of sex toys will continue to be a topic of discussion in the years to come.