Nadine Strossen

In the following viewpoint, Nadine Strossen argues that the First Amendment contains no exception for sexual speech. If sexual speech is censored or regulated, she contends, then other forms of political expression will also be threatened. Strossen is the president of the American Civil Liberties Union and the author of Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women’s Rights, from which this viewpoint is excerpted.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Who has the Supreme Court barred from suppressing free speech, according to the author?
2. What important issues are highlighted by sexual speech that “degrades” or “subordinates” women, according to Strossen?
3. In the author’s opinion, how would restricting speech that conveys sexist ideas threaten other forms of speech"

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