SLIPPERY ROCK Porn star, activist hold debate

The 90-minute debate drew a standing-room-only crowd.
By VIRGINIA ROSS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- And so, for a few moments, a women's activist and a nationally recognized porn star found common ground at Slippery Rock University.
During a 90-minute debate Wednesday night in the student union, Susan Cole and Ron Jeremy agreed: There's no place for kiddie porn in this universe and Janet Jackson's decision to bare her breast at the Super Bowl was an inappropriate, tasteless, albeit silly, stunt that merits little, if any, discussion. But that's where the lines were drawn.
Sure, Cole and Jeremy also agreed there's nothing wrong with sex between consenting adults.
But, argued Cole, a sexual encounter should not be filmed and distributed among the masses. To sum it up, she said she finds the billion-dollar adult entertainment industry exploitive and unnecessary. As expected, Jeremy, who has appeared in more than 1,200 adult videos, disagreed.
The 50-year-old New York City native, a former special-education teacher and a member of the WB's "The Surreal Life" series, said there's nothing wrong with pornography in its proper perspective -- featuring "consenting adults having consenting sex for consenting adults to watch."
It would appear, by the resounding applause Jeremy received throughout the debate, the majority of the audience agreed.
"It's all a matter of your own personal choice," he continued.
He argued that porn is often accused of, but does not lead to, deviate behavior. More likely, what happens to children in the home leads to their deviate behavior as adults, he said. "Porn takes the rap, and that's just not fair," he said.
At least 1,200 people, mostly college-age adults, packed the event. With all chairs filled, more than 200 people stood in the back and along the sides of the room.
Cole, a writer and senior entertainment and book editor for NOW Magazine, assured folks she is not a "Bible thumper." She advocated an individual's right to choose his or her course in life, providing that path doesn't contribute to the exploitation of another person. But, the Toronto resident argued, the consumer is the victim and the loser because he or she is the one who is being sold the idea that sex should be a certain way with partners who look and behave a certain way.