SALT LAKE CITY – Grammy award-winning artist Cardi B took to social media to criticize the Utah governor and state legislature for passing House Bill (HB) 72. HB 72 was signed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox last month in a bid to regulate access to porn on every new mobile device sold in the state.
YNOT previously reported that House Bill 72 mandates manufacturers to preinstall porn filtering software that blocks access to porn websites unless it’s turned off after a device is purchased. Republican State Rep. Susan Pulsipher and State Sen. Wayne Harper were the primary sponsors of HB 72, claiming that that intention of the bill is to protect children from accessing age inappropriate content and to empower parents to control what their children see. However, the bill is riddled with provisions and contradictions that likely wouldn’t hold up in court if challenged.
Nevertheless, the passage of the bill appears to have disturbed the ‘WAP’ singer as she called out Utah’s lack of regulation on fringe groups of the dominant Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints (LDS; the Mormons). Cardi B tweeted: “I respect everyone’s religion but Utah restricting porn and not regulating the disgusting things that happens in the FLDS. That cult is disturbing.”
I respect everyone’s religion but Utah restricting porn and not regulating the disgusting things that happens in the FLDS .That cult is disturbing.
— Cardi B (@iamcardib) March 30, 2021
For those of you not aware, FLDS (“Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints”), is a term used to describe the fringe groups and extremist cults that say they follow the teachings of the more mainstream LDS Church but end up forcing young girls into arranged, non consensual marriages. FLDS groups have also been known for systemic child abuse, overt sexism, criminal polygamy practices, and even witness tampering when illegal activities are brought to criminal and civil trial. While the mainstream LDS Church is militantly anti-porn, the fringe groups that are characterized by the term FLDS are extremely oppressive to both men, women, and children who are ultimately at the whim of a virtual cult of fear and personality around one central figure or a group of elders.
Cardi B added later in the ensuing Twitter thread, replying to a user who noted that Utah doesn’t just restrict porn, but, “in some counties their dry. No alcohol, no tobacco.”
Cardi B replied to the user by agreeing: “I understand that.”
“I will understand if they restrict porn because the state is very religious however they allow soo much disgusting things out there that they claim is part of their religion and that’s MOLESTING CHILDREN…Look it up!”
I understand that .I will understand if they restrict porn because the state is very religious however they allow soo much disgusting things out there that they claim is part of their religion and that’s MOLESTING CHILDREN …Look it up ! https://t.co/5UPWuMKYfA
— Cardi B (@iamcardib) March 30, 2021
Just for clarity, Cardi B’s remarks about the widespread violation of children aren’t far-fetched. Utah has some of the highest rates of child abuse and exploitation in all of the United States. Many of these cases have been linked to religious dominance. Some victims even indicate that they’re victimized by Church leaders and — regardless of whether the clergy members are mainstream LDS, FLDS, or from the usual suspects like Catholicism. Mormonism, though, makes up the vast majority of religious followers in Utah.
Despite all of this, Cardi B is one of the first mainstream celebrities to call into question the efficacy and purpose of House Bill 72. Adult film legend Cherie DeVille — with other high profile talent from the adult entertainment industry — have similarly called on Gov. Cox to veto HB 72.
As YNOT previously reported, Cox did not veto the bill buying into the whole debunked child protection tinge attempting to color and present the proposal as a prudent measure to curtail age inappropriate content access. Obviously, this isn’t the case as House Bill 72 is the brainchild of far-right religious groups who believe porn to be a sin.
To bad, it simply isn’t a sin. Given the amount of porn use in Utah, the bill also runs counter to its spoken intentions and merely serves as a crutch for repressed men and women who are to afraid to talk about sexual liberation and freedom due to fear from their religion.
Cardi B photo by Frank Schwichtenberg, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. It has been cropped and resized.
