Thursday, January 26, 2006
CloneZone needs you
CloneZone, the gay shop with stores throughout the country, is after your help to keep it's Leeds shop open.
The shop opened in May 2003 but since then has been unable to gain a licence to sell R18 videos. Licencing authorities argued that because of the presence of a straight sex shop across the street, another licence was not needed.
CloneZone points out that straight sex shops and gay ones serve different markets, and points to the positive impact of a gay shop on the local area and the growing Leeds 'village'. They also point out that they support the local gay community, including actively supporting the West Yorkshire policing Initiative and displaying safer sex information.
Now they want your help! They're asking people to write to support their new application for a licence. You can do so by writing a letter of support which will be used during the court case. For your letter to to be useful, you need to
You can get more information from Lee Johnson, or email your letters of support to him at leej@clonezone.co.uk.
The shop opened in May 2003 but since then has been unable to gain a licence to sell R18 videos. Licencing authorities argued that because of the presence of a straight sex shop across the street, another licence was not needed.
CloneZone points out that straight sex shops and gay ones serve different markets, and points to the positive impact of a gay shop on the local area and the growing Leeds 'village'. They also point out that they support the local gay community, including actively supporting the West Yorkshire policing Initiative and displaying safer sex information.
Now they want your help! They're asking people to write to support their new application for a licence. You can do so by writing a letter of support which will be used during the court case. For your letter to to be useful, you need to
- include your full name and address (which will not be given to 3rd parties)
- Include reasons why you support the application
You can get more information from Lee Johnson, or email your letters of support to him at leej@clonezone.co.uk.
posted by MR @ 6:04 PM 
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Come on guys, send them an email of support. If Leeds council refuse the licence they will close. Get writing to your local councillor too.
Clone Zone wants help to sell pornography? Sorry, I am not with this. If people want to buy pornography these days, they don't need high street shops selling it full stop. The Internet has everything anybody could possibly want, and Clone Zone - like Prowler - makes use of the web for sales.
Clone Zone does not need to sell porn to 'serve the gay market'. The idea that the link between gay men and pornography is a necessity, a given, an all-embracing fact is simply a lie. Clone Zone is a business wanting to make money, it's that simple, and now it is appealing to a customer base most of which has access to internet shopping, to do the work on its behalf to persuade the local authorities to let them stock porn. Sorry, I find this unbelievable and their methodology outdated on this subject. I'm not anti-porn (though so many who want to see a bit of diverse thinking and consideration find themselves labelled, ridiculously, 'anti-sex' when advocating anything other than a licentious free-for-all on the streets) but, much like betting shops, I don't see the need for some shops to be selling stuff some would find offensive or worrisome on the high street when it's so easy to get hold of online.
So a gay-oriented shop will inevitably have to close if it can't sell wank vids? What a shocking example of businesspeople within the gay community validating the notion that our primary concern is with our cocks. What about trying to run a store for gay men which bucks the presumptions, and sells everything BUT porn? Stuff like books, CDs, world gay cinema, jewellery, clothes? A shop that has, maybe, an LGBT cafe built into it, a shop which rents out meeting space to gay community groups ranging from youth to spiritual, a shop which aims to have a genuine community appeal based on sound business models but serving eclectic tastes, rather than just pornsters?
How does Clone Zone 'support the local gay community' by selling cock videos? Can someone explain to me? If we didn't have access to such things so freely online, I'd say yes, absolutely, we need to have the option there to go to a shop to buy such goods. But we don't. And we're better served in terms of the public gaining a more balanced and realistic perception of us in having a business which really DOES aim to serve the community, than by reinforcing the impression that all our gay lives are driven by the compulsion not only to have sex but to watch it?
It's very clever, Clone Zone appealing to the gay community in this way. And I agree, if a shop nearby is selling the stuff with a clear marketing aim towards heterosexuals, then maybe there's a case to be argued. But appealing to gay men for help in its fight? Not all gay men feel the same way. Not all gay men, to put it mildly, are full-time professional wankers with their hands in their pants more often than not. So when the market is freely available elsewhere, why doesn't Clone Zone try something genuinely different - truly serve the gay community of Leeds by providing something they can't get elsewhere? That, to my mind, makes more sense than simply pushing for the right to sell porn. Don't just fight without thinking. Don't just push for one thing when you could be planning something else. The idea that it's 'get what we want or we go under' is evidence of impoverished and outdated thinking, not good business practice. It's a con. x
Clone Zone does not need to sell porn to 'serve the gay market'. The idea that the link between gay men and pornography is a necessity, a given, an all-embracing fact is simply a lie. Clone Zone is a business wanting to make money, it's that simple, and now it is appealing to a customer base most of which has access to internet shopping, to do the work on its behalf to persuade the local authorities to let them stock porn. Sorry, I find this unbelievable and their methodology outdated on this subject. I'm not anti-porn (though so many who want to see a bit of diverse thinking and consideration find themselves labelled, ridiculously, 'anti-sex' when advocating anything other than a licentious free-for-all on the streets) but, much like betting shops, I don't see the need for some shops to be selling stuff some would find offensive or worrisome on the high street when it's so easy to get hold of online.
So a gay-oriented shop will inevitably have to close if it can't sell wank vids? What a shocking example of businesspeople within the gay community validating the notion that our primary concern is with our cocks. What about trying to run a store for gay men which bucks the presumptions, and sells everything BUT porn? Stuff like books, CDs, world gay cinema, jewellery, clothes? A shop that has, maybe, an LGBT cafe built into it, a shop which rents out meeting space to gay community groups ranging from youth to spiritual, a shop which aims to have a genuine community appeal based on sound business models but serving eclectic tastes, rather than just pornsters?
How does Clone Zone 'support the local gay community' by selling cock videos? Can someone explain to me? If we didn't have access to such things so freely online, I'd say yes, absolutely, we need to have the option there to go to a shop to buy such goods. But we don't. And we're better served in terms of the public gaining a more balanced and realistic perception of us in having a business which really DOES aim to serve the community, than by reinforcing the impression that all our gay lives are driven by the compulsion not only to have sex but to watch it?
It's very clever, Clone Zone appealing to the gay community in this way. And I agree, if a shop nearby is selling the stuff with a clear marketing aim towards heterosexuals, then maybe there's a case to be argued. But appealing to gay men for help in its fight? Not all gay men feel the same way. Not all gay men, to put it mildly, are full-time professional wankers with their hands in their pants more often than not. So when the market is freely available elsewhere, why doesn't Clone Zone try something genuinely different - truly serve the gay community of Leeds by providing something they can't get elsewhere? That, to my mind, makes more sense than simply pushing for the right to sell porn. Don't just fight without thinking. Don't just push for one thing when you could be planning something else. The idea that it's 'get what we want or we go under' is evidence of impoverished and outdated thinking, not good business practice. It's a con. x
To put the matter straight.
R18 DVDs are illegal to be purchased in the UK either by mail order or on the internet. The must be purchased in person at a Licensed Sex shop, this is to safeguard against them being purchased by minors. So the previous blogger really hasn't got a clue what he is talking about and should go back to his day job of providing tea and biscuits to the Conserative ladies afternoons in Surbiton.
R18 DVDs are illegal to be purchased in the UK either by mail order or on the internet. The must be purchased in person at a Licensed Sex shop, this is to safeguard against them being purchased by minors. So the previous blogger really hasn't got a clue what he is talking about and should go back to his day job of providing tea and biscuits to the Conserative ladies afternoons in Surbiton.
How does Clone Zone 'support the local gay community'
Ever been into Clonezone ? Ever seen all the collection tins ? Ever seen the awards they have on the wall for the amount of money they have raised ? Ever seen all the info and leaflets they have on safe sex issues ? Ever walked past latley and seen the whole window display for mesmac ?? Ever been in and bought a charity band they have on sale for THT ? Ever been in and picked up a copy of Shout or The Pink Paper ??
Clonezone support the community more than any other shop in Leeds, in fact they even sponsered last years 'pink picnic'
AND clonezone do sell, cds, Cards, books , magazines , fashion wear , as you stated above .
Also I can understand that you may not be interested in Porn but you have to accept that one hell of alot of people are!! Question - Why cant I walk into the only GAY shop in Leeds and buy a gay dvd ?
Straight shpos can sell them - Why cant clonezone
ok rant over now !
thnaks
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Ever been into Clonezone ? Ever seen all the collection tins ? Ever seen the awards they have on the wall for the amount of money they have raised ? Ever seen all the info and leaflets they have on safe sex issues ? Ever walked past latley and seen the whole window display for mesmac ?? Ever been in and bought a charity band they have on sale for THT ? Ever been in and picked up a copy of Shout or The Pink Paper ??
Clonezone support the community more than any other shop in Leeds, in fact they even sponsered last years 'pink picnic'
AND clonezone do sell, cds, Cards, books , magazines , fashion wear , as you stated above .
Also I can understand that you may not be interested in Porn but you have to accept that one hell of alot of people are!! Question - Why cant I walk into the only GAY shop in Leeds and buy a gay dvd ?
Straight shpos can sell them - Why cant clonezone
ok rant over now !
thnaks
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