# Why is Taboo taboo in Texas?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 1, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799 "2003-04-01T21:30:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/1 "2003-04-01T21:30:09Z")
Is the recent banning of Taboo magazine (published by Hustler founder Larry Flynt) in Texas due to some kind of sodomy law?
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/2 "2003-04-01T21:35:01Z")
Hadn’t heard about it. Can you tell us more, or maybe a link?
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### Author:  [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/3 "2003-04-01T23:05:08Z")
Huh? How could Texas, or any state, “ban” a magazine. If it’s legal for the USPS to deliver it, how could you keep it out, supposing you wanted to.
I am so worried that the rest of the country is starting to think that Texans are bloodthirsty idiots. It’s really not that bad, folks.
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### Author:  [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/4 "2003-04-02T00:43:58Z")
Well, I don’t have a link, but I do have, erm, “first hand” experience. They sent me a letter saying:
“We regret to inform you that, due to rigorous enforcement of your state’s laws governing the mailing of certain types of adult materials, we are not able to serve the remaining issues on your subscription”
I found it strange, considering Larry Flynt’s public defiance of censorship.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/5 "2003-04-02T00:59:45Z")
I wanna hear what’s in the magazine that inspired this. Last time I checked magazine porn was a long ways from actually showing sodomy.
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### Author:  [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/6 "2003-04-02T02:45:13Z")
**Omni** , obviously you haven’t checked in the last five years or so. The magazines have upped the ante considerably in their effort to keep up with internet porn.
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### Author:  [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/7 "2003-04-02T02:51:12Z")
From the Taboo Magazine web site “NOTE:This magazine is not available for delivery to the states of: AL, AR, MS, TX, UT, FL, TN, IN, OH.”
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/8 "2003-04-02T02:57:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by The Controvert \*
> \*\*Well, I don’t have a link, but I do have, erm, “first hand” experience. They sent me a letter saying:
>
> “We regret to inform you that, due to rigorous enforcement of your state’s laws governing the mailing of certain types of adult materials, we are not able to serve the remaining issues on your subscription”
That doesn’t make much sense. Delivery of mail is solely Federal jurisdiction. I don’t see how Texas could stop it even if they wanted to.
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### Author:  [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/9 "2003-04-02T14:09:11Z")
IANAL nor am I a postal inspector, Texas lawman or pornographer, but my WAG is that the publisher has decided that it is more risky or more expensive to defend the magazine against obscenity prosecutions than it is to deliver a few issues to subscribers in Texas.
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/10 "2003-04-02T14:46:35Z")
**Otto** is almost certainly right. Texas defines obscenity, among other things, as:
“[P]atently offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated, including sexual intercousre, sodomy or bestiality, or…masturbation, excretory functions, sadism, masochism, lewd exhibition of the genitals, the male or female genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal, covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state or a device designed or marketed as useful primarily for stimulation of the human genital organs…”
My guess is Taboo arguably (or indisputably) contains one or more of the above, and case law and the general law enforcement atmosphere towards their type of thingie makes it better off for them to just avoid us. Incidentally, I’m naming my next band “Discernibly Turgid.”
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### Author:  [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/11 "2003-04-02T15:01:21Z")
hmmm…I had heard that dildos, vibes and such were illegal here in Texas; however, I don’t think that’s a much-enforced clause, given the number of such toys available for sale here in Austin within easy walking distance of the capitol…
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/12 "2003-04-02T15:09:17Z")
Ah, good old “Forbidden Fruit”…
It’s not much enforced, but it does happen occasionally. There was a farcical “dildo bust” that went down here in Houston within the last couple of years or so. I’d provide a link, but “dildo” and “Houston” are pretty darn hard to google.
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### Author:  [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/13 "2003-04-02T15:22:38Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by caveman \*
> \*\*hmmm…I had heard that dildos, vibes and such were illegal here in Texas; however, I don’t think that’s a much-enforced clause, given the number of such toys available for sale here in Austin within easy walking distance of the capitol… \*\*
Many of those things are indeed sold in Texas, but they are explicitly (sorry) labeled “For novelty use only.” I’m sure it’s a wink-wink-nudge-nudge work around the law.
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### Author:  [@Hostile\_17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_17)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/14 "2003-04-02T15:59:02Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Turek \*
> \*\*Many of those things are indeed sold in Texas, but they are explicitly (sorry) labeled “For novelty use only.” I’m sure it’s a wink-wink-nudge-nudge work around the law. \*\*
Yeah, in TX, you can legally buy vibrators, but you can’t buy dildoes. Go figger.
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### Author:  [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/15 "2003-04-02T16:20:41Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by pravnik \*
> [P]atently offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate sexual acts…
What the heck are “ultimate sexual acts”?
[smoking cig]
Wow! That was ultimate!
[/]
Are penultimate sexual acts OK?
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### Author:  [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/16 "2003-04-02T16:35:17Z")
If they can’t deliever Taboo, how the hell can they deliever Hustler? Last time I looked Golden showers and all 3 inputs were in the magazine.
In Texas, they’re not vibrators…they’re personal massagers.
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/17 "2003-04-02T16:44:01Z")
“Ultimate sex act” apparrently includes that list of things, as well as related things. The Tx Ct of Criminal Appeals decided “I want to feel your breasts” wasn’t obscene becasue it wasn’t related to the above. I guess “I want to get it on with your cat” wouldn’t be…
My guess is they let Hustler slide. Taboo must have some pretty twisted stuff, I suppose.
Disclaimer: The above was for illustrative purposes. I do not wish to get it on with your cat, or anyone else’s.
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### Author:  [@Riboflavin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riboflavin)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/18 "2003-04-02T18:06:45Z")
Friedo, the post office doesn’t deliver “obscene” materials, and “obscene” depends on whether the locals find it offensive.
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### Author:  [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/19 "2003-04-02T18:24:21Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by pravnik \*
> I do not wish to get it on with your cat
Coco thanks you. 😉
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### Author:  [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-taboo-taboo-in-texas/165799/20 "2003-04-02T18:26:18Z")
Here in Austin (and I assume the rest of Texas) there’s apparently a law that one can’t own more than five vibrators. The only reason I know this is because one of my friends suddenly got a little concerned once she bought number six. It’s funny what people get paranoid about, and even funnier what kind of laws some places make up.
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