This is against the law? ___________________ Texas housewife busted for hawking erotic toys Sales rep for Brisbane firm sold vibrator to undercover agents Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, December 16, 2003 ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle | Feedback | FAQ URL: sfgate.com/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/12/16/MNGEA3O52I1.DTL A Texas housewife is in big trouble with the law for selling a vibrator to a pair of undercover cops, and the Brisbane vibrator company she works for says Texas is an "antiquated place'' with more than its share of "prudes.'' Joanne Webb, a former fifth-grade teacher and mother of three, was in a county court in Cleburne, Texas, on Monday to answer obscenity charges for selling the vibrator to undercover narcotics officers posing as a dysfunctional married couple in search of a sex aid. Webb, a saleswoman for Passion Parties of Brisbane, faces a year in jail and a $4,000 fine if convicted. "What I did was not obscene,'' Webb said. ""What's obscene is that the government is taking action about what we do in our bedrooms.'' The arrest of Webb in Cleburne, a small town 50 miles southwest of Dallas, was the first time that any of the company's 3,000 sales consultants have been busted, said Pat Davis, the president of Passion Parties. She said the company was outraged by the charges and stood behind Webb. "It makes you wonder what they're thinking out there in Texas,'' Davis said. "They sound like prudes, with antiquated laws. They must have all their street crime under control in Texas if they're going to spend tax money arresting us.'' For the past year, Webb has sold the company's line of vibrators, gels, lubricants, strawberry-flavored nipple cream and "edible passion puddings.'' The merchandise is offered for sale in private, Tupperware-style parties to women who may be reluctant to visit an adult novelty store. Among the company's top items are a $12 jar of passion pudding in chocolate and strawberry flavors ("apply head to toe, wherever you want your lover to linger"), a $9 jar of nipple cream in strawberry, raspberry and watermelon flavors, and battery-powered vibrators that sell for $17 to $140. The company also offers such lubricants as Slippery Stuff ($13), Lickety Lube ($12) and Lucky Stiff ($11.50), and a $22 battery-powered item for men known as Jelly Julie ("with soft jelly silicone lips"). "Our products are not obscene,'' Davis said. "All we're trying to do is help people build loving relationships.'' Webb suspects she got in trouble because she ruffled feathers in town by daring to join the Chamber of Commerce with her sex toy business. She said her arrest had caused her husband of 20 years to suffer a nervous breakdown. Webb said she was amazed that the town's narcotics squad would be put on the case. "We have a real problem with drugs in our schools,'' she said, "and they're using our narcotics officers to entrap me for selling a vibrator.''
My wife went to one of those parties recently and had a great time even though she didn't buy anything. It is absolutely insane that 1) this type of thing is illegal and 2) that the police are dedicating resources to sting people trying to make a little extra money in private homes behind closed doors. But that is what narcotics officers do for a living so it's allright I guess.
$ 140.00 ?!?! What the f**k, that thing better freaking mow the grass and change my oil when it's done with the wife.
The state law is funny as the "obscene device" section mentions that anyone who has six or more of them will be considered to possess them with the intent to promote them. So, it's like the drug laws, over a certain amount means "intent to sell" in drug cases. And with sex toys, over a certain amount is "intent to promote".
Intent to promote? That is maybe one of the funniest things I've ever read. So, you intend to promote the use of sex toys if you own six or more. Awesome. What if you just own one really good one and tell everyone about it? What if you own 10? Does that make you a dealer? What if you own five that are battery powered but only 1 that is not? Do they all have to be motorized to count? Can they confiscate cucumbers? Does six cucumbers in your house constitue an intent to promote cucumbers as a sex aide? What about carrots? What about S/M? Can they lock you up for handcuffs or restraints? What if the person LIKES being locked up? Is that also a crime? How would they punish you? By not locking you up? Damn, law is funny!
What's worse is that it's a class A felony! Amazing, simply amazing. In any event, I see a clear loophole here: I see it says "genital" organs. I don't see anything about "anal" or "anus" in there. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I swear, I was going put that thing up my ass!"
