My Respose to Boris Johnson

tomayor@london.gov.uk
dateThu, Jul 3, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Re: Publicly viewing pornographic material on London Transport

Dear Boris Johnson,

Thankyou for forwarding my complaints regarding -me be exposed to both pornographic images and men arousing themselves using pornography on public transport, to London Buses.

Unfortunately the standard response I was sent in reply was obviously formularised before you brought in the drinking ban. The standard response says "since these publications [i.e.- porn papers/ lads mags,etc] are freely available, we are not in a position to ban them on our services", yet you yourself have defined as your greatest moment so far as Mayor, has been bringing in the alcohol ban, almost without a hitch. Alcohol you will be aware, is freely available, so the argument that 'free availability' means it can't be banned on public transport, is clearly untrue, as you yourself have proved.

The standard response also says "on the whole, we get extremely few complaints about this matter", yet TFL obviously gets enough complaints to warrant formularising a standard response to it. I would also suggest that the women who are offended by being exposed to these publications in the cramped conditions of public transport, are far greater than you might estimate. In places where we are forced to close proximity of other people, there are far more acts that are considered anti-social than when we can move freely in the open air. This includes the workplace, where it is already considered sexist and discriminatory to be viewing pornography or exposing others to it.

I caught a bus this morning and a poster in front of me said "I will not eat smelly food" "and I won't play my music too loud"...... Where was the poster saying "and I won't look at pornographic images"?

This glaring absence of consideration for women on London Transport has to change.

Yours sincerely....

If you feel similarly outraged that behaviour that is no longer acceptable in the workplace (ogling over porn or displaying it the the form of calenders, etc) yet women are expected to put up with this on public transport, please join me in writing to the Mayor, TFL, the London Assembly and/or your local MP to complain.