Matthew Boulton College Birmingham B4 7PS - The Petition Against Internet Censorship of Youtube and/or Alternative Sexualities.

Petition against;
Matthew Boulton College
of Further & Higher Education B4 7PS Birmingham UK (West Midlands)

This petition has two motives. You may agree with both, or simply just one. All votes will be counted and given to the right authority via print form. The petition has the following agenda(s).

1.1) Banning of YouTube (www.youtube.com or www.youtube.co.uk/au/etc).

- It has come to many students attention (since Youtube was banned) that youtube was a vital resource (just like any other encyclopedic source); of the media and film institutions.

It was mainly essential to Film Studies AS and A2 for both tutors and students to find relevant (i.e. shocking or outstanding scenes) for their assignments and teaching. It was exceptionally useful for Media AS and A2 for Advertising and Semiotics & Codes (and Convention)study. Further more it can be seen useful for debates in psychology or sociology and much more including politics (to widen our resource material and knowledge)

Since it has been band, I have felt a certain restriction amongst other students who feel it is unfair and unnecessary to simply ban and censor youtube. It is 'too big' of a network, and has become a knowledge base - also it functions on a self sensor basis in which users and admins will remove any erotic and sexual content upon 'flagging' the video/material.

1.2) The censoring of alternative sexualities for the sake of sexual science and exploring gender issues across a wide range of studies.

During the study of gender in Film it came to mine but most importantly my tutor groups attention that the terms 'transsexual' in the site for the Oscar Nominated film Transamerica (which explores a woman's mental trauma and suffering after she finds out she has a son just before her sex-change) was blocked!

Besides this, trying out other terms such as 'gender studies' which mentioned the terms 'transsexual' or 'gay' or 'bisexual' even if it was not portrayed to be sexually explicit or in the light of pornography and erotica; it was still banned from the network...

However the terms heterosexual or similar terms easily bypassed the system as 'safe'.

The petition was raised due to concerns that he college could be accused of sexual discrimination. Film, Media, Sociology, Psychology, Health and Social Care, and other studies which I may not have mentioned, are likely to explore issues on gender amongst the internet (as they would with any other resource). This restriction not only bans us from viewing it in college, but changes our perception and simply backs up the stereotype that alternative sexuality should be censored.

This second part of the petition is under the same discussion but a separate argument itself.

NOTE: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO AGREE WITH BOTH ARGUMENTS. THIS IS SIMPLY TWO PETITIONS AGAINST MATTHEW BOULTON COLLEGE AND THEIR CENSORSHIP OF THE NET.

BELOW ARE SOME QUESTIONS.

IT IS PREFERRED THAT YOU PUT YOUR COLLEGE PIN FOR ASSURANCE.

Thank you for reading.

Argument 1.1 : Censorship of Youtube to be removed
Argument 2.2 : Censorship against alternative sexualities for
educational purposes to be removed.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO AGREE WITH BOTH ARGUMENTS.

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ANY OF THE ABOVE, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN THIS PETITION.