If anyone tells you that Pornhub is not exploitative, or that it promotes an acceptable view of sexuality, just point them to the website's endorsement of rape and incest fantasy this week.

Laila Mickelwait — the founder of New Reality International and an activist who focuses on issues surrounding sex trafficking, prostitution, and pornography — pointed out a concerning statistic regarding the website’s traffic. “This week’s #1 top viewed video on Pornhub w/ over 7 million views is called ‘My Stepbrother Brazenly Took Advantage of My Helplessness’ —in it a young woman gets stuck & her brother rapes her while she says repeatedly ‘no’, ‘stop’, ‘I’m afraid’ & ‘it hurts,’” she wrote.

Instead of, say, pulling the rape and incest-promoting video from its site, the business doubled down.



Hey Laila, this was made by a consenting and very creative sex worker @mihanika3 — Pornhub Model Help & Updates (@PornhubHelp) October 3, 2019



“Hey Laila, this was made by a consenting and very creative sex worker,” replied PornhubHelp, the official Twitter for Pornhub Support.

This defense of sexual deviancy and assault proves that the standard of “consent” as the ultimate sexual ethic is dangerously deficient. Among those who argue that the popularity of pornography has no connection to real-life sexual abuse and exploitation, websites such as Pornhub admit that they’re okay with violence, as long as the participants “consent.” In reality, consent to abuse is not consent at all. Pornhub should immediately remove this video as well as any others that glorify sexual violence.

But it won't — because it would be left with practically no content. (In August, Vice reported that Pornhub was still profiting from Girls Do Porn, a company being sued by 22 women for coercing them into making explicit videos.)

Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexual assault, summed up the situation well.



You want to stand against a culture of abuse?



Start with how we think. Start with how you view women, children and sex.



Start by telling the real truth about porn production and consumption.



Start here. https://t.co/zfdjq7Q5Hq — Rachael Denhollander (@R_Denhollander) October 4, 2019



“You want to stand against a culture of abuse?” she tweeted. “Start with how we think. Start with how you view women, children and sex. Start by telling the real truth about porn production and consumption. Start here.”