About
The Coalition for the Right to View was formed in 1986. Its originating members were the Vancouver Artists League, BC Civil Liberties Association, Satellite Video Exchange Society (VIVO), Vancouver Lesbian Connection, Vancouver Gay & Lesbian Community Centre, Little Sisters’ Bookstore, and Angles newspaper. It quickly expanded to include writer’s organizations, sex educators, lawyers, the BC Library Association and Freedom to Read Committee, the entire faculty of Emily Carr and professors from other post-secondary institutions, among others. The CRTV was headquartered at Video Inn (VIVO). The bulk of documentation resides in the SVES fonds.
Aims
It was decided at its formation that the CRTV would not be a woman-only coalition. It would welcome all, but embrace a pro-feminist approach ,with an unseperable platform of social action.
The aim of the coalition was to combat government censorship including but not limited to:
- Proposed videotape classification and censorship
- Censorship by the Periodical Review Board
- Censorship and banning of work and image by Canada Customs
- Anti-obscenity section of the Criminal Code of Canada
In response to legislation, the CRTV proposed instead:
- Funding sex education
- Increased resources to victims of violence, economic and policy support for child abuse and sexual abuse teams, services and shelters for battered and raped women, self-defense training in the shool system
- Provide policy and economic support measures that promote gender equality
- Provide resources to encourage the development of sexual images which can begin to be an alternative to existing porn and advertising images
- Ensure that ARCs, educational institutions, art and educational materials will not be censored, either for their sexual content or social criticism.
Despite press conferences, letter writing campaigns, petitions, public forums, and meetings with the NDP opposition, the new BC Motion Picture Act was passed with only one dissenting NDP voice.
Less than a fortnight after the Motion Picture Act was passed, the Mulroney government introduced Bill C-114 (later C-54) which set out the federal government’s new anti-pornography legislation, as broad as expected, and making virtually all producers and distributors of sexual imagery vulnerable.
Controversy over the BC Motion Picture Act continued after its passage. The executive committee of Public Service Alliance of Canada (customs workers), the BC Federation of Labour’s Women’s Committee, the BC Library Association, and others invited the CRTV to address their members. While these were important educational steps, it was decided that a direct challenge to the Act was needed. This took the form of an exhibition/workshop series, “Visual Evidence”, co-sponsored by the Vancouver Artists League, a coalition of local artists and artist-run centres, and the CRTV.
Basis of Unity
Supporters
The original members of the CRTV were primarily artists, art organizations, and 2slgbtqia+ people and organizations. Support grew rapidly to include educators, librarians, trade unions and businesses.
The SVES fonds holds statements of support from people and organizations across the country. Contact us to access.
Original supporters
Resistance
Visual Evidence
A Series of Video Screenings, Workshops and Multimedia Events About Sexuality and Sexual Images.
April 25 – June 27, 1987
Visual Evidence was organized in defiance of the BC Motion Picture Act and impending federal legislation that would censor or restrict audio-visual and other materials containing sexual imagery. Visual Evidence was sponsored by the Vancouver Artist’s League, a coalition of local non-profit artists’ centres and individual artists, and organized by The Coalition for the Right To View, representing cultural, educational and other organizations and individuals concerned about censorship.
Public Speaking
Press
The Sun, 27 Nov 1985, page A5, Vancouver, Canada.
The Sun, 12 Jun 1986, page 9, Vancouver, Canada.
Interview with Sara Diamond
Unidentified broadcast, March 9, 1988.
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