27 JULY

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

Indecent Publications Tribunal

I, Jack Alexander McLeod Kean, Comptroller of Customs,
give notice that I have applied to the Indecent Publications
Tribunal for decisions as to whether the books described
below are indecent or not, or for decisions as to their
classification.

1. Title: Penthouse Magazine, 1972, Vol. 7, No. 1.
   Publisher: Penthouse Publications Ltd., London W. 14.

2. Title: Penthouse Magazine, 1972, Vol. 7, No. 2.
   Publisher: Penthouse Publications Ltd., London W. 14.

3. Title: Penthouse Magazine, 1972, Vol. 7, No. 3.
   Publisher: Penthouse Publications Ltd., London W. 14.

4. Title: Penthouse Magazine, 1972, Vol. 7, No. 4.
   Publisher: Penthouse Publications Ltd., London W. 14.

No. 510–515

Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

In the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in
the matter of an application by Seven Seas Pty. Ltd. for
decisions in respect of the following books: Mayfair Mistress
by Sheila Foster, The Party by Renee Auden, High Thrust by
Renee Auden, The Saline Solution by Marco Vassi, The
Gentle Degenerates by Marco Vassi, Busy Bodies by Ed
Martin; all published by Olympia Press Incorporated, New
York.

Mr Downey, solicitor, appeared on behalf of the applicant
and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THE above six books do not deserve detailed description. The
object of the authors is to create characters (if they can be
named as such) and around them weave a story of sexual
activities largely of a perverted and degrading nature. The
books have no literary or social merit and have not been
written with any honesty of purpose.

The Tribunal classifies these books as indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

17 July 1972.

No. 516

Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

In the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in
the matter of an application by Marketing Services (N.Z.)
Ltd. for a decision in respect of the book House of Pleasure
by Joe Green, published by Gold Star Publications (Australia)
Pty. Ltd.

Mr Downey, solicitor, appeared on behalf of the applicant
and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THE story which this paperback novel tells is about real
people. Although the characters are not attractive, they are
well drawn and there is no undue emphasis on sex. A San
Francisco madam is the confidante of powerful figures in
politics, in the world of business, and in the shadowy world
outside the law. The book is not obscene or corrupting.

The Tribunal classifies this book as not indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

17 July 1972.

No. 517

Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

In the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in
the matter of an application by Seven Seas Publishing Pty.
Ltd. for a decision in respect of the book Diary of a Transexual by Lyn Raskin, published by Olympia Press Incorporated, New York.

Mr Downey, solicitor, appeared on behalf of the applicant
and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

“THIS is the personal true diary of a man who became a
woman—heart, body and soul”—according to the cover note,
but we cannot accept that it is genuine. The diary of Mr Ed
Rankin purports to begin in September 1953 and ends in
March 1971 with a poem, entitled I am a Woman written
by Miss Lyn Raskin, the former Mr Ed Rankin. Between
those two entries the diary records in detail the events leading
to a transsexual transformation. It becomes tedious.
Because of the detailed description of the sexual changes the
Tribunal considers that it should not be readily available to
young people.

The Tribunal classifies this book as indecent in the hands
of persons under the age of 18 years.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

17 July 1972.

No. 518–9

Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in
the matter of an application by Seven Seas Publishing Pty.
Ltd. for decisions in respect of the following magazines:
Forum, Vol. 4 No. 3, Forum, Vol. 4 No. 4, published by New
English Library, London.

Mr Downey, solicitor, appeared on behalf of the applicant
and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THESE two issues of an English monthly journal devoted to
the ventilation and discussion of all aspects of sexual behaviour raise serious questions about the purposes of the
publications. The contents are almost entirely textual and the
format is restrained and cultivated. Some of the articles which
form the first half of each issue appear genuine attempts to
help to remove unhealthy and socially harmful attitudes
towards sex. While the sexual mores which are frankly discussed in some of them are not generally approved in our
New Zealand way of life, these articles could not be classified
as corrupting.

On the other hand, the second half of each issue contains
a good deal of material that appears to be suspect. The case
histories from contributors and many of the letters from
readers published in Forum Adviser appear contrived and
become vehicles for discussing sexual deviations not merely
with frankness, but with approval and in some cases irresponsibility. In the hands of mature adults the magazines are
unlikely to be harmful but a restriction is clearly desirable
to protect younger readers.

The Tribunal, by a majority decision, classifies both issues
as indecent in the hands of persons under the age of 18 years.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

17 July 1972.

No. 520

Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in
the matter of an application by Seven Seas Publishing Pty.
Ltd. for a decision in respect of the book The Records of the
San Francisco Sexual Freedom League by J. F. Poland and V.
Alison, published by Olympia Press Incorporated, New York.

Mr Downey, solicitor, appeared on behalf of the applicant
and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THE Sexual Freedom League advocates sex freedom—the
right for all people to be in command of their own desires
and behaviour. The movement started in San Francisco in
1964 and spread all over the United States and indentified
itself with the political and social aims of Women’s Liberation and Homosexual (Gay) Liberation. It is stated that
when the emphasis shifted towards nude parties membership
grew rapidly.

This book is, according to Herbert Gold who wrote the
introduction, “an instructive tour of the world of troubled
sexuality looking for sexual trouble”.

The book consists of case histories recounted with considerable frankness. The objects and activities of the League may
not be accepted by the majority of people but there is no
reason why this book should not be available to the adult
reader.