A martial artist who creates wrestling videos fears the UK government's new ban on 'choking porn' could lead to her imprisonment. Sophie Weiss, known online as The Barnsley Basher, shares content of herself using Brazilian jiu-jitsu moves to overpower men and women.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a martial art and combat sport focused on ground fighting, grappling, and submission holds. It involves taking an opponent to the ground and employing techniques such as joint locks and chokeholds to force submission.
The 34-year-old, who wears bikinis or athleisure wear in her videos, says her OnlyFans content includes putting people in headlocks and chokeholds. She claims amendments to the Crime and Policing Act make it a criminal offence to possess or publish pornographic images that explicitly and realistically depict strangulation or suffocation.
New law impacts content creation
The new policy, effective from November 6, means some of her videos now fall foul of the law, leaving her struggling to create content for her platforms. The introduction to the Crime and Policing Act states these offences target content that 'risks normalising conduct that is harmful or illegal'.
However, the content creator maintains the choking in her videos is consensual and safe, as she is professionally trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She also said her work is not harmful but helps 'empower' women, as the women in her videos are the ones 'in control'.
Sophie, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: "I wrestle women in bikinis, we choke each other, use Brazilian jui-jitsu moves on each other, it's all consensual."
Creator's defence and concerns
Sophie argues the government classes her content as pornography even though she is dressed in bikinis. She said: "It is for arousal but at the end of the day men can get aroused by an armpit or a toenail, it's a bit stupid they are saying that."
She added: "They're saying it's to protect women but it feels like it is more control for the government. What I do for work actually empowers women because we are choking out men. We're the ones in charge, we're the ones in control. It's my main niche, the whole choking thing. It's all Brazilian jiu jitsu chokes, I know how to do it professionally and I have been trained. I know when to release and tap out, they are in control as much as I am. It's going to affect me massively, that's where all my sales were. It's just really difficult now."
The 34-year-old said she had to delete a large amount of content, a process that took her a week or two. She said: "I can face five years in prison for distributing. I didn't think it was going to be real, when a newspaper article came out I thought, 'oh it is real'. A lot of people have complained about it, we're all confused as to what is bad and what isn't bad. If we make sports-style videos that could still be classed as choking. Even if we are wearing sporty clothes and are in a boxing ring, that can get us in trouble."
Impact and public reaction
Sophie, who has been posting videos since 2019, said starting her career was the best thing she has ever done and it is a way for women to 'take their power back'. She said: "It's been the best thing I've ever done in my life. It's a way for us women to take our power back. I never chose this sort of work, it chose me. It helped me grow as a person. People would say it's harmful but it's not because it is done safely and consensually. It affects the guys as well [...] they are lonely and it is like therapy to them."
Sophie now has to think of alternative ways to overpower men in her videos. She said: "If I'm doing wrestling videos I will have to overpower men in different ways doing take-downs, lifting them and armlocks, but it's not what they really want."
Sophie posted a video about the new policy online venting her frustrations, which racked up more than 129,000 views. Commenters have sympathised with her and expressed their frustrations. One wrote: "Amazing how our society seems determined to go backwards." Another commented: "If people can’t scratch their itch online then they’ll be forced to seek things elsewhere so they’ll actually see an increase." One added: "Talk about ridiculous." Another commented: "The people in charge are beyond stupid."
Government response
Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones, said: "We are taking action to tackle the real-world harm extreme pornography is causing to women and girls. Attempts to reduce this to a debate about semantics distracts attention from a serious issue. Every day I speak to survivors of domestic abuse, and non-fatal strangulation is present in almost every case. In pornography, it is too often portrayed as normal sexual behaviour, but it is not, and it is not something anybody should feel pressured to do. I'm not here to police people’s private and consensual sex lives, I am here to keep people safe. We are talking about abusive and violent types of pornography, which promote behaviours that cause devastating consequences for victims and survivors. The law is clear. The focus is not on specific methods used, but the harm itself - however it is inflicted. Decisions on investigation and prosecution are matters for the police and CPS, and ultimately it is for the courts to determine whether an offence has been committed."
