Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, and 33 GOP House lawmakers, have called on Attorney General William Barr to prosecute Netflix for the distribution of “child pornography” in a letter obtained by the Daily Caller.
Recently, Netflix has found itself in a hotbed of controversy after releasing the film “Cuties” which, according to a DCNF review, includes many close up shots of underage girls’ crotches and buttocks. Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have released statements urging the Department of Justice to “investigate” Netflix for exploiting children. Democrat Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard also labeled the movie “child pornography”, adding it would “whet the appetite of pedophiles & help fuel the child sex trafficking trade.”
Representative Banks’ letter takes it a step further, calling on Barr to bring charges against the streaming service for distributing child pornography, citing “18 U.S.C § 2256.”
“We’re writing to recommend you bring charges against Netflix, Inc. for the distribution of the film ‘Cuties,’ which contains child pornography,” the letter reads. “As defined by 18 U.S.C § 2256, child pornography is any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor, and that conduct does not need to specifically depict sexual activity to qualify.”
“Cuties clearly meets the United States’ legal definition of child pornography.” The letter continues, “‘Cuties’ contains, ‘a scene where an 11-year-old girl dressed in a tank and panties is splashed with water and begins twerking in a frenzied kind of way,’ and numerous other, equally distressing depictions of minors including the display of an 11-year-old child’s bare breast.”
The film, which is directed by French movie maker Maïmouna Doucouré, centers around Amy, 11, joining young underage female dancers in a group “named ‘the cuties’ at school, and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity – upsetting her mother and her values in the process,” according to the movie’s IMDB description.
The letter goes onto to dismiss claims that “Cuties” was a critique of the sexualization of children adding, “It’s visual fodder for pedophiles and its message is beside the point.”
“To us, and to the vast majority of Americans, it’s deeply upsetting to see a mainstream media company promote the sexualization of children. We appreciate you considering this issue and eagerly await your response.”
33 other Republican lawmakers have all co-signed the letter, including Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, and North Carolina Rep. Doug Murphy.
“Cuties is child porn and Netflix should be prosecuted for distributing it. The vast majority of Americans agree with me, which is why Netflix’s cancellation rate has skyrocketed,” Banks told the DC. “Americans are shocked to see this foisted on our children, and so are my 33 Republican colleagues who’ve signed this letter. But no Democrats. They seem more inclined to defend Cuties than criticize it. That raises some alarm bells.”
Last Tuesday evening, “Cuties” was ranked the fourth most watched movie on Netflix in the United States. The streaming company has shown no interest in removing the film, claiming the movie is as an award winning “social commentary.”
