Reports: Royal Navy Pin-Up Ban After Complaints
The Royal Navy has reportedly banned pictures of pin-up and glamour models after complaints from some crew.
Sailors are also said to have been warned that they will face action if caught downloading or watching pornography.
It comes after a review found that sexually-explicit films and magazines were regularly available on warships and submarines, according to the Sun newspaper. It quotes a source as saying:
"To be fair, this is part of the service coming into the 21st century, being more inclusive and not offending women. But a lot of the lads are moaning about this because porn has been rife across the fleet for generations, and this is the result of a few people complaining."
“They stopped the rum tot (a daily rum ration) and reduced our alcohol allowance and have now banned porn.
"People are wondering what is next, as well as how it will be enforced, especially if stuff is stored on smartphones."
The change to the Royal Navy's Queen Regulations was reportedly distributed under the heading 'Pin-ups and Pornography', saying:
"Possession of films/videos and all forms of digital media (e.g DvDs, or downloads from the internet) that have been certified by the British Board of Film Censors is permitted. All other pornographic material is prohibited."
The ban will be enforced through unannounced searches by the Royal Navy Police, amid concerns sailors could access films on social media or pick up pornography on international stopovers, the newspaper writes.
Women first went to sea in the Royal Navy in 1990.
In 2007 pin-ups were banned in communal areas, after a 2004 ban on topless pictures was scrapped within two months. A Royal Navy spokesman said:
"The Royal Navy makes sure that the work environment, whether ashore or at sea, is inclusive and appropriate and we're proud to be recognised as a top 100 employer in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2017."
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