'Face-sitting' over porn censorship law

Demonstrators take part in a mass "face-sitting protest" outside the Houses of Parliament in central London.

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London (CNN) -- Visitors to the Houses of Parliament on Friday may have seen more than they bargained for. Protesters against new rules limiting online pornography gathered to simulate some of the now-banned sex acts, including "face-sitting."

The campaigners aimed to highlight what they say are arbitrary and sexist changes to the law that don't distinguish between consensual and nonconsensual acts between adults.

But to spare onlookers' blushes (and a potential brush with the law), those taking part in what was dubbed the #PornProtest on Twitter remained fully clothed.

The new regulations, which came into force on December 1, ban various acts being depicted in online pornography produced in the United Kingdom, including face-sitting, female ejaculation and spanking, in part to protect children from being exposed to potentially harmful content.

However, they do not make it illegal for people to watch videos produced outside Britain or to perform the acts themselves.

One of the protest organizers is Charlotte Rose, winner of the UK sex worker of the year title in 2013 and a free-speech advocate.

She told CNN that the bill could be perceived as being sexist because the banning of certain acts appears to target women's sexual enjoyment.

"This is about censorship, and what the government is doing is they're censoring our consent -- so yes, it does affect women, but it also affects every man and every woman," she said. "It affects anybody who enjoys these particular activities."

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'Face-sitting' over porn censorship law