Netflix, Inc. has been indicted by a Texas grand jury for its new film “Cuties” and is being charged with the “promotion of lewd visual material depicting [a] child.”
The indictment by the grand jury alleges that Netflix, Inc. did “knowingly promote visual material which depicts the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the visual material was created, which appeals to the prurient interest in sex, and has no serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”
In a statement on the Tyler County District Attorney’s Facebook page, the office noted that the indictment occurred on September 23 and that the “summons was served on the corporation October 1 by the Texas Rangers.”
“As a district attorney, I have to sift through countless cases and make calls every day on how to keep our communities safe. In our county, it is not uncommon for me to confront cases with underage victims. After hearing about the movie ‘Cuties’ and watching it, I know there was probable cause to believe it was criminal under Section 43.262 of the Texas Penal Code,” Criminal District Attorney Lucas Babin said in a statement on the indictment.
“The legislators of this state believe promoting certain lewd material of children has destructive consequences. If such material is distributed on a grand scale, isn’t the need to prosecute more, not less? A grand jury in Tyler county found probable cause for this felony, and my job is to uphold the laws of this State and see that justice is done,” Babin added.
Republican Texas state Rep. Matt Schaefer told The Daily Caller that he is hoping “every district attorney in the country” looks into charges against Netflix for the film.
As The Daily Citizen previously summarized, the movie “shows four 11-year-old girls scantily clad, gyrating and twerking, with several close-up shots of their buttocks. It also shows them grabbing their crotches several times, shaking their buttocks while grabbing their inner thighs, thrusting up and down on the floor and stroking each other’s rear ends.”
“I think the fundamental question is can you tell a story while using underage children to depict an immoral act,” Rep. Schafer told The Daily Caller. “I think this is the perfect opportunity to push back against the film.”
The Daily Citizen reached out to Netflix for a comment on the indictment but did not receive one as of publishing time.
However, Netflix has continued to defend the film, telling The Daily Caller, “Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. This charge is without merit and we stand by the film.”
Last month, 34 Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives wrote a letter to the Department of Justice [DOJ] asking it to bring charges against Netflix, Inc. for distributing child pornography with “Cuties.” To date, the DOJ has not filed charges or publicly commented on the movie, despite several requests for comment from The Daily Citizen.
The case is The State of Texas vs. Netflix, Inc.
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