Pennsylvania Republican House Primary Heats Up Over Issue of 'Sexual Sin'

Pennsylvania Republican House Primary Heats Up Over Issue of 'Sexual Sin'

KINTNERSVILLE, Pa. — The proposition that adult content is a gateway to “sexual sin” has become an issue in the Republican primary contest for Pennsylvania’s 1st District, where longtime religious activist Mark Houck has mounted an effective right-wing challenge to mainstream conservative incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.

XBIZ has covered Houck since 2007, when he picketed Philadelphia-area adult boutiques and theaters, attempting to bankrupt them by shaming potential customers.

News site Politico — which is owned by “the German Rupert Murdoch,” Axel Springer, and regularly platforms anti-porn voices — on Friday foregrounded a 2020 interview with “The Regular Catholic Guy Show” podcast, in which Houck revealed his personal “struggle” with porn.

Politico reporters Daniella Diaz, Sarah Ferris and Anthony Adragna characterized Houck’s statements as evidence of an “addictive tendency.”

Houck said, “I struggled with pornography and being exposed to it at a young age. Of course, that leads to, you know, sexual sin, masturbation and stuff. And so, that was a chronic habit that I had that just became a bad habit. Ultimately it was self-medication, I can say initially, and then it became a bad habit.”

The Politico reporters dug up other instances of what they refer to as Houck’s “open acknowledgment of his interest in porn,” including a 2011 article in a college newspaper, which connected Houck’s work with a Catholic group to what he called his “16-year pornography addiction.”

Politico confronted Houck with its research on his masturbation history, and he told the news site that “his story is not unknown.”

“I have shared it many times online and in interviews and books,” he added. “My past struggles are just that. They are a past from childhood into young adulthood. Having lost my father at a very young age (11 years old), I had no real guidance but by God’s grace and healing we were able to move away from that sad self medication to true freedom. I have maintained that freedom for many years and now I help others to find the same for themselves.”

Perhaps hinting at their source, Diaz, Ferris and Adragna noted that Houck’s chances of unseating the more mainstream Republican incumbent “sparked many private discussions among GOP leadership since he jumped in against Fitzpatrick this month” and that the National Republican Congressional Committee “was already indicating it’s prepared to spend to help Fitzpatrick, a centrist who’s well-liked by Republican leadership,” in order to “dispatch the threat” of a Houck candidacy in the general election.

A Lifelong Obsession With Harassing Others Over Their Sexual Choices

As XBIZ reported, in 2007 Houck, through his Christian men’s group, The King’s Men, staged what he called his “No More Porn Tour” of adult shops and theaters in Philadelphia’s five-county area, carrying signs that read “Real men love women” and “Real men don’t exploit women.”

“It’s something we decided to do as Christian men — taking our faith to action,” Houck said at the time. “We’re trying to reach out to men and women who are broken, seeking love in all the wrong places. We encourage a life of sexual self-control, and we have a great return on our investment. I used to have my own addiction to pornography for 15 years. I’ve found freedom in my life from these vices.”

In February 2023, Houck was acquitted in federal court of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which bans “violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services.”

The incidents in question took place in October 2021, at a Philadelphia abortion clinic that Houck regularly targeted in his ongoing campaign to disrupt abortion providers and harass women seeking health care.

Houck told extreme-right broadcaster and multiple criminal-case defendant Steve Bannon that he intended to press charges against the FBI agents and the state troopers who arrested him in September 2022.

Houck’s acquittal was celebrated by the Catholic News Agency with a laudatory report.

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Fleshy to Launch Interactive Cam Site 'Eremote'

Male pleasure brand Fleshy has announced that it will launch an interactive, bidirectional cam site next month called Eremote.

XBIZ LA Show Introduces New 'Crib Crawl' Feature

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the 2025 edition of its flagship conference, the XBIZ Show, will debut a brand-new feature: Crib Crawl, offering attendees the chance to meet and greet representatives from leading brands and organizations in dedicated suites at the host venue.

Pre-Nominations Now Open for 2025 TEAs

The pre-nomination period for the 2025 Trans Erotica Awards (TEAs) is now open.

Byborg Invests $22.35M in PLBY Group

Luxembourg-based Byborg Enterprises SA is investing $22.35 million in Playboy parent company PLBY Group.

Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments on Texas AV Law in January

The United States Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for Free Speech Coalition's challenge to Texas’ age verification law to take place Wednesday, Jan. 15.

2025 XBIZ Exec Awards Nominees for Online Industry Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the nominees for the online industry edition of the 2025 XBIZ Exec Awards, set to be presented as part of the annual XBIZ Honors ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 15 in conjunction with the XBIZ 2025 conference.

Project 2025 Leader Claims Big Tech Companies 'Deliberately Fuel Pornography Addiction' Among Men

Heritage Foundation president and Project 2025 leader Kevin Roberts published on Wednesday the text of a speech in which he persists with his past claim that “predatory Big Tech corporations” are “deliberately fueling pornography addiction” among young men.

FSC Petitions 10th Circuit for Review of Utah AV Dismissal

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) on Wednesday petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit to review a decision handed down earlier this month by a three-judge panel of the same appeals court, which denied FSC the right to challenge Utah’s controversial age verification law by suing state officials.

MyAdultAttorney's Corey D. Silverstein to Hold Post-Election Legal Impact Webinar

Industry attorney Corey D. Silverstein will hold a “Legal Impact” webinar titled “We Have a New U.S. President: Legal and Community Implications” on Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. PST.

Pornhub Shuts Down Access in Oklahoma Over Age Verification

Aylo began geo-blocking Pornhub across Oklahoma on Tuesday, three days in advance of the state’s new age verification law, SB 1959, taking effect.

Show More