Hundreds of men take pledge to create the first 'city free from porn'

Not unlike the largely religious community in the small town in Footloose, an Australian town is into putting the kibosh on transgressive behaviour. But instead of dancing, it’s pornography.

The mayor of Toowoomba, Paul Antonio, and his followers have a lofty goal — to create a city entirely free of porn. (That's a city free from porn, not a city full of free porn, you pervs!)

Antonio lead a crowd of over 200 male leaders, students and residents in reading aloud a pledge to abstain from porn Wednesday, a promise usually seen in church youth groups, not secular, civic gatherings.

The mayor told the ABC the surreal rally wasn't aimed at shutting down Toowoomba's handful of adult shops, strip club or brothel. Good to know. Rather, it was about "the people who are impacted by pornography, and its impact on relationships."

Boycotting porn, city leaders say, will help counteract negative statistics regarding the amount of gendered violence contained in such material.

"Politicians and police are doing what they can in relation to drugs and alcohol, but who is taking responsibility in relation to pornography? The answer is no one," said chairman of anti-domestic violence organisation Toowoomba Together, John Minz.

"We are the garden city. We should not only be nurturing our garden beds, but our children, our lives, and our futures," he added. A lovely, albeit vague sentiment.

The community event raises the question — do the residents of Toowoomba actually believe they can create a "porn-free city" in 2016? Are they intending to simply unplug the internet? 'Cause that's not how it works, guys.

Organiser of the event, Letitia Shelton likened the campaign's optimism to the decades-long anti-smoking movement. "They haven't eradicated it, but there's a lot less smoking going on," she said.

The group have certainly taken out an uber-dramatic leaf out of the anti-smoking campaign's shock-vertising book. Just look at this horror show.