"for their information, education and entertainment" Statements like this were often affixed to porn of all kinds. This was partly as a result of court cases that tried to ban porn because it not only had no " redeeming social value" but often led to antisocial (read: criminal) behavior. Remember, too, that at the same time there were all kinds of so-called experts claiming that comic books led to juvenile delinquency. Nowadays it's fashionable in some circles to wring ones' hands over the evil influence of video games on the young. There will always be some people eager to ban the public's exposure to certain things they don't like.
In the case of gay porn especially statement like the one above were aimed at proving that it had redeeming social value. As far back as the fifties and sixties, of the 20th century, nude photos of young men were often classed as artists' figure studies. Magazines of such "figure studies" occasionally had pseudo-psychological articles about homosexuality and the male anatomy, particularly the penis.
Look today at PBS. They are terrified to show a naked butt or to broadcast naughty words. This all stems from an incident involving a female pop star's "wardrobe malfunction" during the half-time of a football game. Within minutes of the "wardrobe malfunction" there are all kinds of politicians foaming at the mouth about the filth on TV. PBS is terrified that the self-righteous nitwits in the U. S. Congress will withdraw the little bit of funding they allot to public broadcasting.
Sadly, the self-righteous, pseudo-religious grandstanders are always with us claiming to be shocked at depravity. What they really are doing is parading themselves as superior beings who posses unapproachable high moral values.
