This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Online retailer Overstock.com abruptly stopped selling pornography on its website this week, days after the company's chairman and gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Johnson was publicly castigated by Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox for selling the goods.
Johnson's campaign referred questions about the move to the company, which did not respond to an email about the reversal.
The decision by Overstock comes on the heels of a dust-up on Twitter between Cox and Johnson last week, after Gov. Gary Herbert just days before the state Republican Convention held a ceremonial signing of a resolution that had garnered national headlines for declaring pornography a "public health crisis."
The bill had actually been signed into law a month earlier, without fanfare.
Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler magazine, had said publicly that he planned to send copies of his publication to members of the Utah Legislature, just as he has to each member of Congress since 1983.
Johnson took to Twitter, calling Flynt's threat "revolting and disgraceful."
Cox fired back, asking Johnson: "Will you commit that your company will stop selling Mr. Flynt's porn?"
Cox included a link in the tweet to a page where customers can order a subscription to Penthouse — which is not owned by Flynt.
The move was praised by the Washington, D.C.-based National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which has a practice of publicly chastising companies that profit from pornographic materials. The group, for example, has pressured several hotel chains into getting rid of pay-per-view movies in their hotel rooms and is pressuring Overstock's competitor, Amazon, to do away with pornographic items on its site.
"Overstock.com has taken a tremendous stand against sexual exploitation by halting sales of hardcore pornographic magazines and videos on its website," Dawn Hawkins, executive director for the center, said in a statement. "Corporate executives and government leaders are finally joining families and individuals around the country in recognizing the research that reveals pornography harms the brain, and is linked to increased sexual aggression, sexual dysfunction and to child exploitation among other ills."
Cox also praised Overstock on Twitter on Friday, saying he had heard Overstock was taking pornography off its site and saying "Mr. Johnson, I applaud you."
Johnson outpolled Herbert among convention delegates and the two face off in a June 28 primary.
Twitter: @RobertGehrke