Republican Mark Robinson Shut Down a Porn Site
But Not How You'd Think. An Investigative Report into NudeAfrica.com
Of all the horrible things that North Carolina Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson has done – denying the Holocaust, equating homosexuality with pedophilia, praising Adolph Hitler’s poorly written book, Mein Kampf – the most overlooked is that, after 26 years of nothing but customer satisfaction, he singlehandedly shut down NudeAfrica.com.
CNN’s investigation, which seemed to primarily consist of looking at NudeAfrica.com, showed that Robinson, who became famous for transphobic speeches, had posted comments on the site calling himself a “black NAZI!”, advocating reinstating slavery so that he could buy some, and celebrating transgender porn. Shortly thereafter, NudeAfrica.com posted on its homepage “THE NUDEAFRICA FREE MESSAGE BOARD IS CURRENTLY CLOSED.” Members could still log on, but new applications were not being accepted. We have now answered the long-pondered hypothetical: Can a person do something so awful that it would shut down a porn site?
There are, my own investigation shows, a lot of pornographic websites other than NudeAfrica.com. In fact, NudeAfrica.com isn’t in the top 100 most visited porn sites. So why would Robinson, the current Lieutenant Governor, which is the second highest elected official in the ninth most populous state – a man who could, at his whim, go to any porn site he wanted – choose to spend so much time at NudeAfrica.com?
Thanks to the Wayback Machine I was able to explore NudeAfrica.com. And it made me even more horrified about Robinson.
That’s because NudeAfrica.com is the sweetest, kindest porn site I’ve ever seen. It is indeed, as it claims at the very top of its homepage, “the world’s most amateur black adult site.” I would argue it’s the world’s most amateur site of any kind.
If you want to know what the internet was like in 1998, NudeAfric.com is the place for you. It’s just people posting their own photos, artwork, stories, poetry, and thoughts. If you like to see real human beings shot on real phones without any real thought about lighting, this is the place for you. What shocks the 2024 viewer isn’t the porn, but how civil the web used to be. Instructions for posting include: “Our name is NUDE Africa, but we do NOT require NUDITY when you post, although it is greatly appreciated.” It also says, “Hello World! Welcome to Nude Africa. SHOW NUDE AFRICA WOMEN LOVE - if you like a post, then pay them a compliment! Do not, repeat, do not, post negative comments.”
There’s a Black History section, which had an interesting thread about how the terms “bull”, “stud”, and “mandingo” were used by plantation owners who bred slaves. “Think about this if you are you of those guys that go to swingers parties and white women flock to you and call you their stud. They may have their husbands right there because they don't view you as a threat.” This worth thinking about even if you aren’t one of those guys that go to swingers parties and white women flock to you and call you their stud.
The poetry section has titles such as “Now im afraid” which begins:
Now I’m afraid to love you
And continue to give you my trust
I’m afraid of making plans
And end up with my feelings crushed
Now I’m afraid to love you
And I don’t know what to do
Love without trust; is only lust
Debating if I should continue
and concludes:
Now I’m afraid to love you
But I’m not afraid of love
There are thousands of sites where Robinson’s hatred would have been welcome, only some of which are owned by Elon Musk. But instead he decided to destroy the decades-long home of the nice people at NudeAfrica.com. He is not fit to serve as governor. Or a poster on NudeAfrica.com.