National Centre on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)

Basic Info: Founded in 1962 as Morality in Media (MIM), rebranded to NCOSE (National Centre on Sexual Exploitation) in 2015.

Founder: Father Morton Hill (Jesuit Priest - Catholic)

Board Members:

Marcel Van der Watt - Current CEO

Patrick Trueman - Board Member Ex-President of NCOSE. Trueman came to NCOSE after stints in organizations including SPLC-designated hate groups the American Family Association and the Alliance Defending Freedom. He has a history of anti-gay remarks: as late as 2009 he objected to David Ogden, Barack Obama’s pick for deputy attorney general, on the grounds that he had supported “the rights of homosexuals”.

Benjamin Bull - General Counsel Bull formerly directed the Alliance Defending Freedom, known for its anti-LGBTQ+ stance.

Hadley Arkes - Board Member Is a proponent of the discredited pseudoscience of gay conversion therapy.

Laura Lederer - Board Member

Notable Campaigns

Dirty Dozen List, 2013 Started in 2013 to highlight 12 companies, organizations, or platforms that, according to NCOSE, promote or enable sexual exploitation. Targeted companies include: Google, Apple, Netflix, Pornhub, Snapchat, Visa, Mastercard, EBSCO, Walmart, Reddit, Twitter, Discord, Roblox, and GitHub. For instance, in 2015, NCOSE successfully pressured Walmart to remove Cosmopolitan magazine from its checkout aisles, citing concerns over sexualized content. The campaign is often criticized for being ideologically motivated, as some view it as promoting censorship rather than evidence-based public health approaches.
“Pornography: A Public Health Crisis” Campaign, 2008 NCOSE began framing pornography as a “public health crisis” around 2008, promoting the idea that pornography was contributing to a range of societal problems, including addiction, mental health issues, and relationship breakdowns. This claim has been widely contested by experts in the field of psychology and public health, with critics arguing that there is no scientific consensus supporting the idea that pornography constitutes a public health crisis. The American Psychological Association and American Medical Association have stated that there is no clear evidence linking pornography consumption to long-term harm or addiction, and the term “public health crisis” is often seen as a moral argument rather than a scientific one.
Earn It Act, 2020 The EARN IT Act aimed to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, with the stated intent of making tech companies more responsible for preventing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on their platforms. Critics argued that the EARN IT Act posed risks to online privacy and free speech, as it could encourage the implementation of overzealous content filtering and surveillance. Some also worry it will disproportionately affect platforms that host user-generated content, such as social media platforms.

History of Homophobia In the 1990s MIM encouraged a boycott of Disney after the company began to provide spousal benefits to the partners of LGBTQ+ employees. In January 2004, MIM was one of 15 groups that founded the Coalition for Marriage, which campaigned against Massachusetts’s looming legalization of same-sex marriage. NCOSE has been implicated in supporting anti-LGBTQ+ policies in Uganda. Through its affiliate, the International Coalition on Sexual Exploitation, NCOSE has advised Ugandan leaders, including those endorsing extreme anti-gay measures. Notably, NCOSE hosted a 2022 summit in South Africa featuring prominent anti-LGBTQ+ speakers from Uganda.

In a 2023 statement, NCOSE acknowledged past anti-LGBTQ+ remarks and actions prior to its leadership change in 2011, expressing regret and a commitment to respect all individuals. However, ongoing affiliations and activities show a continued alignment with conservative ideologies that have been criticized for marginalizing LGBTQ+ communities.

Links to White Supremacy Many of NCOSE’s campaigns have been amplified by white supremacist groups.

Anti Sex Campaigns MIM launched protest campaigns against sex shops and sex toys, and erotically charged pop cultural phenomena like the 1978 film Caligula, Madonna’s 1992 book Sex and Monty Python’s 1979 film Life of Brian.

Known Connections: NCOSE has collaborated with organizations like Exodus Cry, which has roots in religious institutions accused of promoting homophobia. These partnerships have raised concerns about the propagation of anti-LGBTQ+ ideologies under the guise of combating sexual exploitation.

External Links + Sources:

https://journals.ala.org/index.php/jifp/article/view/6577/8919

https://www.them.us/story/anti-lgbtq-group-onlyfans-porn-ban

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Center_on_Sexual_Exploitation#:~:text=NCOSE have stated that pornography,are false%2C misleading or unsupported

https://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/ncose-statement-on-resignation-of-ron-dehaas/

https://youtu.be/jqwM6yLQ6qQ?si=FgVsPrHm93Ef0K2y

https://youtu.be/lgDzHPniUp8?si=7cZI4MtWpNMGVXq4

Marcel van der Watt

Patrick Trueman

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/30/us-far-right-group-influencing-anti-gay-policy-africa

Known Connections:

Exodus Cry

Project 2025