LOS ANGELES: In yet another marketing ploy, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said it is looking into acquiring a .xxx domain for a “pornography site that draws attention to the plight of animals.” The move has left many animal rights activists frustrated with what they see as a “waste of money” that “could and should go to actual animal protection and rights.” Suzie Yamoun, a Los Angeles-based animal rights volunteer told Bikyamasr.com that she feels PETA is moving too far into the marketing mode and is forgetting animal rights. “Do we really need a porn site to bring attention to animal rights?” she began. “Have these people not read about the use of women in pornography and the similarities to how we treat animals. It is just poor form and shows us again that PETA appears to want attention and money rather than results.” But PETA is not the only group looking at obtaining one of the .xxx domains, as MTV, Comedy Central and other companies are looking to trademark their brands through the acquisitions. Some non-profits will not be forced to pay the $200-300 fee for the domain. Last year, the organization expressed interest in acquiring the domain sex.com after it was put up for auction. In a letter to the sellers, PETA officials explained what they might do with the address, writing: “Visitors to the newly revamped Sex.com site could watch our sexy Super Bowl ads like “Veggie Love”(about how a vegan diet can enhance your time between the sheets) or watch Alicia Silverstone's naked testimonial — living proof that a vegan diet does a body good. They could gaze on sultry ads featuring gorgeous vegetarians, like Pamela Anderson and Owain Yeoman, or join the action and participate in one of our Sexiest Vegetarian contests. They could also read about the many vegan foods that are natural aphrodisiacs.” Maybe it will be a way to protect their image, but with others like Yamoun questioning the idea itself, PETA risks losing a lot of supporters. “I will definitely start a campaign against them if they go forward,” the young activist said. BM
