LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan GOP lawmakers are taking aim at pornography, not just for minors but for adults too.

At the center is House Bill 4938—dubbed the “Anticorruption of Public Morals Act”—a proposal that would criminalize distributing anything officials decide undermines public morality. 

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The definition is broad—covering everything from explicit films to digital animations, audio recordings, and even written depictions of sexual acts. It also targets the use of virtual private networks and online proxies to get around restrictions.

The penalties are steep: up to 20 years in prison or $100,000 in fines for distributing explicit content, with even harsher sentences if larger quantities are involved.

The bill also draws a line on gender ideology, explicitly barring material that portrays a person of one sex “imitating” or “representing” the other. In fact, internet service providers would be tasked with blocking prohibited content outright.

Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford), the bill’s sponsor, defended the measure as family-first policy. “These measures defend children, safeguard our communities, and put families first,” Schriver said, according to WLNS 6 News.

So far, no state has fully outlawed adult pornography, though more than two dozen have passed age-verification laws.  If Michigan succeeds, it would be the first to ban porn for all ages statewide.