Rev. Craig Gross and Ron Jeremy "The Great Porn Debate"

[TampaToker]

Rev. Craig Gross, a former youth pastor and founder of hahahahahahahahaha.com, will bring his anti-porn crusade to Chicago on Monday at the Lakeshore Theater when he takes the stage opposite longtime porn star Ron Jeremy for "The Great Porn Debate." On tour together for the last few years, Gross promotes his ministry while Jeremy defends his industry, which he says has been unfairly targeted for years by the Christian right as shameful.

"People have a right to watch porn if they choose to and not feel bad," Jeremy said in an interview. "I'm going to combat that attitude till I'm blue in the face. And they're not going to beat me on it."

While Gross delivers the same dire warnings as other opponents of porn, he does so in a manner that Jeremy considers more respectful. Gross argues that pornography destroys relationships and degrades women. Jeremy counters that it enhances couples' sex lives and empowers men and women who use their bodies to make millions.

"There are two sides of the story," Gross said. "In the Chr View the whole story