Chester the Molester was a comic strip by Dwaine B. Tinsley (December 31, 1945 – May 23, 2000), cartoon editor of the pornographic magazine Hustler.[1] Tinsley produced the strip's monthly issues for 13 years, from 1976 to 1989.[2] The tongue-in-cheek strip shows Chester, a middle-aged pedophile, joyfully raping or molesting women and young girls,[3] or tricking or attempting to trick them into sexually compromising positions. After increasing controversy, the cartoon became Chester and Hester, Hester as an unattractive middle-aged woman who was Chester's girlfriend in crime. Following the alleged religious conversion of Hustler founder Larry Flynt in 1977, the strip was briefly retooled as Chester the Protector,[4] a reincarnation of Chester who served to protect young girls from rape and seduction.[5]
| Chester the Molester | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Dwaine B. Tinsley |
| Current status/schedule | Ended |
| Launch date | 1976 |
| End date | 1989 |
| Publisher(s) | Hustler |
| Genre(s) | Adult comics |
Tinsley was arrested on May 18, 1989, after being accused by his 18-year-old daughter Allison of molesting her since she was 13.[6][7] According to court records, he allegedly told his coworkers, "You can't write about this stuff all the time if you don't experience it."[8] Tinsley was found guilty of five counts of child molestation;[9] He was convicted on January 5, 1990, and was sentenced to six years in prison.[9][10][11][2] During his incarceration, he briefly continued dispatching new strips to Hustler from his cell to be edited by Edward Kuhnel.[12] Tinsley's conviction was overturned in 1992 when an appeals court ruled that the jury should not have based the conviction on his strip, violating the First Amendment.[13] The prosecutor in the case ultimately decided not to retry him after he served 23 months.[14] Flynt claims he did not ask Tinsley about the conviction and defended him.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Bob Levin Release Party for New Book in May". Comic Book Bin. Coolstreak Cartoons. Apr 15, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
- ^ a b Taylor, Betty W.; Rush, Sharon; Munro, Robert John (1999). Feminist Jurisprudence, Women and the Law. Wm. S. Hein Publishing. p. 358.
- ^ "Dwaine B. Tinsley".
- ^ "The Press: I'll Be a Hustler for the Lord'". Time. 5 December 1977. Archived from the original on December 15, 2007.
- ^ Bronstein, Carolyn. Battling Pornography: The American Feminist Anti-Pornography Movement, 1976–1986.
- ^ "People v. Tinsley". Findlaw. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- ^ "Hustler cartoonist arrested on molestation charge". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ Associated Press (June 2, 1989). "Artist's Cartoons Depicted His Molestations of Teen-Ager, Court Papers Allege". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b Berger, Leslie (January 11, 1990). "Jury Convicts Hustler Cartoonist of Molesting Girl". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "'Chester the Molester' cartoonist convicted of child molestation". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ "Hustler Cartoonist Sentenced to 6 Years". LA Times. 5 May 1990. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Larry Flynt: Freedom fighter, pornographer, monster?". The Independent. 2011-12-06. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
- ^ "'Chester Molester' case overturned". The Pittsburgh Press. 27 February 1992. p. 10. Retrieved 2021-06-17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Molestation Case Won't Be Retried". The Los Angeles Times. 18 September 1992. p. 428. Retrieved 2021-06-17 – via Newspapers.com.