PETA Launching Porn Website...to Promote Animal Rights

I don't need to tell you that the internet has its share of odd fetish websites.

Now, animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has announced it will be launching a new website; one part graphic footage of animal mistreatment, one part porn. The International Business Times reports on PETA's latest foray into racy social activism:

"The animal rights organization is apparently looking to capitalize on the newly announced .xxx domain with a 'pornography site that draws attention to the plight of animals.'

While the group is open about their intentions, other well-known brands such as MTV, Comedy Central, and a slew of other companies are planning to sign up just to protect their trademarks. Certain nonprofits will not have to pay the $200-$300 fee to secure their domains."

Spokesmen for PETA say that visitors to the site will be presented with the animal rights group's too hot for TV ads and campaigns, as well as showing how animals suffer for our entertainment. Australia's Herald Sun reports:

"But PETA’s sexy side displayed in galleries and videos will quickly give way to the sinister world of animal mistreatment uncovered by the group’s hidden camera investigations in a very different kind of graphic content.

'It’s the kind of thing you often won’t see on TV for instance, because the under cover footage is so graphic and violent that it’s pretty tough to show,' Ms Byrne said."

PETA's past awareness campaigns have encountered obstacles, with some critics saying they are too explicit and others saying they protect animals while exploiting women. This racy PETA telivision ad was banned from being aired during the Super Bowl:

In fact, despite offering millions, networks have turned away sexually suggestive PETA ads in back to back Superbowls. Real Women Against PETA was created on Facebook after after the organization posted a billboard of an obese woman that read, "Save the Whales, Lose the Blubber, Go Vegetarian:"

PETA.xxx is set to launch in December.

The formation of the .XXX domain was approved in March with the intent of streamlining a portion of the Internet exclusively for the adult entertainment industry. GoDaddy.com will charge a $209.99 one-time non-refundable application fee and and a yearly $99.99 renewal fee for the domain, while it charges $11.99 in comparison for .COM domain names. A "Sunrise B" group will pay $199.99 per domain to allow name brands to buy domains with the .xxx, for example Kmart.xxx, to prevent their brand from being associated with porn. Many in the business community have expressed frustration over the high price for .xxx domains, feeling blackmailed to protect their brands.

One of them, apparently, isn't PETA.

(H/T: Consumerist)