Legal Documents of Gatlinburg

Code of Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg
Title 11 : Municipal Offenses
Chapter 9 : Obscenity, Morals

11-907 : Definitions.

The following definitions apply in §§ 11-908 through 11-909, unless the context requires otherwise:

  1. "Actual or constructive knowledge" a person is deemed to have constructive knowledge of the contents of material who has knowledge of facts which would put a reasonable and prudent person on notice as to the suspect nature of the material;
  2. "Community" means the judicial district in which the city is located;
  3. "Distribute" means to transfer possession of, whether with or without consideration;
  4. "Harmful to minors" means that quality of any description or representation, in whatever form, of nudity, sexual excitement, sexual conduct, or sadomasochistic abuse when the matter or performance:

    1. Would be found by the average person applying contemporary community standards to appeal predominantly to the prurient, shameful or morbid interests of minors;
    2. Is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors; and
    3. Taken as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific values for minors;
  5. "Indecent expression" means patently offensive descriptions of sexual or excretory activities or organs as measured by contemporary community standards.
  6. "Matter" means any book, magazine, newspaper or other printed or written material or any picture, drawing, photograph, motion picture film, videocassette or other pictorial representation, or any statue, figure, device, theatrical production or electrical reproduction, or any other article, equipment, machine or material that is obscene or contains indecent expression, as defined herein;
  7. "Minor" means any person who has not reached eighteen (18) years of age and is not emancipated;
  8. "Nudity" means the showing of the human male or female genitals, pubic area, or buttocks with less than a fully opaque covering or the showing of the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple, or the depiction of covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state;
  9. "Obscene" means:

    1. The average person applying contemporary community standards would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest;
    2. The average person applying contemporary community standards would find that the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct; and
    3. The work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
  10. "Patently offensive" means that which goes substantially beyond customary limits of candor in describing or representing such matters.
  11. "Prurient interest" means a shameful or morbid interest in sex.
  12. "Sadomasochistic abuse" means flagellation or torture or physical restraint by or upon a person for the purpose of sexual gratification of either person;
  13. "Sexual conduct" means:

    1. Patently offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated. A sexual act is simulated when it depicts explicit sexual activity which gives the appearance of ultimate sexual acts, anal, oral or genital. "Ultimate sexual acts" means sexual intercourse, anal or otherwise, fellatio, cunnilingus or sodomy; or
    2. Patently offensive representations or descriptions of masturbation, excretory functions, and lewd exhibition of the genitals; and
  14. "Sexual excitement" means the condition of human male or female genitals when in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal. (1976 Code, § 10-244)
Date Last Updated: 03/23/2022
Codification Date: 03/01/2000

Officials at Date of Last Codification:

Mayor - Mike Werner

Vice Mayor - Mark McCown

Commissioner - Ryan DeSear

Commissioner - Chad Reagan

Commissioner - Kirby Smith

City Manager - Cindy Cameron Ogle

City Attorney - Ronald E. Sharp