Affidavit of B. F. R. Stafford - Dated 16.2.1955. I, BASIL FREDERICK ROBERT STAFFORD of Arran Avenue Hamilton Brisbane in the State of Queensland make oath and say as follows: 1. I am a duly qualified medical practitioner holding the degrees and qualifications of M.B. and B.S. and am a registered specialist of psychiatry in Queensland. Since 1938 I have been Director of Mental Hygiene, Queensland and since 1950 I have been Director of the Psychiatric Clinic, Queensland. I have practised psychiatry as a specialist in Queensland since 1929. 2. I have perused a copy of each of the publications "Real Love" "Romance Story" "Real Story” “Real Romances" and "Love Experiences" mentioned and referred to in the affidavit of HERBERT LESLIE KELLY sworn herein on the Nineteenth day of January 1955 3. I have also perused a copy of each of the publications "Romance Story" No. 21 "Real Romance" No, 32 and "Love Experiences" No. 31 now produced and shown to me and marked with the letter "C", "E" and: "F" respectively. 4. In my opinion these publications rely for their appeal upon what is commonly known as "sex. 5. In my experience a psychological appreciation of the implications of the word ”sex, is important. It has three implications (i) General appreciation of masculiniy and femininity; (ii) Sexual intercourse; (iii) Behaviour that stimulates the implications of (i) and in a certain group of unstable adolescents would tend towards (ii) 6. The behaviour that I have in mind is illustrations of physical contacts such as kissing and fondling which to a certain group of unstable adolescents are probably more significant as sex behaviour than either of the two concepts of sex mentioned in Clauses (i) and (ii) of Paragraph 5 hereof. 7. The certain group of unstable adoles cents that I have in mind is principally female and I believe that people constituting this group are considerable in number. 8. The said publications in my opinion rely for their attractiveness on the emphasis placed upon the behaviour mentioned in Clause (iii) of Paragraph 5 hereof. Their attractiveness as literature is almost non-existent and they constitute a danger to emotional rather than intellectual instincts in respect of the certain group of unstable adolescents hereinbefore mentioned. 9. Their presentations both pictorially and otherwise continually suggest a "modus operandi" in regard to associations particularly physical between male and female and the whole essence of the publications is that physical contact is something glamorous and desirable. The illustrations emphasise this aspect of sex. 20
The 1955 Romance Comics Trial
