I see what you're saying, but just to clarify, you need to drill down on this just a bit more on what the map says for the states not wholly controlled by the GOP:
CA - AB3080 - Introduced by Juan Alanis (R)
NJ - A4146 - Introduced by by Jay Webber (R)
NM - HB295 - Sponsors John Block (R), Rep. Alan Martinez (R), Rep. Harlan Vincent (R)
PA - HB2143 - Introduced by Jill Cooper (R)
DE - HB265 - 17 sponsors, 11R/7D
IL - HB4247 - 8 sponsors, all R
IA - HF2546 - Introduced by John Wills (R)
OH - SB212 - Sponsors Stephanie Kunze (R), William P. DeMora (D)
So, yeah, there's some bipartisan support, but let's not kid ourselves about 'both sides' here, this push is being done overwhelmingly by one party with some support from the other side. And I'm not seeing a lot of public crowing on this front from the D politicians, while the Ken Paxton's of the US won't shut up about the (imagined) dangers of pornography.
Regarding reaction to your specific work, from a content standpoint I think there's a big difference between fantasy scenarios (like CS) and realistic depictions of rape. Hypno-erotica has a pretty large following and it's relatively harmless because mind control isn't actually real. Games where realistic rape is emphasized and eroticized are going to be more objectionable to audiences across the political spectrum.
That being said, you're right. Most people would not understand the difference. Most people are reductionist and reactionary.
Courts would be a recourse for protection (see Larry Flynt), but not if they are stacked with justices who are willing to trample on free expression under the guise of protecting children, like the very conservative 5th circuit in their recent ruling. A progressive-minded judge is far more likely to consider the lack of harm in written or illustrated works or even artistic merit therein, rather than just object to it on moralistic grounds, and rule accordingly. There's a reason only one party objects to the work of the ACLU.
I think we probably agree on a lot of things. I am a life-long believer in free expression, I've sold books to people for everything from a how-to guide for fisting, to home methamphetamine manufacturing and everything in-between. If it is legal to sell it, people should be allowed to buy it, and the list of things illegal to sell should be limited to that which causes harm in its production. Free expression is the cornerstone to our society and I will fight tooth and nail (metaphorically speaking) to protect that expression, even if I disagree with it.
And to be completely honest - I don't think seeing a cartoon rabbit getting railed is all that weird. This world is way, way crazier than that.
Well, I think I've laid out the case for my position as best as I can, so as we're both mostly still unconvinced, I'll leave it at that. All I can say is to re-iterate that while I'm no fan of the right, a whole lot of the problems I have to deal with keep coming from the left, or at least a certain portion of it. I worry a lot less about Republicans these days (not because they've improved, but because they're a known quantity) and a lot more about those who run tech companies and payment processors, most of whom aren't big fans of the Bible or Family Values. It's obviously both. If we can't agree as to the PORTIONS of both, or who the "real" problem is, we'll just have to live with that. As long as I can bring up a person and say "Hey look, this guy's trying to squash sexual expression!" and your response is "Wow, what a fuckshit, fuck him", regardless of affiliation, that's enough common spirit to get by on.
I am glad we at least have common ground on "Most people would not understand the difference." That's mostly what I'm trying to get across here. Obviously what I make isn't as inflammatory or objectionable as a lot of content, and that's partially by design. But that's not going to be enough if this continues. Hypno, of any kind, is already banned on Patreon, RIGHT NOW. Non-con, of any kind, is already banned on Pateron, RIGHT NOW. Super-duper-extra-double-no-kidding banned (It's kind of darkly funny reading their terms as they have to spell out every "in minecraft" way people have tried to get around this). Hopefully I'm overreacting, and this will play out like it usually does: politicians "fix" something by making everything a little worse, but not SO much worse that it brings everything to a halt, and we all go on with our lives more or less the same, just with one more annoyance to deal with. I just felt, in some way, that people should be aware of this. I don't know if there's anything that can actually be done, usually there isn't. But if there is, even in some small way, people have to know in the first place.
I'd also like to say that I recognize and appreciate the patience and respect you've approached all this with, despite the gulf in perspective and opinion. I said some things that made you uncomfortable, and vise versa, but we were still mostly able to keep this on the rails. Extremely rare these days. Thank you.
Also:
"I've sold books to people for everything from a how-to guide for fisting, to home methamphetamine manufacturing and everything in-between."
That's one heck of a second-hand book store (Or publisher?) Any copies of a certain forbidden cookbook still floating around?
That cookbook is pretty lame, honestly. There's way more subversive stuff than that, look up anything by Uncle Fester. And most of these were not in stock at the store, but we could get them, though there were plenty of controversial, racy, subversive or just plain weird books that we carried normally (sure everyone has the Kama Sutra, but have you read Magic Eye Kama Sutra? It's like a guidebook, but in stereogram form!). I miss working at the bookstore, I always found something new and interesting to read, but I don't miss all the crazy people.
Oh I know, but it's the meme. Place in public imagination counts for a lot. Never got the chance to work at a bookstore, indie or otherwise, they were all obliterated by the time I was looking for work, but I did apply for an actual, honest-to-god porn shop once, before THOSE were all obliterated, out of morbid curiosity, and the craziest thing by far wasn't the porn, it was the customers that would come in looking for...other things, those super-dangerous "legal" smokables, that kind of shit. Didn't even take the job, this was just during the interview!
Also god, I do not miss those Magic Eye books. Fucked you up something terrible. I once got a book that was a Choose-your-own-adventure WITH magic eye pictures. Printed in black and white on really shitty paperback stock. So you'd have to look at a picture for each choice and then choose based on what you thought you saw. Sheer sadism.