What happened
An Ohio blogger's explicit Shrek text has become a criminal case and a dispute over political speech. D. J. Byrnes, who publishes The Rooster, has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor telecommunications harassment after sending messages to Ohio State Senator Jerry Cirino.
The image was digitally altered to show Shrek exposing a male member. This video uses an ordinary, fully clothed character photograph; it does not show the uncensored image from the story.
Our three-minute Odd News report covers the May messages, the June arrest, Ohio's harassment statute, the senator's position, Byrnes' defense, and FIRE's free-speech analysis. It also explains why legal obscenity has a specific three-part test and why that test does not by itself determine the harassment charge.
Every statement is attributed to the cited reporting. Visuals marked “file photo” or “illustrative” do not depict the events described unless stated.