The issue of censorship, particularly in public venues, has always been a sensitive one.

Often, questions such as what materials can and should be censored, and who should get to make that final decision, cannot be answered.

The latest developments in this ongoing controversy appear to be taking place at shops throughout Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa.

Calendar Club Kiosk, Sam Goody, Hollister 128, Spencer's Gifts, Victoria's Secret and Victor Victoria are just a few of the places that have drawn the ire of Tosans for Responsible Government, a Wauwatosa political organization that wants to censor some of the items sold and displayed in Mayfair Mall.

The project, spearheaded by Stan and Betty Zurawski, would force these stores, particularly Spencer's and Victoria's Secret, to make their more explicit merchandise inaccessible to children. This means the items would have to stay out of reach and out of sight.

The outcry stems primarily from Victoria's Secret's new marketing campaign that features life-like representations of their underwear models, as opposed to the traditional, featureless mannequins.

These mannequins are positioned in a provocative manner in the display windows at the front of the store, something the Tosans would like to stop. The organization held a meeting at the Wauwatosa Police Station Monday to discuss the perceived lack of decency at Mayfair Mall.

"We're not talking about the merchandise in the store," Stan Zurawski said at the meeting, "we're just talking about the display…This is inappropriate for persons under the age of 18."

Much of the merchandise at Spencer's Gifts, some which the Zurawskis say feature thinly veiled sexual innuendo and profanity that they have deemed "illegal" according to state statutes regarding crimes against sexual morality, only adds fuel to their fire.

To date, the Tosans have generated a fairly strong following among local community members.

"I think it's very irresponsible for Victoria's Secret to have models like this in any public place," said Sara Brust of Milwaukee, who was shopping there. "It makes me ill just to think that younger people, even teenagers, see people dressed like that."

Marguerite Gustafson of Milwaukee called the display "sleazy" after she walked out of the store.

"It's okay for them to have (the display) in the store if they want to have a separate section, but not out (front) when there are kids running around," she said.

The meeting, which quickly shifted into a discussion of moral values, did expose some resistance to the Tosans' movement.

Individuals such as Martin Tomczyk blame consumers, not store owners, for the prevalence of explicit materials.

"If there wasn't a market, Victoria's Secret wouldn't be open, Spencer's Gifts wouldn't be open," he said. "It's up to the parents."

Even so, the Tosans believe they are seeing the beginning of some changes toward their cause at the mall. According to the Zurawskis, as of Sunday, Calendar Club Kiosk had taken a few of what they termed the more offensive calendars off of their shelves.

In the end, it seems that any change will be the result of compromise between the stores in Mayfair Mall and the Tosans.

"We want Mayfair Mall to succeed," said Stan Zurwaski, "but we also want them to comply with state statutes."

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 27, 2005.