The latest in the fight for adult industry rights

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The Latest at FSC

Advocacy Update

Last week, FSC had two hearings over age-verification laws — one in Louisiana, one in Texas — over whether or not the laws could be enjoined (blocked from taking effect) while our legal cases on the merits proceed. The cases involve complex constitutional issues, but most of what we’re fighting at this immediate moment is whether the laws can be enforced while our larger constitutional court challenge is playing out.

Right now, both laws are in effect. We’re hoping for them to be enjoined in both states, and the hearings went well, but we won’t know until we hear from the courts. While we’re confident in our challenge, none of these laws have yet been enforced, which means we’re dealing with a lot of complicated, sometimes academic issues as to when a suit can be brought. While we had initial success in Texas, the state is fighting back. The good news is that mainstream orgs like ACLU, EFF, Center for Democracy and Technology and FIRE have now joined the fight and recently filed an amicus brief in support ( [link removed] ) of our position.

Meanwhile, we’ve seen several states introduce ( [link removed] ) or propose new laws ( [link removed] ) that mirror or expand on ( [link removed] ) the laws in Louisiana, Texas and elsewhere. We’re advancing a comprehensive, multipronged strategy to stop these laws before they get passed — and so we don’t have to fight them in court. Most state legislatures take effect on January 1, so time is of the essence.

Beyond age-verification, we’ve been working overtime to make progress on banking and other issues. Over the past few weeks, Executive Director Alison Boden has been attending major financial and tech conferences, forging connections with banking regulators, trust and safety experts and tech platforms themselves. If we’re going to affect policy — and end stigma — we have to be in these rooms. The progress she’s made in just a few weeks has been tremendous.

Your support of FSC makes all of this possible. Thanks so much for helping us fight.

Mike Stabile
Director of Public Affairs
[email protected]

FSC's Lotus Lain To Testify On Sex Worker Rights At United Nations Hearing

FSC Industry Relations Advocate, Lotus Lain, will testify on sex worker rights at a United Nations Human Rights Committee (ICCPR) hearing in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 17th, during the committee's review of the United States' human rights record. This marks the first time FSC will be represented at the United Nations. Lain's testimony will shed light on the challenges faced by sex workers in the U.S. and worldwide, emphasizing that sex worker rights are human rights and aiming to draw attention to discriminatory laws and practices. She will be joined by fellow sex worker activists Lorelei Lee and Laura LeMoon, as well as representing DecrimSWCA. Read more on our blog ( [link removed] ).

At Banking Conference, FSC's Alison Boden Finds Strategic Allies, And A Way Forward

At a recent ACAMS conference, FSC's Executive Director, Alison Boden, made significant strides in addressing financial discrimination issues facing adult businesses and workers. She engaged with bank officers, anti-trafficking NGOs, and government officials to highlight the importance of securing financial access for individuals in the sex industry. To her surprise, many attendees recognized the unfairness of existing money laundering and sex trafficking detection systems, which disproportionately affect legal businesses and consensual sex workers. The event provided a platform to distinguish sex work from sex trafficking, and even the newly-appointed FinCEN Director, Andrea Gacki, expressed a commitment to protect vulnerable populations from de-banking. Boden emphasized the importance of FSC's continued involvement in such discussions to combat stereotypes, misinformation, and stigma while working towards reducing financial discrimination and instability within the adult industry. Read more here ( [link removed] ).

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FSC In the News

New Ohio Bill Would Require Porn Websites To Verify Users' Ages, Criminalize Underage Access

“Mike Stabile, the coalition’s director of public affairs, stated in an email that Ohio’s HB295 is a ‘profoundly unconstitutional bill’ that he predicted would be blocked by courts before it even went into effect. ‘We should all work to keep minors from accessing adult material, but this is a deeply dangerous bill that’s written so broadly as to make it a crime to even talk about sex online,’ Stabile wrote.” Read more on Cleveland.com ( [link removed] ).

Judge Tosses Challenge To Louisiana's Age Verification Law Aimed At Porn Websites

“‘As with Utah, the Louisiana ruling is fairly limited, and only applies to whether we can bring a pre-enforcement challenge against the law, or whether we have to wait until a suit is brought. While we disagree, and will appeal, it’s not at all a ruling on the merits of the law, which are still clearly unconstitutional,’ Mike Stabile, spokesman for the Free Speech Coalition, said in an email.” Read more on ABC News. ( [link removed] )

'Backdoor Censorship': Could Age Verification On Adult Sites Violate The First Amendment?

“‘Within the industry, there has long been a push to figure out if there is a better way to keep minors off of adult sites,’ he said. ‘Aside from the many moral and ethical issues, it's also a financial burden. There's no incentive to have kids on those sites — they are not customers. There's no benefit for that.’ While there is no benefit for minors to be on the site, Stabile said the industry sees downsides to requiring age verification for adult users, ranging from privacy concerns to inadvertent, increased abuse — something Stabile called ‘backdoor censorship.’” Read more on The Tennessean. ( [link removed] )

Other Industry News

Supreme Court Will Decide If Texas And Florida Can Regulate Social Media To Protect 'Conservative Speech'

The U.S. Supreme Court will examine the extent to which the First Amendment applies to social media and determine if Texas and Florida can impose fines on platforms like Facebook and YouTube for alleged discrimination against conservatives. Both states argue that social media platforms conspire to censor conservative voices, while social media companies assert their private entity status with free speech rights. The case will raise fundamental questions about whether social media platforms should be considered common carriers, like telephone companies, subject to government regulation. The Supreme Court's decision could have significant implications for free speech online and may impact regulations on social media platforms. Read more on Yahoo News ( [link removed] ). ( [link removed] )

Ballet Flats Are Everywhere Now, Even In P*rn

“The fascination with ballet flats isn’t just manifesting in the fashion world but in p*rn, too. According to recent data from Clips4Sale ( [link removed] ) , a site where adult content creators can distribute videos geared toward various fetishes, ballet flats are the 11th most common subject of shoe-related clips, ranked among the creators and the people purchasing them. Searches for ballet flats surged 23 percent this summer, according to a representative from C4S.” Read more on Vice. ( [link removed] )

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FSC

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