Misplaced Pages

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article reads like a press release or a news article and may be largely based on routine coverage. Please help improve this article and add independent sources. (November 2023) The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Free Speech Coalition

Nina Hartley delivering opening speech at "Free Speech Coalition Awards Annual Bash Event", Los Angeles, November 2009
Abbreviation	FSC
Formation	1991; 33 years ago (1991)
Purpose	Free speech advocacy, rights of sex industry workers and consumers, political advocacy
Headquarters	United States
Official language	English
Website	freespeechcoalition.com

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is a non-profit trade association of the adult entertainment industry in the United States. Founded in 1991, it opposes the passage and enforcement of obscenity laws and many censorship laws (with the exception of "anti-piracy" laws).

Background

Prior to the establishment of a private right to own pornographic material in Stanley v. Georgia in 1969, adult film producers and sex toy manufacturers had limited ability to organize. The first truly national group to emerge was the Adult Film Association of America (AFAA), an association of approximately 100 film producers, exhibitors, and distributors. The AFAA hired attorneys and created a legal kit that could be used by those facing censorship. With the advent of inexpensive home videos, the AFAA became the Adult Film and Video Association of America (AFVAA).

In 1987, adult film producer Hal Freeman was charged with pandering. In People v. Freeman, prosecutors argued that paying performers to have sex in an adult film was an act of prostitution. The case went to the California Supreme Court where the 1989 Freeman decision effectively legalized adult film production in California. Despite the ruling, law enforcement began aggressively targeting adult theaters and video stores for selling adult material. In 1990, the City of Los Angeles used zoning ordinances to try and shut down nearly a hundred adult video theaters and shops in the Hollywood area.

Following the recommendations of the Meese Commission, the Bush administration began attacking both small distributors and major manufacturers of adult video with sting operations. Between March 1990 and June 1991, the US Department of Justice and the Los Angeles police raided 40 adult film companies in Los Angeles. While pornography production was no longer illegal in California, producers could still be charged with the federal crime of interstate sale of obscene material and tried in more conservative states.

Founding

In response to the attacks, adult producers formed the Free Speech Legal Defense Fund (FSLDF) to pool resources. In 1991, as the government attack was blunted, the FSLDF decided to select a name more reflective of its broadened role in the adult community, and the Free Speech Coalition was born. The association became closely aligned with other organizations representing the rights of free speech and civil liberties.

Organization

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is the trade association of the adult entertainment industry in the United States. Founded in 1991, it opposes the passage and enforcement of some censorship laws (with the exception of "anti-piracy" laws) and obscenity laws.

On the FSC's website it states that it has "fought for the rights of producers, distributors, performers and consumers of adult entertainment and pleasure products through battles in the legislature, the courts, regulatory agencies, at the ballot box and in the press".

The FSC is committed to intersectionality, supporting those within the adult industry concerned with issues such as: "women's health and reproductive rights, LGBT rights, immigration, sexual health and wellness, sex education, decriminalization of victims and workers, human trafficking, discrimination, racism, and consent".

In 1999, FSC hired its first full-time Executive Director, William R. "Bill" Lyon, and began to gain a national reputation as a defender of First and Fourth Amendment rights. During the Clinton Administration, there were few obscenity prosecutions. Then-Attorney General Janet Reno seemed to see "obscenity" as a victimless crime. She also realized that in many areas community standards had changed and "obscenity" convictions were becoming more difficult to sustain.

Issues and initiatives

Child protection

Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act

In 1995, a comprehensive Federal scheme regulating the creation and wholesale distribution of recorded images of sexual conduct came into effect. Aimed at detecting and deterring child pornography, the Federal Labeling Law (also known as the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act) eliminated privacy in the creation of sexual images. Any producers of, and performers in, such materials were ordered to comply with detailed disclosure requirements. The FSC played a critical role in industry compliance as it conducted training seminars, prepared compliance documents and uniform exemption labels and negotiated with the Justice Department for relief from some components of the law.

Communications Decency Act

In 1996 the Communications Decency Act (CDA) was enacted to protect children from accessing adult material on the Internet.

Child Pornography Prevention Act

The Child Pornography Protection Act (CPPA) followed in 1997; this sought to criminalize the depiction of minors in sexually explicit video or online content, even if those depicted were over 18 years of age. This redefinition of child pornography to include adults appearing to be minors and engaging in actual or simulated sexual activity was controversial. Although the Senate Judiciary Committee (the committee of origin), never held a vote on the bill, it was signed into law, following Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) attaching it during the Conference Committee to the October 1997 Spending Bill.

For the first time since its own redefinition as a trade association, FSC undertook litigation challenging the constitutionality of a Federal statute, filing suit against then-Attorney General John Ashcroft and charging that the CPPA abridged first amendment rights by defining protected speech as obscene or as child pornography. In 2002, FSC views were upheld in the US Supreme Court in Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, the "virtual child porn" case.

In 2005, FSC filed a complaint against the Dept of Justice and then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, citing that 18 U.S.C. § 2257 regulations endangered the privacy and safety of performers by allowing private information to be accessed through the record-keeping process; also that 2257 regulations were complicated to the extent that adult producers would be unable to fully comply with the record-keeping system.

The controversial regulations have been an ongoing issue for adult industry producers and the FSC. In February 2009, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held in Connection Distributing Co. v. Holder that the record-keeping provisions of 18 U.S.C. § 2257 did not violate the First Amendment. A revised set of the § 2257 regulations was released in December 2009, prompting another complaint against the DOJ and Attorney General Eric Holder in 2010.

California porn tax

In 1994, the FSC retained a lobbyist in Sacramento, California's state capitol. The following year, an excise tax was proposed for all adult products and services, with the proceeds going to collection of the tax, law enforcement and, if anything remained, to rape counseling centers and battered victim shelters. The bill was defeated at its first committee hearing.

Performer Availability Screening Services

PASS (Performer Availability Screening Services) is a U.S. organization that maintains a database of STI testing results for pornographic actors. The database is intended to help reduce or prevent the spread of STIs in the porn industry. The organization, formerly known as Adult Production Health and Safety Services (APHSS), was developed by the Free Speech Coalition in 2013, following the closure of Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation. Performers are tested every fourteen days for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B and C and trichomoniasis. According to PASS, there has not been an on-set transmission of HIV on a regulated set since 2004.

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, a special task force met to determine how to incorporate a test for COVID-19. All performers and crew are now tested for COVID-19 with the date of test posted in the PASS database. Researchers have suggested that the PASS testing system may be a model for other industries.

Banking access

In February 2015, the FSC announced an affiliation with the First Entertainment Credit Union. The arrangement made financial services available to approved production studios employees and their families, primarily in the adult film industry. Diane Duke, CEO of the FSC, noted the "...difficulties faced by industry members that have had their business turned away by other institutions."

Other

Other initiatives and issues include:

• Challenging 2257 regulations in court (Free Speech Coalition v. Gonzales)
• Opposing the proposed .xxx top-level domain
• Rebutting claims of pornography addiction and harmful "secondary effects" of pornography
• Improving workplace safety
• Fighting piracy including the FSC Anti-Piracy Action Program and two Public Service Announcements
• Supporting the decriminalization of sex work and workers' rights.

Awards

The FSC Lifetime Achievement Awards are given to adult industry businesses and professionals for outstanding achievements and contributions to the adult entertainment industry. They were launched in mid-1988 by the Adult Video Association at its annual Night of the Stars fundraising event, replacing its discontinued Erotic Film Awards. When the association merged into the Free Speech Coalition in late 1992, the new coalition took over the tradition. Previous years' awards are listed at the AVA Misplaced Pages entry. Starting in 2008 an "Election Bash" in the fall replaced the former Night of the Stars awards ceremony, reflecting the FSC's change in focus from the entertainers to the business side of the industry. The award presentations were normally made late in the year, but starting in 2014 they were changed to January as part of the XBIZ 360 conference, which is also site of the XBIZ Award ceremony. Thus the awards normally presented in late 2013 were given out in January 2014.

The Positive Image Award is presented to "performers that have helped to dispel negative stereotypes and misconceptions connected to work in the adult industry."

The Legacy Award "recognizes innovation, successful business practices and contributions to the industry as a whole."

The Man of the Year Award is "given to business professionals that have shown exceptional leadership in building solid businesses and their communities."

The Woman of the Year Award is "given to business professionals that have shown exceptional leadership in building solid businesses and their communities."

The Leadership Award is given to "business or individual that demonstrates excellence in the adult entertainment industry in leading by example."

The Benefactor of the Year Award recognizes "unwavering support, through philanthropy and advocacy, of adult industry and mainstream causes. As well as setting a good example, the company also has diligently attempted to protect the adult industry business community from legal challenges, business risks and critics."

Pleasure Products Company of the Year goes to the pleasure products company "that has demonstrated constant and unwavering innovation and excellence." Prior to 2015, the award was known as the Novelty Company of the Year award.

Production Company of the Year "goes to the production company that has demonstrated constant and unwavering innovation and excellence. The company's success not only benefits their individual business but also the industry as a whole. In addition to their creative innovation, the company conducts business with high ethical standards and integrity."

Internet Company of the Year "recognizes excellence, innovation and contributions made to the adult industry overall."

Retailer of the Year "goes to the retailer that has demonstrated constant and unwavering innovation and excellence."

In 2015 a new award, the Christian Mann Courage and Leadership Award, was added. This award is given to "a member of the adult entertainment or pleasure products community who has shown exemplary courage and leadership fighting for the rights and image of the industry."

Award winners

The Free Speech Coalition also presents an Award of Excellence at the Cybersocket Web Awards (won in 2010 by CorbinFisher.com)

See also

• Artistic freedom
• Civil and political rights
• Sex workers' rights
• Sex-positive movement
• Sexual Freedom League
• Sexual revolution

References

1. Friedman, Dave (15 March 2020). "A History of the Adult Film Association of America (AFAA)". TheRialtoReport.com. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
2. ^ "History". Free Speech Coalition. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
3. Meyer, Josh (27 January 1990). "City Arms for New Legal War on Porn". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
4. Ostrow, Ronald J. (4 December 1990). "L.A. Firms Indicted on Porn Charges". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
5. Cagle, Jess (7 December 1990). "The Feds' secret war on video porn". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
6. Aydelott, Danise (5 October 1990). "2 Californians Indicted in Pornography Crackdown". Tulsa World. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
7. ^ Johnson, John (24 June 1991). "X-Rated Industry's Ad Attacks Censorship". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
8. "History". Free Speech Coalition. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2020. Over the organization's twenty five year history, it has fought for the rights of producers, distributors, performers and consumers of adult entertainment and pleasure products through battles in the legislature, the courts, regulatory agencies, at the ballot box and in the press.
9. "Priorities". Free Speech Coalition. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020. The adult industry is home to a multi-faceted and diverse workforce, which is why we are committed to intersectionality in our approach to serving the communities we represent. Our work must support not only the industry at large, but also the populations that work within the adult industry who have historically been underserved, harassed, and discriminated against by society at large. This includes but is not limited to issues related to: women's health and reproductive rights, LGBT rights, immigration, sexual health and wellness, sex education, decriminalization of victims and workers, human trafficking, discrimination, racism, and consent. Join the fight, and support the communities that work within the adult industry.
10. "Free Speech's New Board Announced: Bill Lyon Named Executive Director". AVN. 23 December 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
11. Romero, Dennis (28 August 2013). "Porn Production OK'd After HIV Scare, But Some Performers Are Wary". LA Weekly.
12. "APHSS". PASS. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
13. Madler, Mark (29 August 2013). "Adult Filming Resumes in Valley". San Fernando Business Journal.
14. "Moratorium FAQs". FreeSpeechCoalition.com. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
15. McNeil Jr., Donald G. (5 November 2012). "Unlikely Model in H.I.V. Efforts: Sex Film Industry". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
16. Hay, Mark (27 September 2019). "The Rift in the Porn World About How to Approach HIV". Rewire.News. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
17. "Update 6/5/2020: FSC COVID-19 Task Force". FreeSpeechCoalition.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
18. McFarling, Usha Lee (8 May 2020). "Why the porn industry has a lot to teach us about safety in the Covid-19 era". StatNews.com. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
19. "FSC Partners with Credit Union to Provide Banking to Members". AVN.com. Adult Video News. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
20. "FSC's Anti-Piracy Action Program Launches". Freespeechcoalition.com. 11 April 2010. Archived from the original on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
21. Kravets, David (29 April 2010). "Porn Stars Decry Piracy in New Video (SFW)". Wired.
22. "Sex Work Decriminalization". Free Speech Coalition. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020. As the trade association of the adult industry, we have championed issues of free speech and workers' rights for over twenty five years. We stand firmly against exploitation and view the decriminalization of sex work as a critical step to combat sex trafficking, and strengthen workers' control over their bodies and lives. Leading human rights and public health organizations such as Amnesty International and the World Health Organization agree that in order to adequately address the issue of sex trafficking, sex work must be decriminalized world wide.
23. "FSC Business Award Winners Announced". Free Speech Coalition. 6 October 2009. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
24. Ariana Rodriguez, "AEBN's Scott Coffman Named FSC's Man of the Year" Archived 10 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 7 October 2008
25. ^ "2014 FSC Awards Winners Announced" Archived 10 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 7 January 2014
26. ^ "FSC Award Recipients Announced". Adult Video News. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
27. "2014 FSC Awards Winners Announced". AVN. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
28. ^ "Recipients of Free Speech Coalition Awards Announced". AVN. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
29. "11th Annual "Night of the Stars"". Free Speech Coalition. Archived from the original on 11 June 1998.
30. "Several Top XXX Producers Decide to Go "Condom Only"". AVN. 26 May 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
31. Kernes, Mark (7 May 2018). "Veteran Industry Salesman Bill 'Pinky' Stolbach Passes". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
32. Shaulis, Sherri (29 December 2017). "Synergy Erotic's Bob Wolf Earns 'O' Awards Lifetime Achievement". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022. Wisner owned several printing and publishing firms in Southern California, as well as adult retail stores in Northern California and a few newspaper, magazine and movie distribution outlets.
33. "XXX Publishing Titan Dies". AVN. 5 November 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
34. "Nasstoys' Kathryn Hartman Nominated for XBIZ Exec Award". XBIZ. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
35. Martin, Ron (12 August 2004). "Coast to Coast Rides Big Features on Comeback Trail". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
36. Turner, Gustavo (17 August 2020). "Industry Pioneer, Philanthropist Eddie Wedelstedt Passes at 78". XBIZ. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
37. "11th Annual "Night of the Stars". Free Speech Coalition. Archived from the original on 24 February 1999.
38. "Untitled". Free Speech Coalition. Archived from the original on 8 October 1999.
39. "Coalition for Free Expression's Dobbs Takes Freedom Award". AVN. 23 August 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
40. "Best Night of the Stars So Far". AVN. Archived from the original on 7 March 2001.
41. Street, Sharan (31 July 2014). "Evil Angel Issues Statement in Memory of Christian S. Mann". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
42. Street, Sharan (28 January 2014). "Woman's Touch: Susan Colvin's CalExotics Turns 20". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
43. "Adult Heavyweights Receive Accolades at FSC's Night of Stars". AVN. Archived from the original on 20 October 2001.
44. "Community Can Limit Adult Bookstore Hours". AVN. 6 August 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
45. "FSC's Annual Night of the Stars Honors Ginger Lynn, Peter North, Dave Cummings, Others". AVN. Archived from the original on 22 December 2002.
46. Kazan, Lucas (1 December 2015). "Remembering Gino Colbert". XBIZ. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
47. Farrar, Charles (2 February 2004). ""Mom and Pop" Adult Web Business Dies". Retrieved 7 January 2022.
48. ^ Hunter, Tod (14 July 2003). "Free Speech Coalition Celebrates 16th Night Of The Stars". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
49. Kernes, Mark (17 September 2019). "1st Amendment Attorney H. Louis Sirkin Honored by Cincinnati Bar". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
50. "Free Speech Coalition Gives Honorees, Guests Royal Treatment at Night of the Stars". AVN. 25 July 2004. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
51. Gallen, Gretchen (18 July 2005). "FSC's Night of the Stars Rocks Hollywood". XBIZ. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
52. Javors, Steve (17 July 2006). "FSC Celebrates 'Night of the Stars'". XBIZ. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
53. "Williams Trading's Bob Pyne Sr. Inducted Into StorErotica HoF". AVN. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
54. Sullivan, David (6 August 2007). "Industry Mourns Death of Lenny Friedlander". Retrieved 7 January 2022.
55. "Peekay Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy". AVN. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
56. "First California ACE 'Lobby Day' Deemed Successful". AVN. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
57. "FSC Announces Theme and Award Recipients for its 2008 Bash". Free Speech Coalition. Archived from the original on 30 July 2008.
58. Kernes, Mark (12 October 2008). "FSC Honors Industry Freedom Fighters At 2008 Election Bash". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
59. Coffman, Scott (5 October 2009). "In Acacia vs. Adult the Good Guys Won". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
60. "Rondee Kamins Profile". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
61. "Porn Star's 'Positive Image Award' Rescinded Amid Sexual Assault Allegations". NBC Los Angeles. City News Service. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
62. Hymes, Tom (16 September 2009). "FSC Announces 2009 Award Winners". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
63. Kernes, Mark (28 December 2015). "AARP Knows There's 'Sex After 50'—And They Help You Do It". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
64. "Girlfriends Films to Receive FSC Leadership Award". AVN. 3 February 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
65. "Wasteland's Rowntree Presented with FSC Leadership Award". AVN. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
66. "Theresa Flynt, Hustler". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
67. "2014 FSC Awards Winners Announced". AVN. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
68. Shaulis, Sherri L. (8 July 2014). "Giant Dreams: Pipedream's Nick Orlandino Builds an Empire". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
69. Shaulis, Sherri L. (17 July 2019). "Sweet Tradition: Three Generations Have Thrived at Honey's Place". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
70. "FSC Award Recipients Announced". AVN. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
71. "2016 FSC Award Recipients Announced". AVN. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
72. Stokes, Peter (1 May 2006). "The Pleasure Is All Theirs: Twenty Years of Good Times from Pleasure Productions". AVN. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
73. Rhett Pardon, "Cybersocket Web Awards Announced; XBIZ Wins 2" Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, 9 February 2010

External links

• Official website

• 1991 establishments in the United States
• American pornographic film awards
• Arts and media trade groups
• Censorship in the United States
• Censorship of pornography
• Freedom of expression organizations
• Freedom of speech in the United States
• Organizations based in California
• Organizations established in 1991
• Political advocacy groups in the United States