Friday, December 28, 2012

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Monday, November 26, 2012

Judge Denies Government Motion to Dismiss in 2257 Case

Seal, United States Court of Appeals for the T...

Seal, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Argument on the U.S. Department of Justice's Motion to Dismiss the lawsuit in Free Speech Coalition, et al v. Holder was set for 1:30 this afternoon in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson, but less than an hour later, it was over, with Judge Baylson denying the government's motion from the bench.

While plaintiffs' attorney J. Michael Murray was not available for comment, his associate Lori Baumgardner told AVN that with the dismissal of the motion, the judge allowed discovery in the case to go forward. That would involve taking depositions of both the various plaintiffs as well as attorneys and others in the Justice Department who might have knowledge of the facts and issues involved, and who might have possession of documents relating to the government's handling of the case. 

"There was an oral argument set on the Motion to Dismiss, and some judges do that," Baumgardner said. "We were a little bit surprised, but in an abundance of caution, Mike prepared his oral argument on the Motion, and he ruled from the bench denying their motion."

Today's hearing was the first official action taken by Judge Baylson since his ruling in 2010 dismissing the case on the original pleadings—a dismissal that was overturned by a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals on April 16.

Check back with AVN for more details of this exciting development.

 

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Sunday, November 11, 2012

Porn Industry Reacts to Measure B Passage

Condom
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles porn industry took a major beating on Tuesday when more than one million residents voted Yes on Measure B, the L.A. County initiative mandating the use of condoms in adult video productions.

Producers and performers spoke to XBIZ about their disappointment in the election, what they think went wrong and what they’ve learned from the experience as they prepare to forge ahead in uncertainty, but determined to prevail.

“It is clearly very disappointing that Measure B passed,” Hustler President Michael Klein told XBIZ. “While obviously the industry is going to explore all avenues to try to overturn this measure, all that this vote did was move productions out of the state, taking away jobs and revenue to the state.

“And it won’t change at all what is seen in adult films since it is clear that movies with actors using condoms just don’t sell as well as those without.”

Hustler founder Larry Flynt addressed the outcome with Churchill-esque flair and gumption.

"I knew it would pass," Flynt said. "Americans have a knee-jerk attitude about sex, however, this does not change the adult entertainment industry in the least. We will continue to shoot in Mexico, the desert, Hawaii, etc. with no additional expenses, because instead of shooting one or two girls a week, we’ll shoot a dozen.

"The people need to look behind the effort driving this movement. You’ve got a right-wing nut [AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein] trying to be a sexual arbitrator, and he should be dismissed for what he is — nothing.”

Porn star James Deen worked closely with the Free Speech Coalition and the No on Government Waste campaign to educate Los Angelinos about the industry and its testing practices through news and social media.

"I don't know what happens next," Deen said. "I assume a good amount of people will take their business out of the county of Los Angeles. Others might stay and alter their shooting style.  I don't see too many people staying as the bill for the expenses is now trying to be pushed onto us."

Named the “County of Los Angeles Safer Sex In The Adult Film Industry Act,” the AHF-funded measure also requires producers shooting in L.A. to apply and pay for public health permits from the L.A. County Department of Public Health. Those permit fees will then be used to pay for movie set inspections and the implementation of the act's laws.

“It’s important to note that only producers in Los Angeles will be required to comply with these impractical standards, while producers in other states and countries will continue to do business as usual,” said Joanne Cachapero, membership director for the FSC.

“Use of condoms, dental dams, gloves, face shields and other hazardous materials protocols make it impossible for adult film productions to continue in Los Angeles. FSC and industry stakeholders must now consider options for litigation, as well as relocation of the production industry to areas that will welcome the jobs and revenue.”

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

CatalystCon Announces Fundraiser for Scarleteen

Long Beach, CA - CatalystCon creator Dee Dennis has chosen Scarleteen as the recipient of a fundraiser to be held during the conference weekend.  Dennis is a supporter of Scarleteen and the important work they do.  As a mother she knows firsthand the lack of sex education available to children and knows the very important need for financially supporting Scarleteen and making it possible to continue the very important work they do. CatalystCon will be held at the Long Beach Hilton Executive & Meeting Center in Long Beach, CA, September 14-16, 2012.

Scarleteen provides millions of people in their teens and twenties with progressive, inclusive and original sexuality, sex and relationships education, information and support every year. Established in 1998, and continued since despite no federal, state or institutional funding, Scarleteen operates primarily via its popular, award-winning website -- consistently the highest ranked sex education site specifically for young people since its debut -- which includes articles, in-depth advice columns, external resources, and direct, one-on-one services which allow users to ask or talk about anything they need to, like their busy, moderated message boards and their SMS service. "Scarleteen's model has always been strongly unschooling and youth-focused, both in what information is provided and how they provide it, but also within their organization itself: they make sure the majority of their staff and volunteers are always under thirty. At Scarleteen, young people are afforded the respect to be leaders, either within their organization or their own lives, including their sexual lives.

Dennis’ passion for sparking change and sharing knowledge with others means showcasing Scarleteen at CatalystCon to generate more fans as well as donations. “Scarleteen operates on a very limited budget and is funded entirely by donations,” says Dennis, who notes Scarleteen’s “amazing work providing a safe place for young adults to get the sex education our school systems and many parents are not providing.”

CatalystCon attendees will not only be able to possibly win two nights at the Hilton Long Beach and two registrations to CatalystCon 2013 but will also be financially supporting Scarleteen.  Dennis on behalf of CatalystCon will match funds raised up to $500.

Dennis is excited at the opportunity to introduce Scarleteen to CatalystCon attendees and encourage them to contribute to its mission of sexual health, wellness and personal responsibility: “I personally feel funding Scarleteen and making it possible for them to continue the work they do is extremely important.”

For more information, please contact http://catalystcon.com/ and http://www.scarleteen.com/ Go to http://catalystcon.com/registration to register today.  

Follow CatalystCon on twitter @catalystcon and visit facebook.com/catalystcon.

Brian Gross
BSG PR
@bsgpr

About CatalystCon:

CatalystCon will be making its debut at the Hilton Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center in Long Beach, California, September 14th through September 16th. CatalystCon creator Dee Dennis regards this conference as a “melting pot of sexuality” that will unite sex educators, sexologists, sex workers, writers, activists, and anyone with a passion for creating change. "Knowledge is power, and sharing that knowledge is the first spark in igniting change." This is the fundamental principle behind CatalystCon. Attendees to this groundbreaking event will benefit from important discussions on a wide variety of subjects, such as sex work, polyamory, sexism in hip hop, senior sex, sex and religion, sex education, and much more. Go to http://catalystcon.com/registration to register today. Follow CatalystCon on twitter @catalystcon and visit facebook.com/catalystcon.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Rocco Siffredi: ‘89 to 100’ Syphilis-Positive Porn Performers in Europe

Rocco Siffredi told XBIZ Friday that there are “89 to 100” adult performers currently infected with syphilis in three different Eastern European cities where porn is regularly shot — Budapest, Hungary, Prague, Czech Republic and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals Interview

Dr. Tibbals explains how she became interested in exploring the truth about the Los Angeles-based adult industry; social constructs, stereotypes and gender issues; feminism and individual life perspectives; cultural biases and insensitivities towards men and women.”

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Tennessee's Newly Enacted Sex-education Bill

In Tennessee, a newly enacted sex-education bill, which takes an unabashedly pro-abstinence stance, prohibits public schools from promoting so-called "gateway sexual activity." Unfortunately, the grown-ups who argued in favor of the bill were too polite to define exactly what "gateway sexual activity" is, prompting the opposition to sneeringly dub the legislation "the no holding-hands bill."

What's fascinating to me is that the Nashville debate reveals in microcosm the confusion that reigns in the American political discussion about sexuality as a whole. To oversimplify, the Left thinks the Right are prudes and the Right thinks the Left are perverts. What both sides have in common, however, is they are far more comfortable with ambiguity than with clarity. And that's why neither camp is ready to have an honest discussion about sexuality.

Maybe it's a remnant of the Puritanical roots of this country's founders, but it seems that when it comes to all other forms of human behavior we Americans can at least agree about what it is we'redisagreeing about. Discussions of human sexuality, in contrast, are mostly left vague. Even the highest court in the land is famous for its shameful lack of clarity when it comes to the subject of s-e-x. As Justice Potter Stewart famously wrote in his 1964 opinion about the definition of pornography, "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it."

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Untitled

In Tennessee, a newly enacted sex-education bill, which takes an unabashedly pro-abstinence stance, prohibits public schools from promoting so-called "gateway sexual activity." Unfortunately, the grown-ups who argued in favor of the bill were too polite to define exactly what "gateway sexual activity" is, prompting the opposition to sneeringly dub the legislation "the no holding-hands bill."

What's fascinating to me is that the Nashville debate reveals in microcosm the confusion that reigns in the American political discussion about sexuality as a whole. To oversimplify, the Left thinks the Right are prudes and the Right thinks the Left are perverts. What both sides have in common, however, is they are far more comfortable with ambiguity than with clarity. And that's why neither camp is ready to have an honest discussion about sexuality.

Maybe it's a remnant of the Puritanical roots of this country's founders, but it seems that when it comes to all other forms of human behavior we Americans can at least agree about what it is we'redisagreeing about. Discussions of human sexuality, in contrast, are mostly left vague. Even the highest court in the land is famous for its shameful lack of clarity when it comes to the subject of s-e-x. As Justice Potter Stewart famously wrote in his 1964 opinion about the definition of pornography, "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it."

2009sexed

 

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