RICHMOND, Va. – While the Virginia General Assembly appears disinclined to proclaim pornography a “public health crisis,” a modified version of an earlier resolution soon to be voted on by the state’s House of Delegates still attributes to porn the same litany of societal ills...

SALT LAKE CITY – As an apparent extension of the state’s resolution proclaiming porn to be a public health crisis, Utah State Sen. Todd Weiler has proposed a new measure to require public libraries to install porn-blocking content filters on their wireless networks. “As a parent...

LOS ANGELES – When you see someone out on the road driving like an idiot, do you immediately think to yourself: “God damn Vin Diesel and the approximately 400 Fast and Furious movies he’s been featured in. Clearly they’re to blame for this”? How about when you see a video of a...

What does it mean to be “honest” about porn and the nature of the porn industry? Is it true that, over the history of porn production, some terrible things have happened on porn sets? There’s no question in my mind this is true, although not nearly as widespread and commonplace...

NASHVILLE – For the second time in recent months, Tennessee State Sen. Mae Beavers has proposed a joint resolution to “recognize pornography as a public health hazard leading to a broad spectrum of individual and public health impacts and societal harms.” As you might expect, the...

LAS VEGAS – As is always the case following a transition of Presidential power in Washington, here at the dawn of 2017 the adult industry finds itself wondering what the years ahead might bring in terms of increased obscenity prosecution, new regulations, or yet another revision...

SAN FRANCISCO – One of the great frustrations of someone who writes about the adult industry from within it comes in reading articles about the same subjects written by people on the outside looking in. Among other things, I’m consistently mystified by the credulity of...

COLORADO SPRINGS – The first time I heard the voice of James Hetfield, it was growl-shouting the words “Lashing out the action, returning the reaction / Weak are ripped and torn away / Hypnotizing power, crushing all that cower / Battery is here to stay!” Soon, evidently, I’ll be...

PHOENIX – In June 2013, Phoenix police raided what they called a “self-serve porn studio” near Sky Harbor Airport, charging William James Hartwell and six women with various prostitution-related crimes. Now, three and one-half years later, Hartwell’s trial is finally is poised to...

SAN FRANCISCO – When I first heard about Kink.com acquiring the Mission District Armory in San Francisco some years ago, I thought of the moment as a potential watershed for the progress of the American adult entertainment industry. A porn studio poised to operate (openly!) in a...