FSC LOBBYING DAYS SUCCESS FOR INDUSTRY
SACRAMENTO, CA -- On Tuesday, April 19, under the banner of Celebrate Free Speech Lobbying Days (CFSLD), eight teams of adult entertainment professionals fanned out through the California Capitol to carry an economics lesson to the state’s lawmakers: Adult entertainment is big business in California. Armed with their Year 2005 White Paper detailing the employment and tax benefits which result from adult commerce in California, adult entertainment celebrities, attorneys, academics, journalists, students and business owners kept more than 60 appointments throughout the day with legislators or staff.
        Free Speech Coalition has hosted the 2-day training and political action program in Sacramento for the past eight years. This year’s teams included some of the biggest names in the industry, including Nina Hartley, Brittany Andrews, Inari Vachs, Stormy Daniels, Sunny Leone, Dave Cummings and former talent Anita Cannibal, now a pre-law college student. Among the companies represented were Wicked Pictures, Adam & Eve, AVN, Sportsheets, Titan Media, YNOT Network, Peekay Inc., which has stores in Washington and California, and Passion Video from Missouri. Also represented were sister organizations to FSC, the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) and Association of Club Executives (ACE) of California.
         Included in this year’s event was a public Community Forum on the controversial topic, “Today’s ‘Porn’–Entertainment or Addiction?” as well as a legislative reception where members of the Legislature or staffers could converse with the FSC lobbyists in a more casual atmosphere.
        CFSLD plays an important role in the ongoing effort to build effective relationships with legislators and staff in Sacramento. Sponsors who made it possible this year are California Exotic Novelties, Greg Dumas of GEC Media, Elegant Angel, Goalie Entertainment, Lion’s Den, Peekay Inc., Topco Sales, Video Age and Wicked Pictures.
From an FSC Press Release, 4/25/05
See also Mark Kernes’ report on the Community Forum, 4/26/05
http://www.avn.com/index.php?Primary_Navigation=Articles&Action
=View_Article&Content_ID=224313
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ROUTINE RAIDS TARGET SIX DANCE CLUBS
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Police recently made the rounds of six exotic dance clubs that serve alcohol here, arresting eight and citing fifty-six others for showing too much flesh. A city ordinance says dancers must fully cover butts as well as breasts from the nipple down. The law does not apply to juice bars. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ken Jefferson said clubs are raided regularly to ensure regulations are followed.
        Caesar’s Gentlemen’s Club manager Joe Serafini said it’s not unusual for police to come in, turn on the lights and then send patrons out -- effectively shutting down the club for several hours while tickets are given out
        “And they’d do it even if the woman were wearing granny underwear,” he said. “We just tell the dancers to comply and give all the information the police ask for. There’s no point in fighting it that night.”
       The city ordinance is being challenged by some of the clubs, who say the dancers should be allowed to wear just pasties and G-strings.
From Joe Black, Florida Times Union, 4/23/05
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/042305/met_18557991.shtml
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LEGISLATOR SHOCKED! SHOCKED! AT WEBSITE
       ST. PAUL, MN -- An amendment to the state’s Health Department funding bill by Representative Tom Emmer (R), would end the entire $425,000 in state funding for the Minnesota AIDS Project (MAP). Emmer said he was “shocked and disgusted” by explicit language on a gay-outreach website.
       Perhaps Emmer is referring to language like this on the Pride Alive website: “If you s**k d**k [asterisks ours to fool X-Press subscriber spam filters], you can make that risk (of HIV transmission) practically nothing by using a condom when you give head.”
       “The language is appropriate for the gay and bisexual audience it’s aimed at, written with language that communicates directly with them,” said Amy Weiss, a spokesperson for MAP.
       Furthermore, MAP representatives noted, state money is not used for the Pride Alive project or its magazines, which are supported by private donations. Emmer’s amendment has been voted out of committee and now goes to the House floor.
From Warren Wolfe, Star Tribune, 4/22/05
http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5364839.html
And from the Pride Alive Website
http://www.pridealive.org/health/sex/suckornot.php
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BOOK BAN NOT CENSORSHIP, SAYS LAWMAKER
MONTGOMERY, AL -- Not to be outdone by Minnesota lawmakers (see above report), state Representative Gerald Allen (R) has put forward a bill under which public school libraries could no longer buy new copies of plays or books by gay authors, or about gay characters. Books by Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Gore Vidal, for example, would get the axe. Shakespeare is safe for now. Allen originally wanted to ban some of the Bard’s works, but in the face of criticism, has exempted the classics. Allen also had to back down from including public and college libraries in the bill.
        “I don’t look at it as censorship,” said Allen. “I look at it as protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children.” In book after book, says Allen, he reads about the “homosexual agenda.”
        The 1993 ordinance regulating nude entertainment clubs was “unconstitutional because it made it unreasonably difficult for an adult use applicant to complete the permit process,” said Judge Rea.
        “It’s not healthy for America, it doesn’t fit what we stand for,” said Allen.
From The CBS Evening News, 4/26/05
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/26/eveningnews/
main691106.shtml
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REGULATION IN COUNTY AREAS SOUGHT
       MIFFLIN TOWNSHIP, OH -- 130 people recently attended a “Concerned Citizen’s of Mifflin Township” meeting here to discuss how to stop an exotic dance club from opening. The featured speaker was Tom Lyons, who led a fight to close an adult bookstore several years ago.
       “This is a battle of good versus evil,” said Lyons. “Research shows how this type of business is devastating to families. When the bookstore opened, we picketed there from 10 a.m. to midnight. You can’t stand back and let the courts lead you. You have to starve them out. This is an evil, evil thing. But if you stay committed, you will win this thing, but it is going to take time."
     In the meantime, back in Columbus, state legislators passed a bill that would give townships and counties the same kind of authority that cities have to regulate adult businesses. The bill’s sponsor, Linda Reidelbach (R-Columbus) says local officials have proven that property values drop and crime rates go up when adult businesses aren’t regulated.
    The bill awaits action in the Senate.
From K.O. Jackson, The Mansfield News Journal, 4/27/05
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050427/
NEWS01/504270325/1002
And from WKYC Channel 3, Cleveland, 4/27/05
http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_fullstory.asp?id=34027
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COMMISSIONERS FACE CATCH-22 ON ORDINANCES
       YELLOWSTONE COUNTY, MT -- County commissioners here have voted to begin a process that may place some proposed adult ordinances on the ballot for voters to decide. Two ordinances are being considered. One would outlaw the distribution of obscene materials within Yellowstone County. The other would use zoning laws to regulate sexually oriented businesses such as adult bookstores and bars that allow nude dancing.
       Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinances this summer, and they could be placed on the primary election ballot next June or the general election ballot in November.
       The decision to pass the buck to voters is the latest ploy in a history of reluctant or uncertain commissioners being pressured by Citizens Against Sexual Exploitation (CASE). The idea for the ordinances started in 2001, when Planet Lockwood opened an exotic dance club in the county. The Reverend Ron Palmer formed CASE to try to close it down. The proposed ordinances were drafted by CASE.
       In the past, the commissioners been dubious of the CASE ordinances and have expressed fears of expensive litigation.
       “If we put these ordinances on the ballot, somebody could file a lawsuit and we would end up fighting in court for the next five or six years,” said Commissioner Bill Kennedy in February, 2004. Kennedy argued that the commissioners wanted to limit taxpayer expense if the case is litigated, citing the fact that taxpayers in Ravalli County had paid thousands of dollars to defend three obscenity ordinances that were nullified in court.
From Tom Howard, The Billings Gazette, 4/27/05
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=
rednews/2005/04/27/build/local/45-strip-club-vote.inc
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HASTY ACTION NOT IN BAD FAITH, SAYS JUDGE
       WILDWOOD, FL -- U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges has turned down a bid by X-Mart Adult Superstore owner Evgueni Soulaguine to avoid obscenity charges. Attorneys for Soulaguine had asked the court for injunctive relief based on the argument that State Attorney Brad King and Sumter County Sheriff Bill Farmer had exhibited bad faith in their investigation leading to Soulaguine’s arrest. One day after the store opened, deputies conducted an undercover search and bought three DVDs. Later, a state circuit judge found that probable cause existed to believe that the DVDs were obscene.
        The hasty search was a sign that officials were out to get the X-Mart, argued X-Mart’s legal team. However, Judge Hodges ruled that law enforcement had shown restraint in dealing with the store.
       “The defendants have not engaged in egregious behavior, such as exposing the plaintiffs to multiple warrantless searches,” he said.
       Judge Hodges’ decision means the county’s obscenity prosecution can proceed.
From Amanda Koonce, MyWebPal.com, 4/22/05
http://news.mywebpal.com:80/partners/701/public/news626940.html
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OTHER NEWS ITEMS OF THE WEEK
Texas, which declared itself the first state in the nation to supply free wireless Internet access at its safety rest areas, is now prohibiting the use of its free Wi-Fi Internet to access adult entertainment.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=54665&news_category_id=5


Members of the U.S. House and Senate have introduced the bi-partisan SAFE Act, which would establish reasonable checks and balances for the surveillance powers of the USA PATRIOT Act. The SAFE Act has been discussed several times in X-Press reports.
http://www.cdt.org/legislation/109/4

UpComing Events

MAY 19-21 --  Erotic Expo., Hotel Pennsylvania, N.Y., NY www.Eroticexpony.com

JUNE 6-10 -- Lifestyles 2005, Las Vegas, NV, www.lifestyles-conventions.com

JUNE 10-12 -- Erotica L.A., www.adultconx.com

JUNE 12-15 -- Cybernet Expo, Shelter Point Hotel, San Diego, CA, www.cybernetexpo.com

JULY 11-13 – ANME, Mandalay Bay, Vas Vegas, NV

JULY 18-20 – AVN Adult Novelty Expo, Pasadena, CA. www.adultnoveltyexpo.com

JULY 26-28, -- VSDA's Home Entertainment 2005, Bellagio Resort, Las Vegas, NV, http://show.vsdahomeentertainment.com

AUG 5-6 – Internext, Hollywood, FL., www.Internext-expo.com

AUG 23-25, – Annual Gentlemen’s Club Expo, Madalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas, NV http://www.exoticdancer.com/expo.php