Statewide delegates from the adult entertainment industry will visit Sacramento today to meet with lawmakers for their 10th annual "Celebrate Free Speech Lobbying Day" event.
The advocacy event is sponsored by the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), a 3,500 member trade association for the adult entertainment industry, seeking to make citizen lobbyists for a day of such adult entertainment members as starlet and former gubernatorial hopeful Mary Carey.
Among the legislation being discussed is Assembly Bill 1551, by Assemblyman Chuck Calderon (D-Whittier), seen throughout the adult industry as yet another barrier to doing business in California.
"Like the motion picture industry, we have to compete against overseas competition which pirates our products and sells them over the internet," said Diane Duke, Executive Director for the FSC. "More than 50,000 people are employed by the industry in California. Do we really want to compromise those jobs?"
FSC California lobbyist Matt Gray said that the added cost of doing business in California is not the only problem with the proposed legislation. "According to FSC attorneys, this bill is fraught with constitutional problems, and unfairly singles out the industry, while falsely promoting myths about adult entertainment."
The day's events will culminate with the Free Speech Legislation Reception, in which lawmakers, staff, and advocates celebrate free speech.
