Survey Says Hamilton County Residents Approve of Hustler Stores

Hamilton County has threatened to prosecute Larry and Jimmy Flynt on obscenity charges, but a survey or residents of that county indicates that it will be difficult for prosecutor Mike Allen to gain a conviction – 60 percent of Hamilton County residents believe the Hustler store in Cincinnati should be allowed to sell adult videos

The poll, which was jointly commissioned by the Cincinnati Enquirer and local television station WCPO, found that 62 percent believed in the legality selling explicit videos in general, and 61 percent believed that Hustler in particular should not be prosecuted for selling such videos.

The poll, conducted by SurveyUSA, also found that 69 percent favor some restrictions on what can be sold – though the survey does not state where the line for obscenity should be drawn.

It is not known what questions were asked throughout the poll or what the error margins for the poll are.

Obscenity cases often rest on the vague standard of “community standards,” so public opinion on the matter may reflect what a jury would decide in regards to an obscenity case.

"We think community standards have changed a great deal," Larry Flynt told the Enquirer, "I'd say we've come a long way."

Anti-pornography activists suggested that most of the 500 residents randomly polled by telephone were unfamiliar with the type of videos being sold at Hustler and that they may be thinking “sexually explicit “ means nudity.

"I think people don't realize the level of explicitness that the Hustler store is selling," said David Miller, vice president of the anti-pornography group Citizens for Community Values, told the Enquirer. "Larry Flynt is wrong when he says the First Amendment allows everything and anything."

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