The AVN summer expo "Controversy in the Adult Business" seminar was held Thursday afternoon, moderated by AVN features editor Mark Kernes. A lively panel consisting of Wicked Pictures' Joy King, Seymore Inc.'s Seymore Butts, attorney Al Gelbard, Evil Angel's John Stagliano, Filmwest's Max Hardcore and Fallen Angel's Luc Wylder answered questions and debated issues pertaining to the controversial nature of the more extreme adult product.
Kernes asked Butts about the repercussions he'd encountered that resulted from shipping Tampa Tushy Fest, which featured a fisting scene between Alisha Klass and Chloe. "I considered it a consensual act between two actresses of sound mind," Butts replied. "It was something the girls wanted to do; and it was something that made the girls cum." He noted that the initial reaction from retailers was negative - roughly 40 percent said they'd return the tape in exchange for a version with the fisting scene removed - in the end, only about 7 to 8 percent actually did return the tape. Gelbard made the point several times that the only act that is actually illegal is child pornography.
Max Hardcore was posed the question "How far will you go?" and replied "We go as far as the girl's willing to take it. We take it to the point where the girl doesn't get hurt… well, not hurt too bad, anyway." He also noted his concern that the retailers not get into trouble for carrying his product, and that "people ought to be able to watch whatever the fuck they want to watch."
Stagliano professed his admiration for Hardcore's tapes, as well as for others who "push the envelope," and noted that "in 20 years, people will see our 'envelope pushing' as boring." In regards to the redeeming social content/community standards issue, he noted that "you can't define what art is."
It was a sentiment echoed by Wylder, whose company releases both standard sex tapes and non-sex B/D - S/M videos. He explained that he's "a businessman and a family man," and said, "There's no clear definition of what turns one person on and repulses another." He spoke in positive terms of the extreme nature of director Joey Strange's body modification tapes (which Fallen Angel has distributed), such as Strange's practice of hanging from flesh hooks. Hardcore visibly blanched. "That's fucked up," he muttered.
Condom issues were also discussed at length, with King (as the sole panelist whose company has a condom-only policy) taking a fair amount of heat from her fellow speakers for the perceived "hypocrisy" of the practice of using condoms for intercourse, but allowing facial popshots.
Audience questions focused mainly on condom and legal issues.
