The 1999 Hal Freeman "Freedom Isn't Free" Award was "given, for the first time, to a loser," Gloria Leonard, President of the Free Speech Coalition, joked. The gentleman she was kindly referring to was William K. Dobbs, of the Coalition for Free Expression. The "loss" has to do with the New York City zoning fiasco.
Dobbs was quick to clarify. "The coalition is actually receiving the award. I'm just the one accepting."
Formed in 1994 to fight the XXX zoning laws that were threatening to snatch away New York City's adult businesses, the Coalition for Free Expression (COFE) joined more than 100 businesses together to stand up to the city. In July of 1998, the coalition lost their fight when Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg denied a last-minute petition from attorneys representing the 111 affected adult business owners to stay enforcement of the 1995 zoning ordinance. Businesses were shuttered and, like dominoes, began to fall.
"Because the struggle they put up was so valiant, we [the Free Speech Coalition] felt very strongly that they deserved the recognition," Leonard said.
Dobbs began as a gay activist, and even went to jail once at Yale University for putting a banner up in defense of lesbians and gays. He was involved with COFE from the very beginning. "The tough part was persuading people to stand. It is very important that we stick together. We also need to organize and make more coalitions. We need to get the consumers and the retailers out on the streets to stand up for their rights." He also stated that the shakedown stemmed from three primary causes: "Real estate greed, morality campaigns and a submerged anti-sex feminism."
However, the fight is ongoing. Enforcement battles rage as city officials continue to find ways to close up adult businesses, most specifically in the Times Square district.
"We need to encourage resistance from the cultural world, " Dobbs said. "It is imperative that we all stand together in this fight."
