He could have been an evangelist…or a gynecologist.
That's what Larry Flynt had to say when asked what other career path he might have taken had he not become involved in the adult entertainment industry.
During his keynote speech at the XBiz conference in Hollywood, Flynt spoke with XBiz Publisher Tom Hymes about the early days of Hustler magazine, building his own business empire, and his own personal sacrifices fighting for free speech and First Amendment rights.
The keynote address was an up-close and personal look at one of the adult industry's most influential and important figures, not only dealing with his struggles as a businessman facing lawsuits and attacks from the religious right, but as a man whose penchant for controversy led to the 1978 shooting that left him paralyzed from the waist down and bound to a wheelchair. Flynt discussed his struggles in the aftermath of the shooting and appeared visibly choked up.
Throughout the session, Flynt repeatedly stressed the importance of the adult industry standing up for its own. Citing the 2004 lawsuit against Joanne Webb, the Texas mother who was busted for selling sex toys during Tupperware-like parties thrown in her home, Flynt said, "When these kinds of cases come up, we have the obligation to help them out…[and] provide legal defense. We need more people to stand up."
Flynt went on to criticize uninvolved parents for trying to make the government a "babysitter" for their children, and he counseled adult producers to combat the negative stigma associated with pornography by shooting content strictly by the books. "We have to make sure we use models of legal age," he noted. "We have no excuse to use minors."
There were some lighter moments, as well, such as when—after being asked by an audience member during the question-and-answer period what he would do differently if he could go back in time—he deadpanned, "I'd probably wear a bulletproof vest."
Flynt's comments about his alternate career choices came at the very end of the session—at which point he received a standing ovation from the packed room—but, it was his response to another question that most summed up the discussion.
After being asked by First Amendment attorney Joe Obenberger what he would like to be remembered for, Flynt again turned to his First Amendment battles. "I've spent the better part of my life fighting for and defending free speech," he said. "I can't think of a more noble quest."
