In a statement published late last week, the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) highlighted the experiences and testimony of adult performers Alix Lynx and Cherie DeVille, who have “recently spoken out about losing access to their bank accounts, bringing renewed attention to a problem our industry has faced for years.”
“Lynx says Chase closed her accounts without giving her a specific reason,” FSC noted in the statement. “While the bank did not tell her the decision was related to her profession, she began to suspect it after learning that other adult performers had experienced similar closures.”
FSC observed that Lynx’s story “follows Cherie DeVille’s recent report that Bank of America closed her account because of her work in adult entertainment.” (Bank of America has denied DeVille’s profession was behind the closure, saying the decision was based on the account’s activity.)
“These stories are part of a much bigger problem,” FSC said. “Adult workers and businesses routinely face account closures, denied applications and restrictions on financial services, often without warning or a clear explanation.”
FSC said added that the reported account closures are “particularly concerning because they come after significant federal action intended to address debanking.”
“In August 2025, President Trump issued an executive order, Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans, directing federal banking regulators to identify and address policies and practices that restrict access to financial services based on lawful business activities,” FSC noted. “Months later, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released preliminary findings from its review of the nation’s nine largest national banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America. The OCC found that all nine had maintained policies or practices that restricted access to banking services or subjected certain customers to heightened review because of their lawful business activities.
“Adult entertainment was specifically identified as one of the industries affected, yet adult creators and businesses continue to report losing access to banking services,” FSC added.
“For an industry that has dealt with financial discrimination for decades, these latest cases show that government recognition of the problem has not made it disappear.”
In a video discussing the closure of her Bank of America accounts, DeVille observed that she works “in a completely legal business.”
“I pay my taxes. I have employees. I run a company, and I, like all legal businesses, deserve access to banking just like any other law-abiding American,” DeVille added.
In the statement, FSC encouraged members of the industry who have experienced debanking to share their stories with the organization.
“Your experiences help us document the scale of the problem and strengthen the case for change,” FSC said. “You may also be able to file a complaint with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. FSC can help industry members understand the complaint process and prepare the information they need to report what happened.”
FSC also reported the organization is at work at fashioning alternative banking designed for adult industry professionals.
“Fighting discriminatory banking practices is only part of the solution,” FSC said. “FSC is also working to establish Opportunity Credit Union, a financial institution designed to serve people and businesses that traditional banks have too often shut out. Donate to the Opportunity Credit Union fundraiser and help us create a financial institution where legal adult industry workers and businesses can access financial services without fear of discrimination.”
You can read the full post on the FSC blog. For more information on banking discrimination against the adult industry and what FSC is doing to combat it, click here.
Image by RDNE Stock project from Pexels
