Id.As the conservative politicians are banning together, so are the Adult Industry groups: Recently, the Free Speech Coalition, www.FreeSpeechCoalition.com announced that it would merge with the Global Internet Alliance (GIA), an organization of leading adult webmasters, in an effort to combine forces in order to achieve greater lobbying strength.4 “I think it strengthens both of our organizations to come together like this,” said Bill Lyon, the FSC Executive Director.5 The GIA originally formed to combat problems that webmasters were having with the credit card companies. Now, they realize that the problems facing the Adult Industry, webmasters included, are much larger than originally anticipated. This is particularly true given, “the hassles the Republicans are going to try and generate for the Internet.”6 This merger is further evidence of the conversion occurring between various facets of the adult entertainment industry, which formerly maintained separate identities.
No matter how bad it gets here in the U.S., just be glad you don’t live in Iran. Twenty Iranians were recently flogged in the public square in Tehran for selling “obscene” compact discs and videotapes, according to the official news agency.7 Virtually any adult material is considered “obscene” in Iran, where women must cover most of their bodies.8 Despite the flogging, other dealers continued to sell similar material not far from where the punishment occurred.\’
3 Id.
5 Id.
6 Id.
8 Id.
\’ Id.
