Brinnie
Adm¡n
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2005
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Gay Sites Targeted
WASHINGTON — Some gay male cruising sites received a temporary reprieve June 23 from enforcement of expanded federal regulations that, according to the Web sites, seriously threatened the use of nude photos that are a staple of their popularity.
The U.S. Department of Justice agreed with critics of the regulations to delay enforcement of the newly revised 18 U.S. Code 2257 until Sept. 7, some 30 days after a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for Aug. 8. Initial hearings are also set for Aug. 1 and 2, according to Tom Hymes, spokesperson for the Free Speech Coalition, an adult industry trade group.
The FSC filed for a temporary restraining order barring enforcement on June 20. The rules, which may have forced the removal of explicit imagery, were set to go into effect June 23.
Hymes said the Free Speech Coalition was bombarded with adult entertainment sites, both gay and straight, seeking membership after the June 23 agreement was reached. Enforcement of the new regulations is delayed only for businesses that became members of the coalition by June 27. Many gay adult entertainment sites and sites with gay personal ads are members of the coalition, but Hymes declined to provide a list of the group’s members.
Rev. Lou Sheldon, founder of the anti-gay Traditional Values Coalition, said he is deeply concerned about recent developments regarding the law and is heavily lobbying for its enforcement. “We were in meetings today about it,” Sheldon said. “This is part of the White House’s initiative to curb sexual exploitation of women and children.” As for the gay Web sites also affected by the new regulations, Sheldon said his group is "very concerned with the advocacy of homosexuality.”
Although 2257, as the law is known, does not specifically regulate sexually explicit gay content, the federal government “does not make that distinction” between gay and straight adult content, according to John Nowaki, a Department of Justice spokesperson. “The regulation requires the producers of sexually explicit material to keep records,” he said.
A handful of sites, including Gay.com, BigMuscle.com and m4m-usa.com, reacted last month to the regulations by alerting members and evaluating their policies. But Donna Gibbs, spokesperson for PlanetOut Inc., owner of Gay.com, a member of the Free Speech Coalition, said June 24 that the agreement deal meant it was “back to business for us.”
“All our members’ photos are available, including the adult photos,” Gibbs said. “We are following this issue very closely and have started pre-screening photos on all our sites so if this decision is reversed and we are again living under these regulations, we have a greater measure of comfort [that our content] adheres to the rules outlined in 2257.”
Last month, BigMuscleBears.com and BigMuscle.com issued a statement to members asking them to not post images... [Continued]
WASHINGTON — Some gay male cruising sites received a temporary reprieve June 23 from enforcement of expanded federal regulations that, according to the Web sites, seriously threatened the use of nude photos that are a staple of their popularity.
The U.S. Department of Justice agreed with critics of the regulations to delay enforcement of the newly revised 18 U.S. Code 2257 until Sept. 7, some 30 days after a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for Aug. 8. Initial hearings are also set for Aug. 1 and 2, according to Tom Hymes, spokesperson for the Free Speech Coalition, an adult industry trade group.
The FSC filed for a temporary restraining order barring enforcement on June 20. The rules, which may have forced the removal of explicit imagery, were set to go into effect June 23.
Hymes said the Free Speech Coalition was bombarded with adult entertainment sites, both gay and straight, seeking membership after the June 23 agreement was reached. Enforcement of the new regulations is delayed only for businesses that became members of the coalition by June 27. Many gay adult entertainment sites and sites with gay personal ads are members of the coalition, but Hymes declined to provide a list of the group’s members.
Rev. Lou Sheldon, founder of the anti-gay Traditional Values Coalition, said he is deeply concerned about recent developments regarding the law and is heavily lobbying for its enforcement. “We were in meetings today about it,” Sheldon said. “This is part of the White House’s initiative to curb sexual exploitation of women and children.” As for the gay Web sites also affected by the new regulations, Sheldon said his group is "very concerned with the advocacy of homosexuality.”
Although 2257, as the law is known, does not specifically regulate sexually explicit gay content, the federal government “does not make that distinction” between gay and straight adult content, according to John Nowaki, a Department of Justice spokesperson. “The regulation requires the producers of sexually explicit material to keep records,” he said.
A handful of sites, including Gay.com, BigMuscle.com and m4m-usa.com, reacted last month to the regulations by alerting members and evaluating their policies. But Donna Gibbs, spokesperson for PlanetOut Inc., owner of Gay.com, a member of the Free Speech Coalition, said June 24 that the agreement deal meant it was “back to business for us.”
“All our members’ photos are available, including the adult photos,” Gibbs said. “We are following this issue very closely and have started pre-screening photos on all our sites so if this decision is reversed and we are again living under these regulations, we have a greater measure of comfort [that our content] adheres to the rules outlined in 2257.”
Last month, BigMuscleBears.com and BigMuscle.com issued a statement to members asking them to not post images... [Continued]
