Pornhub Pulls Out of Seventh State
The company leaves Texas over an “ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous” age-verification law.
Sex Work
Florida Lawmakers Vote To Raise Stripping Age to 21
Employing an 18- to 20-year-old at an adult venue could mean 15 years in prison, even if the young person used a fake ID.
Texas Sues Pornhub for Failing to Check IDs
A federal judge in an ongoing case called the porn age-check scheme unconstitutional. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton doesn't seem to care.
PROTECT Act Could Require Removal of All Existing Porn Online
Sen. Mike Lee's "technological exploitation" bill also redefines consent.
He Was Charged With Human Trafficking for Driving His Wife to Work
"The sole basis for targeting Joe was the race/ethnicity of his wife and her occupation" at an Asian massage parlor, the lawsuit claims.
Feds Will Try Backpage Co-Founder Michael Lacey for a Third Time
It's a frightening reminder of how far the government will go to get their way—and to warn tech companies against platforming speech it doesn't like.
Oklahoma Bill Would Ban Sending Sexy Selfies Unless You're Married
It could also outlaw any sort of sexualized image, play, or performance, pornographic or not.
Maine's Bad Prostitution Law Could Be Coming Soon to Your State
Beware the “Equality Model” of sex work law reform in 2024.
North Carolina Strip Club Now Safe From County's Eminent Domain Efforts
After public backlash, Hanover County Commission has decided to pursue a voluntary purchase of the Cheetah Premier Gentlemen's Club next door.
Ohio Vice Cop Who Got Away With Killing Sex Worker Pleads Guilty in Kidnapping Case
Andrew Mitchell, who was acquitted on state murder charges in April, plead guilty this month to abducting and detaining two sex worker victims.
The Backpage Defendants Never Stood a Chance
Moral panic plus government power is an inescapably potent combination.
The World's First Libertarian President
Plus: A listener asks the editors about libertarians and "reflexive contrarianism."
Backpage: The Monumental Free Speech Case the Media Ignored
The mere act of publishing sex ads online is enough to send most potential free speech allies scurrying for the exits.
Don't Believe Janet Yellen's Shoddy Wartime 'Girl Math'
Plus: President Joe Biden’s weird economy and Rep. Mike Johnson as the unlikely new speaker of the House of Representatives.
Aella: Is Porn Too Pervasive?
The former OnlyFans star and outspoken libertarian defender of sex workers considers the acceleration of government crackdowns on online porn, the sexual revolution, and sex work.
Is There Too Much Porn?
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook at 1 p.m. Eastern this Thursday for a discussion with Aella about the escalating government crackdown on online porn, the sexual revolution, and sex work.
In Scathing Rulings, Federal Courts Block Arkansas and Texas Age Verification Laws
Plus: Meta revises controversial "dangerous organizations" policy, a win against civil asset forfeiture in Detroit, and more...
Have We Lost Track of the Trump Indictments Yet?
Plus: Why don't journalists support free speech anymore?
Backpage Founder, Alt-Weekly Entrepreneur, and Free Speech Warrior James Larkin Has Died
Larkin, 74, took his own life on Monday, just a little over a week before he was slated to stand trial for his role in running the web-classifieds platform Backpage.
Sex Workers Want Rights, Not Rescue
Horrible things are happening to vulnerable people, but we cannot help them by sending groups of vigilantes or law enforcement officers to hunt them.
Court Says Prostitution Law Doesn't Violate First Amendment but Language Should Be Interpreted Narrowly
Plus: Democrats dismiss nonwhite moderates, Schumer wants investigation into energy drink, GOP prosecutors threaten Target over Pride merchandise, and more...
Prosecutors Say Backpage Defendants Shouldn't Be Allowed To Reference the 1st Amendment
Prosecutors also want a judge to take basically all possible defenses off the table.
Maine's Legislature Passes Bill To Partially Decriminalize Prostitution
Plus: Court rules that naked female spa can't exclude transgender women, Biden vetoes bill blocking student loan forgiveness, and more...
The Naked Feminist
Victoria Bateman thinks "my body, my choice" should include how much clothing you wear.
5 Years After the Backpage Shutdown, Sex Workers—and Free Speech—Are Still Suffering
As former Backpage execs await their August trial, the shutdown is still worsening the lives it was supposed to improve.
States Try To Reform Prostitution Laws—for Better and Worse
New bills in six states showcase some right and wrong ways to help sex workers, from full decriminalization to ramping up penalties for prostitution customers.
All Porn Is 'Violence Against Women,' U.K. Parliamentary Committee Says
Plus: The SAFE TECH Act, Reason talks to young conservatives at CPAC, and more...
Actually, Magic Mike's Last Dance Is About the Awfulness of Urban Zoning Regulations
A male stripper takes on London's historic preservation rules in Channing Tatum's latest ode to hot, sensitive dudes.
Another Bogus 'Sex Trafficking Sting' Led by Homeland Security Agents
Plus: Everyone loves conspiracy theories, against national rent control, and more...
Appeals Court Panel Seems Skeptical That FOSTA Doesn't Violate the First Amendment
The 2018 law criminalizes websites that "promote or facilitate" prostitution. Two of three judges on the panel pushed back against government claims that this doesn't criminalize speech.
Louisiana Now Checking IDs for Watching Porn
Plus: Still no House speaker, the gender gap in college scholarships, Meta fined $414 million, and more...
Sen. Mike Lee Wants To Ban Porn by Redefining 'Obscene'
The IODA aims to edit the legal defintion of "obscenity" to allow for the regulation of most pornography. But even if it passes, a nationwide porn ban is unlikely to succeed.
Why Sex Work Should Be Destigmatized, Not Just Decriminalized
Kaytlin Bailey wants to decriminalize—and normalize—the world's oldest profession.
Kaytlin Bailey: Time to Decriminalize—and Destigmatize!—Sex Work
Prostitutes have not only provided a much-in-demand service but helped to push the boundaries of freedom and liberty for millennia.
Woman Reports Rape to Pennsylvania Cops, Winds Up In Prison for Prostitution
Plus: International attitudes about Russia and China, court rules against book publishers merging, and more...
Underage Girls Arrested in Florida 'Human Trafficking' Sting
Once again, policies billed as helping people coerced into prostitution wind up harming those that cops say they're trying to help.
Canadian Sex Workers Fight for Full Decriminalization of Prostitution
Plus: Why China didn't liberalize, rescheduling marijuana could take years, and more…
Retrial of Backpage Execs Wouldn't Be Double Jeopardy, Court Says
Former Backpage executives could now face trial again in 2023, after the government's first attempt resulted in a mistrial.
There's No Way FOSTA Isn't a First Amendment Violation, Says Lawsuit
The case is now on appeal after a lower court said the ban on websites promoting prostitution didn't concern protected speech.
'I Have My Own Life': The Case for Legalizing Sex Work
It would be far easier to prosecute sex trafficking if voluntary sex work were legal.
Review: HeidiWorld Wants You To Rethink Prostitution
Podcaster Molly Lambert's gambit to get listeners to critically examine the conflation of sex work is mostly successful.
What We Know About the FBI's Latest National 'Human Trafficking' Sting
Plus: Book ban enthusiasm ensnares Bible, free speech for nutrition advice, and more...
OnlyFans Star Aella Talks Sex Work Economics
How sex worker Aella went from factory work to OnlyFans stardom and data science research on fetishes