New
federal
regulations
are
changing
the
way
gay
men
post
nude
photos
of
themselves
online
and
may
be
curtailing
the
supply
of
adult
entertainment
available
on
the
web.
The
rules,
intended
to
curb
child
pornography,
dictate
that
sites
and
stores
offering
any
pornographic
material
must
thoroughly
document
the
ages
and
identities
of
all
people
featured
in
the
explicit
imagery.
Industry
proponents
have
lambasted
the
requirements
of
federal
law
18
U.S.C.
§
2257
as
excessive
and
pointless.
“Nobody
who
creates
child
pornography
is
going
to
be
caught
through
2257
record
keeping
and
filing,”
said
Michelle
Freridge,
outgoing
executive
director
of
the
Free
Speech
Coalition,
an
adult
industry
trade
group.
“The
only
purpose
[the
law
serves]
is
to
create
a
burden
upon
these
businesses,”
she
said.
“It’s
a
really
huge
headache.”
The
2257
rules,
enacted
in
1995,
were
recently
revised
and
expanded
by
the
Adam
Walsh
Child
Protection
&
Safety
Act.
Signed
into
law
by
President
Bush
on
July
27,
the
act
places
more
stringent
requirements
on
stores
and
web
sites
that
offer
pornographic
material.
Violators
could
be
imprisoned
for
up
to
five
years.
Paul
Morris,
owner
of
gay
porn
producer
Treasure
Island
Media,
said
the
federal
code
overburdens
the
industry’s
many
small
businesses.
“The
laws
are
labyrinthine,
difficult,
changeable
and
extremely
punitive,”
he
said.
“For
smaller
companies
that
aren’t
able
to
afford
advice
regarding
compliance,
this
can
make
for
a
dangerous
situation.”
Freridge
said
the
Free
Speech
Coalition
is
challenging
the
new
regulations
in
court,
but
meanwhile
is
instructing
providers
and
customers
to
be
careful.
“There’s
hundreds
of
questions
…
that
have
to
be
resolved
in
court,
because
the
rules
and
regulations
and
laws
have
been
very
poorly
written,”
she
said.
“It’s
actually
a
lawyer’s
wet
dream.”
Among
the
few
legal
issues
that
have
been
resolved
is
how
profile
hosting
sites
like
Gay.com
and
BigMuscle.com
will
function
under
the
new
regulations.
Freridge
said
because
these
sites
host
rather
than
produce
or
sell
the
displayed
photos,
they
generally
are
considered
immune
to
the
2257
rules.
That
conclusion
was
reiterated
Aug.
16
when
BigMuscle.com
informed
members,
who
are
almost
all
gay
men,
that
the
site
“will
not
have
to
collect
government
photo
IDs
or
Statement
of
Information
forms
from
anyone”
posting
nude
photos.
But
the
site
noted
that
“to
keep
out
of
any
gray
legal
area,”
users
must
remove
any
pictures
showing
sexual
acts,
semen
or
masturbation.
PlanetOut,
which
owns
Gay.com,
said
only
that
the
company
continues
“to
interpret
the
complexities
of
2257
and
its
effects
on
our
brands.”
Meanwhile,
many
pictures
labeled
as
“adult
photo”
remain
available.
But
profile
creators
should
be
careful.
Freridge
said
some
sites
have
user
agreements
that
identify
profile
creators
as
producers.
By
accepting
such
agreements,
users
assume
all
liability
for
any
pornographic
postings.
Freridge
said
users
should
closely
review
the
agreements
of
any
profile
sites
they
use.
“They
need
to
look
at
the
terms
and
conditions
of
whomever
they’re
registered
with,”
she
said.
“They
need
to
actually
read
the
terms
and
conditions.
They
need
to
read
the
small
print.”
Freridge
said
it’s
unlikely — but
possible — that
federal
officials
would
hold
an
individual
user
liable
for
posting
pornographic
self-portraits.
“If
you’re
just
posting
an
image
of
yourself
naked
on
a
web
site,
it
is
unlikely
2257
would
be
applied
to
you,”
she
said,
“but
it
is
unclear.”
‘Hundreds’
of
companies
close
Also
unclear
is
how
many
adult
entertainment
providers
can
weather
the
2257
rules.
Freridge
said
“hundreds
of
production
companies”
have
closed
within
the
last
year.
She
said
the
new
requirements
proved
too
“burdensome
and
expensive”
for
many
companies.
“This
is
an
industry
of
small
businesses,
mostly,”
she
said.
“And
for
those
folks,
the
burden
of
keeping
the
records
creates
a
financial
hurdle
that
can
put
them
out
of
business.”
To
combat
the
trend,
Morris
said
Treasure
Island
Media
is
now
offering
free
legal
advice
to
small
companies
that
are
frustrated
or
frightened
by
the
2257
rules.
“Personally,
I
don’t
want
to
see
a
single
company
go
under
because
of
all
this,”
he
said.
“I
want
to
be
sure
that
anyone
who
needs
advice
but
can’t
afford
it
will
get
the
help
they
need.”
Freridge
said
the
Free
Speech
Coalition
is
encouraging
producers
to
be
extremely
careful
in
following
the
2257
rules.
Federal
agents,
who
recently
began
spot
inspections,
could
find
violations
in
a
simple
clerical
error.
“What
they’re
going
to
find
is
people
who
misspell
things,
and
misfile
things,”
she
said,
“and
that’s
because
the
rules
and
regulations
are
incredibly
complex.”
Freridge
said
the
Free
Speech
Coalition
hopes
to
overturn
the
regulations
in
court.
The
trade
group
has
argued
the
2257
rules
are
excessive,
hinder
free
speech,
and
are
therefore
unconstitutional.
The
case
is
pending.
Freridge
noted
the
Free
Speech
Coalition
lawsuit
is
not
an
attempt
to
protect
child
pornographers,
but
rather
an
attempt
to
protect
the
legal
adult
entertainment
industry.
She
said
the
group
would
welcome
an
opportunity
to
work
with
Congress
to
protect
children.
“If
the
government
were
more
reasonable,”
she
said,
“we
could
help
them
write
very
good
legislation.”
