Celebrate Free Speech Lobbying Day is an advocacy event sponsored by the FSC in which adult performers, business owners and other industry supporters serve as citizen lobbyists for a day, heading to Sacramento to meet with state lawmakers and rally behind the adult industry.
“The question we have to ask ourselves is, do we want people at the California state capitol making decisions about adult entertainment when they don’t understand how the industry works or who works within it,” said Diane Duke, executive director of the FSC. “More than 50,000 people are employed by the industry in California, and their lives are impacted by these lawmakers.”
On Sunday, April 20, the FSC will conduct “lobby training” from 4-9 p.m. The following day, activities run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., as industry representatives try their hand at lobbying legislators and host a legislative reception at the Chops Steak Seafood & Bar on 11th Street in Sacramento.
FSC’s California lobbyist Matt Gray said that the nature of some of the legislation currently being discussed by the Legislature makes this year’s lobbying event all the more important for the industry.
“Legislation that is being bandied about includes additional taxes upon adult entertainment and additional government regulation of production sets,” Gray said. “It is critical that our elected officials comprehend the vital role this $4 billion California industry plays in our economy, so they understand that what’s bad for the adult entertainment industry is bad for California.”
