Over the past two years, Alabama has quietly but aggressively transformed itself into one of the most restrictive and unfriendly jurisdictions for the adult entertainment industry. Through the enactment of House Bill 164 and related enforcement mechanisms, the state has layered taxation, compliance burdens and content restrictions in a way that goes far beyond traditional regulation.
\n \n \nOn the surface, Joey Mills might seem like one of gay porn’s quentessential bad boys. He plays a snarky scamp seducing stepdads as a Men.com exclusive and leans into villainy on the Daddy TV reality show “X-Rated: NYC." And yet, despite being a highly recognizable face in the industry, he comes across as grounded, affable and self-aware in a way you might not expect
\n \n \nAs of this writing, a bill sits on the desk of Utah’s governor, awaiting his signature to make it state law. That bill includes a provision imposing an excise tax of 2% on adult sites operating in the state.
\n \n \nFor years, adult performers, creators, producers and adjacent businesses have routinely had their access to basic financial services curtailed — not because they are inherently higher-risk customers, but because a whole category of lawful work has long been treated as unacceptable.
\n \n \nAdult platforms have never been more visible to regulators than they are right now. For years, the industry operated in a gray zone: enormous traffic, massive data volume and minimal oversight. Those days are over.
\n \n \nThe internet has made the world feel small. \r\nCase in point: Adult websites based in the U.S. are now getting letters from regulators demanding compliance with foreign laws, even if they don’t operate in those countries. Meanwhile, some U.S. website operators dealing with the patchwork of state-level age verification laws have considered incorporating offshore in the hopes of avoiding these new obligations — but even operators with no physical presence in the U.S. have been sued or threatened with claims for not following state AV laws.
\n \n \nThe creator management business is booming. Every week, it seems, a new agency emerges, promising to turn creators into stars, automate their fan interactions or triple their revenue through “secret” social strategies. The reality? Many of these agencies are operating with contracts that wouldn’t survive a single serious dispute — if they even have contracts at all.
\n \n \nWhat do the holidays mean to you? Kitschy decorations? Mariah Carey? Cheesy Christmas movies?
\n \n \nThe rise and proliferation of age verification laws has changed the landscape for the online adult industry. A recent and compelling example is the state of Florida, where Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed multiple complaints against major platforms as well as affiliates accused of violating the state’s AV law.
\n \n \nThe adult industry has long operated in a complex legal environment subject to rapid change. Now, a confluence of age verification laws, lawsuits, credit card processing and data privacy rules has created an urgent need for all industry participants — from major platforms to independent creators — to review and potentially overhaul their legal and operational policies.
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