Montana Bill Would Allow Counties, Cities to Enact Obscenity Ordinances

HELENA, Mont. — A bill proposed by the Montana Citizens for Decency Through Law would allow counties and cities to enact their own obscenity ordinances.

Dallas Erickson, head of the group that originally wrote and submitted the idea, told XBIZ that the bill could be decided upon as early as next week and would allow communities to pass laws more restrictive than those of the state of Montana.

Rep. Ron Stoker, R-Darby, is sponsoring the bill. He was unavailable for comment at press time.

Erickson’s main concern is access to and dissemination of “harmful materials” to minors. The bill would require stores selling adult materials — both hardcore and softcore — to hide covers and move them to “out of sight and out of reach” areas.

The addition of softcore materials, including Hustler and Penthouse, is new, expanding the definition of obscenity in the state.

Erickson said the current law only applies to businesses and that “molesters can still show [obscene material to kids].” The change would make it a crime for anyone to show obscene material to minors.

Erickson also said any resident of the county or city can draft an ordinance, but “they’d better know what they’re doing to make it constitutional.”

He stressed that no proposed ordinance that is considered unconstitutional will be accepted. For example, charging facilities for prominently featuring R-rated films or the swimsuit editions of sports magazines cannot be considered harmful to minors.

Libraries and theaters will not be required to hide or remove mainstream content featuring nudity, such as National Geographic, and Erickson said worrying that they’d be charged for providing such content to minors is “silly.”

“No [library or theater] has ever been charged with obscenity,” Erickson said. Materials with “serious literary, scientific, artistic or political value for minors” are exempt from the definition.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

European Commission to Assess Pornhub, XVideos, XNXX Compliance With Digital Services Act

The European Commission plans to conduct a study to determine how well adult sites Pornhub, XVideos and XNXX are addressing illegal content and other potential harms under the EU’s Digital Services Act.

German Higher Court Upholds Ban on PornHub, YouPorn

The Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Palatinate on Thursday upheld a “network ban” on Aylo-owned adult sites Pornhub and YouPorn for failing to comply with German age verification regulations.

Alabama Notifying Adult Sites of New Tax Set to Take Effect Sept. 1

The Alabama Department of Revenue has begun sending notices to adult site operators about a new 10% tax on their revenues, set to be enforced starting Sept. 1.

Ofcom Investigates 4 More Adult Companies for OSA Compliance

U.K. media regulator Ofcom has launched investigations into whether four companies operating adult websites have implemented requisite age assurance measures under the Online Safety Act, the agency announced Thursday.

Kyrgyzstan President Signs Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed into law legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

NC Legislature Overrides Veto of Extreme Anti-Adult Industry Bill

The North Carolina state legislature on Tuesday voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a bill imposing regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most creators and content.

Report: VPN Downloads Soar in UK Following Age Verification Deadline

Virtual private network apps, which can be used to circumvent geo-specific age verification requirements, are topping Apple App Store downloads in the U.K. in the wake of new Online Safety Act rules, the BBC is reporting.

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

Two Texas Bills Restricting Sex Toy Sales Fail to Pass

Two bills aimed at restricting sales of sex toys have failed to pass the Texas state legislature during its 2025 session.

Show More