Free Speech Coalition's 2018-19 Board Members Announced

LOS ANGELES — The Free Speech Coalition today congratulated the newly elected members of the trade group's board — Cathy Beardsley, president and CEO of SegPay, and Sister Roma, activist and art director for Falcon Studios Group.

Beardsley and Roma will join re-elected incumbent board members Bob Christian (Adam and Eve), Mark Schechter (ATMLA), Scott Watkins (Doc Johnson) and Board Chair Jeffrey Douglas, as well as continuing board members Alec Helmy (XBIZ), Joel Kaminsky (Good Vibrations), Kelly Holland (Penthouse), Mark Kernes (AVN), Matt Mason (Treasure Island Media), Adam Grayson (Evil Angel) and First Amendment attorney Reed Lee.

For Beardsley, she brings more than 15 years’ experience in payment processing, both in the U.S. and abroad, and in developing innovative products and services for adult businesses.

Sister Roma, an international LGTBQ activist and proud member of the adult industry, is well-known for her successful campaign to force Facebook to revisit its injurious “real names” policy, which disproportionately affected adult workers and other marginalized populations.

“Since I joined FSC I have made it my mission to move from playing defense into playing offense. I strongly believe that by adding Cathy’s and Roma’s expertise, passion, commitment and unique points of view, we will be able to make even greater strides,” said Eric Paul Leue, the FSC’s executive director

“I want to thank FSC’s members for nominating and electing such inspiring industry leaders to the board of directors, as well as thank Mo Reese and Tim Valenti, our board president, for serving with distinction and passion. We have come a long way as an industry, and I am excited to work with this new team on the path forward.”

Jeffrey Douglas, board chair of the FSC, in a statement said that the FSC has never been as effective as today.

“I have always felt honored to chair such an inspiring and multi-faceted board of directors,” Douglas said. “I wish our newly elected board members a warm welcome and want to thank outgoing directors Mo Reese and Tim Valenti, who returned to the board following the untimely passing of Christian Mann to finish his term, for their invaluable and inspiring hard work.”

Priorities for the coming year will include protecting legal content from ISP-driven censorship in the wake of the net neutrality repeal, browser and search engine censorship following SESTA and FOSTA, tackling banking discrimination of adult industry businesses and professionals, working with regulators to provide best practices for the industry on the U.K. Digital Economy Act and E.U. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), building out FSC-funded programs, services and membership benefits, as well as addressing the increasing zoning restrictions meant to eliminate adult business and morals-based sales and regulatory hurdles for pleasure products.

“2017 has given us a taste of what is to come. The threats we face today are rarely obvious and direct. Instead, we face a steady stream of subversion, as our rights are chipped away by judicial, regulatory, legislative, scientific and public health bodies,” Leue said. “As executive director, I depend on the guidance of the board of directors, and am confident that with their help we can build bridges with the general public, and other industries and communities who will suffer similarly under these efforts.

“If we can increase participation and awareness within the industry, and connect with those fighting the same issues outside of it, we can move from defending our rights, to creating historic change. What unites us is stronger than what divides us.”