LOS ANGELES — Leading anti-porn crusader Laila Mickelwait — until last year a mouthpiece for the religious ministry Exodus Cry — has completed her rebranding with the full launch of a website called “Justice Defense Fund,” promoting “civil litigation and legislation” against adult content websites.
Mickelwait had curiously omitted mentions to her ministry Exodus Cry for several months and public records showed that late last year she incorporated herself as “Justice Defense Fund” through a PO Box in a Colorado strip mall.
Late in December, Twitter suspended an account at someone’s request, claiming that the information about this supposed non-profit of which Mickelwait claims to be “the CEO” was private. Her incorporation to receive donations under that name, however, was public record, and she is noted as a public figure as an anti-porn crusader and political campaigner.
Today, Mickelwait used her personal Twitter account to direct people who had had issues with online billing to the website for a class action suit organized by the firm Kaliel Gold. The lawyers promoted by Mickelwait ask potential plaintiffs, “Did you sign up for a free trial of an adult entertainment website, only to be charged for a full membership without warning? Did you have difficulties canceling your recurring membership? If yes, fill out the form on this page for a free lawsuit claim review.”
‘The Truth is Like a Lion’
Earlier this year Mickelwait was invited to testify before U.S. Congress and failed to file a disclosure notice required before her testimony, outlining her affiliation and conflicts of interest. XBIZ contacted the congress members who appeared to have invited her and allowed her to present herself as “an expert” without filing that form, but received no reply.
Much like other anti-porn crusaders with clear religious inspiration and background, Mickelwait is now actively rebranding as “non-religious,” claiming right on top of her website that her supposed non-profit “Justice Defense Fund” is “a non-partisan, non-religious organization dedicated to empowering survivors of sex trafficking, child sexual abuse material (previously known as ‘child pornography’) and image-based sexual abuse to pursue justice through sustainable, strategic litigation funding. We also advocate for the adoption of laws that prevent sexual abuse and provide recourse to victims.”
A prominent button compels people to “donate” to Mickelwait through this new non-profit. The very small print states that “JDF is a non-profit 501c3 organization EIN 85-1451255. All donations are tax deductible.”
Although Mickelwait deliberately obscures her religious motivation during public appearances and in this new endeavor as agenda-motivated legal coordinator matching law firms with anti-porn activism, her Twitter bio still leads with a quote by noted Christian proselytizer St. Augustine, “The truth is like a lion. Let it loose. It will defend itself.”
Consistent with her new stealth strategy about disclosing her religious motivation, Mickelwait has left the quote up, but notedly has omitted the name of the 4th-century saint and propagandist who invented the doctrine of “original sin” and is ideologically responsible for centuries of shame-based Christian notions around sexuality.
