HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — The Washington Post published last Friday a belated full obituary for Adam & Eve founder and sexual expression icon Phil Harvey, who passed away at 83 on Dec. 2, 2021.

The headline of the Louie Estrada-penned article honoring Harvey’s life described the retail entrepreneur as a man “who battled government over his sex-product business.”

The Post highlighted how Harvey “used his fortune to support sexual- and reproductive-health programs overseas as a philanthropist.”

“Eloquent, Harvard-educated and favoring Hush Puppies shoes, Mr. Harvey did not fit the stereotypical image of a sex merchant,” Estrada wrote. “He positioned himself as a defender of civil liberties after government prosecutors tried to jail him and close his adult novelty business in the 1980s.”

The obituary also chronicled Harvey’s business career from its beginnings in the early 1970s, when he was a graduate student in public health at the University of North Carolina and started a mail-order condom business as part of his thesis work on family planning administration.

“The business, which began as an experiment to test novel ways of distributing contraceptives, was later named Adam & Eve,” the Post explained. “Under Mr. Harvey and his Chapel Hill classmate Timothy Black, it became a multimillion-dollar company specializing in sexually oriented merchandise. Headquartered in Hillsborough, N.C., Adam & Eve’s parent company, PHE Inc., generates more than $200 million in annual revenue and employs more than 350 workers.”

The Post noted that “about 12 million customers receive its catalogue of products, which includes lingerie, massage oils, erotic books and magazines, X-rated movies and sex toys.”

The obituary also chronicled how Harvey became a main target of the Justice Department’s National Obscenity Enforcement Unit in the 1980s, and quoted the late businessman’s 2001 book, “The Government vs. Erotica: The Siege of Adam & Eve,” in which he wrote that “America prides itself on being a free society, and we do not want our government to so patronize us that we cannot engage in activities that are risky. We do not wish to be protected from ourselves by laws threatening fines or imprisonment for actions that do not affect other people.”

To read the Phil Harvey obituary, visit the Washington Post.

For XBIZ’s December obituary, click here.

WASHINGTON, DC. — The Woodhull Freedom Foundation, as part of its Human Rights Commissions program, has released its findings regarding oft-repeated claims that sex trafficking spikes in cities hosting the Super Bowl.

In partnership with the Sharmus Outlaw Advocacy and Rights Institute, Woodhull has concluded that “a dangerous uptick in sex trafficking is a myth, long encouraged by law enforcement, state/national governments and the media [and] has been continually disproven but continues to circulate, leading to confusion on all sides of the issue,” a rep explained.

Super Bowl LVI is set to take place on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles.

“Experts are highlighting how this debate interacts with the broader socio-political landscape, the conflation between [consensual] sex work and human trafficking and the fulfillment of sex worker rights,” noted a Woodhull rep.

Data from the newly released report shows that “while ads for sex may increase during the Super Bowl, instances of commercial sex and trafficking do not,” the rep explained.

Further, “the true victims of the ‘Super Bowl sex trafficking myth’ are human trafficking victims themselves; 80% of cases are in labor sectors outside of commercial sex,” continued the rep. Additionally, they added, “criminalization prevents those participating in commercial sex from reporting crimes committed against them for fear of arrest.”

So-called “trafficking hysteria” around the Super Bowl causes cities to increase police surveillance.
“Human trafficking is a problem that persists year-round,” the rep said, but due to the damaging conflation between adult consensual sex work and human trafficking, police use resources to arrest sex workers rather than engage in prevention.

“Increased policing has disproportionate consequences for communities with intersectioning vulnerabilities,” the Woodhull rep said. “Members of LGBTQ communities, communities of color, the unhoused and immigrants are among those disproportionately targeted by law enforcement as sex workers.”

More information can be found WoodhullFoundation.org; follow the organization on Twitter.

NEW YORK — Golden Age male performer Ron Hudd has passed away, according to his friends at The Rialto Report.

No details are available at the time about the time or place of his passing; in his later years, Hudd was reportedly conflicted about his adult work. His age has been listed by online sources as 68.

The news was revealed by Rialto Report in the intro to a reminiscence by fellow performer Lisa Be.

“Ron Hudd, a prolific New York adult film actor in the early 1980s, passed away recently,” the introduction read. “The Rialto Report lost a friend. He spoke with reserved amusement about the people with whom he worked, like Radley Metzger, Roberta Findlay and Larry Revene, but preferred to remain in the shadows. To mark his passing, The Rialto Report spoke with Lisa Be about her unique relationship with Ron.”

Acording to his IAFD entry, Hudd was active in the industry between 1976 and 1985, with over 100 film credits for top studios of the era like Caballero, VCA and VCR.

Be wrote about meeting Hudd on the set of “A Scent of Heather” (1980).

“The day I shot my second scene for the film,” she wrote, “remains one of the most beautiful of my life. It was with Ron, who I had just met for the first time. He was striking, intense and serious, as well as introverted and taciturn. He had a deep voice that commanded attention, and a tattoo of Pegasus on his arm. I found him instantly attractive, but wondered if we would have any chemistry. After all, we looked like the Midwestern kids that we were, Ron from Indiana, me from Michigan, so would it be like two cousins having sex?”

“My doubts disappeared the moment we came together for the camera. I had just emerged from makeup in my period costume. Ron looked at me and his eyes grew wide in schoolboy incredulity. I stared back at him in awe, returning the same gaze. The instant sexual attraction was mutual, real and intense.”

“Our scene started on a grand staircase, and ended on a four-poster bed. Ron was to deliver the line: ‘You are the most beautiful girl in the world,’ which he changed to ‘You are the most beautiful woman in the world.’ He said it with immense vulnerability and shyness, looking at me with the same intimate and penetrating stare.”

“The director shouted, ‘Cut!’ and asked Ron to revert to the original dialogue line.”

“Ron looked embarrassed, taken aback. He snapped out of the moment, clearly fearing that he had been too sincere and romantic in delivering his line. The concern he had for being too authentic and not macho enough was etched over his face.”

“I soon learned, that was Ron. He disliked his own best qualities, such as the gentleness that he tried to keep hidden behind a gruff exterior.”

Be said Hudd was an artist at the time they met and he lived in a studio on West Broadway.

Through a shared interest in art, Be and Hudd bonded. He told her his art career “meant everything to him. Certainly more than relationships. That was the reason he made adult films. The movies provided enough money to support his art endeavors, and meant he could have sex with a variety of women without the need for any commitment.”

A few years ago, Be reconnected with Hudd, by then a successful painter whose work appeared in exhibitions across the country, and was sold through major auction houses. It was, however, sad to see that he had abandoned his earlier, wistful style in favor of modern, colorful abstract images.’

To read the entire reminiscence of Ron Hudd by Lisa Be, visit TheRialtoReport.com.

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, who has acknowledged having conversations with the U.S.-based, religiously-inspired anti-porn lobby NCOSE, is now “developing a roadmap to implement age verification for online pornographic sites.”

The news was reported by the Canberra Times this morning, with the newspaper also noting that Inman Grant intends to present the roadmap to the federal government by the end of the year.

According to the report, these age verification trials are now “under way” in Australia for online gambling and alcohol sales, and are projected to be “expanded to include online pornography as the federal government looks to restrict sexually explicit content on the internet from underage children.”

Unlike the U.S., Australia does not have any blanket protections of free speech like the First Amendment, or a Section 230 analog protecting platforms from liability for third-party uploads.

The new guidelines, which Inman Grant has been promoting nationally and — to the surprise of local observers — chiefly internationally, would necessitate a government definition of “pornographic website” or “adult website,” and would also have to specify if non-porn-specific platforms such as Twitter and Reddit, which tolerate adult content, would also fall under that category unless they ban all sexual content.

Back in November, Australian news publication Crikey published a lengthy report on Inman Grant’s obsession with banning online porn. The report revealed documents, obtained under Australia’s Freedom of Information Act, in which the country’s top internet regulator revealed explicit animosity towards press coverage of her contacts with NCOSE, formerly known as Morality in Media, and other foreign crusading organizations.

The Censor Blames ‘Angry Porn People’

The Crikey report was titled “Caught in ‘Porn Wars’: Backlash Over Internet Censor Going on Anti-Porn Podcast” and noted that “LGBTIQ+ and sex worker communities [were] furious eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant did not do due diligence before appearing on a podcast.”

Staff from the office of Inman Grant’s office admitted to Crikey that “her appearance on the podcast of a US-based anti-porn, anti-sex trafficking organization added to LGBTIQ+ and sex worker communities’ fears about her new powers.”

Inman Grant’s appearance on the podcast “was a recorded interview broadcast at the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation summit in July, just weeks after the Parliament passed the Online Safety Act.”

According to Crikey’s sources in the Australian regulator’s office, “it was only after the podcast was published in September and promoted on Inman Grant’s Twitter account that it drew the attention, and ire, of people online who criticized her for appearing with NCOSE. This was influenced by news editor of sex industry trade publication XBIZ Gustavo Turner’s coverage.”

Crikey then cites the FOIA-obtained internal emails where Inman Grant disparages the XBIZ coverage which exposed her association with the long-running religiously-inspired U.S. lobby as “misinformation,” without clarifying which part of the XBIZ report she deemed not factual.

XBIZ stands by its reporting.

According to the documents obtained by Crikey,

In an email sent shortly after with the subject line “Angry porn people and the LGBTQI+ community,” Inman Grant tells two other staff that there are “U.S.-based porn people spreading a fair amount of misinformation” about the interview. She says that she doesn’t think NCOSE is a religious organization and chalks up the opposition to the sex industry having a “beef” with them.

“This may be our ‘new normal’ now that we have been thrown in the midst of the ‘porn wars’ …,” she writes.

One staff member replied, confused about Inman Grant’s appearance. They attached a screenshot from a Google search of NCOSE that shows it listed as “an American nonprofit known for its anti-pornography and anti-sex trafficking advocacy”: “Is this accurate? Who recommended that we do this? Was due diligence done?” they asked.

A staff member responds later by raising the alarm about NCOSE’s past efforts, including trying to block LGBTIQ+ content on schools computers.

“So this feeds into that narrative that we have discussed earlier — that some sectors of the community (most notably the LGBTIQ+ community) are very distrustful of the government and feel that eSafety’s new powers are a bit of a Trojan Horse to silence their voices and/or consensual or positive porn,” they wrote.

These emails back up Inman Grant’s previous public statements that she was unaware of the background of NCOSE, and that she appeared in response to its invitation.

Inman Grant and staff agreed to delete her tweet promoting the podcast, but advised against speaking to XBIZ.

“This is a good lesson for the due diligence that needs to be done through the invitations process … But yes all, a cautionary tale …” Inman Grant wrote.

Continuing Opacity

But today’s report by the Canberra Times, also the product of an FOIA request, shows the continuing opacity in Inman Grant’s dogged attempt to implement the censorship-leaning age verification legislation supported by NCOSE and other War on Porn crusaders by hook or crook.

“Documents released under a freedom of information request by The Canberra Times show the online safety office is considering teaming up with the Digital Transformation Agency on trials using government identification as it explores different methods to stop those under the minimum age from accessing online pornography,” the Canberra Times reported.

“Both agencies denied conducting trials for the moment but said they were working together to support ‘online safety outcomes,’” the report continued. “Neither responded to questions surrounding the planned timelines or the agencies’ roles and responsibilities.”

The DTA’s Trusted Digital Identity Framework “forms part of a government push to streamline the identity system. It provides users with access to government services and benefits using a reusable digital identity without needing to complete official forms each time. The framework would allow third-party private providers to join onto the system, too.”

International tech news site Gizmodo today recapped the Canberra Times article, headlining it with the warning “Age Verification Could Be Back on the Cards for Australian Porn Users.”

Australian Public Caught Between Surveillance and ‘Techno-Solutionism’

XBIZ spoke today with the founder of Australian sex work and technologist group Assembly Four, Eliza Sorensen, who submitted the request for the FOIA documents cited by Crikey.

“There is an increasingly worrying trend not just in Australia, but worldwide,” she said, “where policymakers from government, private industry and not for profits attempt to regulate the internet and technology without properly assessing whether or not the proposed solutions cause more harm than the mischief they’re trying to manage and whether or not the proposed solutions are proportionate.”

For Sorensen, there are two types of policymakers with power in Australia at the moment: “One party who is interested in further amassing power to surveil and censor the population, and the other, who are misled and ignorant to the nuance and complexity of the issues that they believe they can stop with capitalistic techno-solutionism.”

Main Image: Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julia Inman Grant

ATLANTA — WOW Tech has announced a partnership with Besharam to bring the Arcwave, Romp, We-Vibe and Womanizer brands to the Indian market.

“We’re really excited to be partnering with Besharam to help introduce these affordable brands to the people in India,” said Stephanie Keating, WOW Tech head of marketing for Americas. “WOW Tech products are the perfect introduction to new users, and a wonderful opportunity to explore their unique preferences and build a long-lasting relationship with the brands.”

Rachna Gaba, CBO of Besharam parent company Happy Birds, noted “the unique position WOW Tech has maintained for its line of products and its reputation for manufacturing premium quality products that demonstrate excellence in craftsmanship, innovation and packaging.”

Besharam COO and Co-Founder Raj Armani added, “Throughout the years, Womanizer and We-Vibe have always set the bar high in the industry and are often compared to the BMW and Mercedes in the auto industry. We take immense pride in representing them in India which has been the hotbed for all luxury and semi-luxury brands for the last decade, with sales skyrocketing for upscale brands in fashion, automotive, furniture, electronics and lifestyle. WOW Tech’s suite of brands cater to the high net worth individuals who crave only the best and invest in upper-middle and upper-high class standards in living.” 

“We look forward to a great partnership ahead as the WOW Tech team guides us through to make their brands stand out among the crowd,” Armani said.

Find Womanizer and We-Vibe products on ImBesharam.com and follow the retailer on Twitter.

Feb 7, 2022 1:18 PM PST

TAMPA, Fla. — Roxie Rae has released three new all-girl fetish clips and a pair of solo fetish clips this week featuring Anastasia, Cleo, Sydney Paige, Kitty Quinn, Amo Rio, Carmen Valentina, Scarlett Venom and Rae herself.

Valentina returns to Roxie Rae Fetish with armpit/JOI clip and she “thinks it’s sexy that you are obsessed with her smelly armpits. She teases you with the aroma and gives JOI with a cum countdown,” noted a rep.

Paige and Rio are featured for Karate Domination. “You’ve been at the dojo, staring at their big feet, so they will give you immense pleasure with teasing and stroking instructions,” the rep added.

Quinn “struggles with her whale tale wedgie” for Best Wedgies. “Kitty’s white thong is sticking out over the top of her jeans, and the more she tries to fix it, her wedgie gets worse and worse,” the rep explained, while Anastasia and Venom “find out they have a date with the same guy” in the newest update on The Foot Fantasy. “In order for Scarlett to get to go on the date, she’ll have to worship her friend’s feet.”

Rae and Cleo are featured in “Balloon Swap” on RoxeRaeFetishQueen.com. “The two sexy girls fill up their balloons, swapping before they are filled to mingle their breath. Roxie and Cleo give their lungs a workout, sometimes popping a balloon or two. Once inflated, Roxie and Cleo have fun playing with their new toys,” the rep teased.

Find Roxie Rae on Twitter and her premium social media links here.

BOSTON — #SexTalkTuesday has announced that sex researcher and writer Key Barrett will serve as guest moderator for this week’s edition of the Twitter-based chat show to discuss “the dynamics of female-led relationships” from 5-6 p.m. (PST).

“Perpetually sex-positive, Key Barrett has a Masters of Science in Anthropology and has studied sexual subcultures across to Europe and North America,” noted a rep.

Before turning his attention to female-led relationships, Key “investigated a diverse set of subcultures including female sexual dynamism and aggression in medieval European texts, the bondage and submission clubs of New York, as well as the transgender burlesque cultures of the Deep South,” the rep added.

Barrett is the author of many femdom erotica stories available on Amazon, and enjoys discussing and researching all matters related to female-led relationships and male chastity. His latest release, “Surrender, Submit, Serve Her,” is also now available as an audiobook on Audible.

Angie Rowntree, founder of Sssh.com and producer of #SexTalkTuesday stated, “It’s such a treat to have Key back with us. Both his creative work and intellectual pursuits deeply enrich the perspective he brings to #SexTalkTuesday. Anyone who is curious about exploring or understanding female-led relationships is definitely in for a treat.”

Participate in the discussion by following the #SexTalkTuesday hashtag.

Find Key Barrett on Twitter; follow Sssh.com on Twitter and XBIZ.tv, and direct inquiries to Rowntree at editor@sssh.com.

Feb 4, 2022 6:23 PM PST

MIAMI — Aviannah Élise has launched her new membership site, WeFuckFans.com, and has launched her own collection of branded merch.

“She has filmed with other porn stars, playmates and social media stars, including Nikki LaFae, Salvatore Gabriella and Krissy Lynn,” noted a rep. “And coming soon is Aviannah’s first squirt video with the man with the million-dollar penis, Keiran Lee.”

Élise is offering three-month, six-month and yearlong subscriptions with updates planned for Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“I am so excited to bring fans my new site. I already have some amazing content,” she enthused. “With different membership levels, fans can either subscribe for six months or get a taste with a one-month subscription.”

Additionally, Élise has recently launched her own branded merch via Fangear.vip, including flasks, corkscrews, shot glasses, corkscrews, playing cards and coffee mugs, among other items.

She is available for modeling and all-girl shots; direct casting inquiries to cs@aviannahelise.com.

Visit WeFuckFans.com and find all of her premium social media links here.

Feb 4, 2022 6:22 PM PST

LOS ANGELES — Following the deactivation of its original Instagram account, Kinkly has launched a campaign to have it reactivated using the hashtag #RestoreKinkly.

“We reached out multiple times through official channels to request a review, but we haven’t received an update or any details as to why our account was deactivated,” co-founder Tara Struyk said. “Although we do our best to adhere to Instagram’s community guidelines, there’s a lot of subjectivity in terms of how they are interpreted, especially in terms of what’s considered ‘sexual health.’”

Instagram’s guidelines warn against “implied sexual intercourse” and “implied stimulation of genitalia” but make an exception in “cases of sexual health context,” she noted.

“Not only do we not know exactly what the limits around ‘implied’ are, we’d also argue that our key aim of helping people learn how to have better sex is a key element of sexual health,” Struyk continued. “Instagram’s guidelines as a whole suggest that any post about pleasure may not be considered ‘sexual health.’”

In addition, Struyk noted that Kinkly’s posts have been “incorrectly flagged many times by Instagram, suggesting a serious lack of understanding around sexual content among Instagram’s reviewers.”

“We’ve been flagged several times for breaking Instagram’s Community Guidelines around sexual solicitation, for example,” she said. “Our site provides a lot of unique resources, but sexual services is not among them and I think that’s pretty clear when you visit our site. To me, it suggests that Instagram is just painting everything ‘sex’ with the same brush and, as a result, is censoring a lot of sex-related content that aims to educate [as well as] open conversations or simple artistic expression. Plus, we have to wonder how these bans can be fair when the labels used to enact them aren’t even accurate.”

In a post on Kinkly’s temporary Instagram account, the platform noted that it had built “a sex-positive community of more than 55,000 members, and that it hoped to reconnect to spread the message around more pleasurable, shame-free sex.”

Kinkly is urging its supporters and those who want to help to tag Instagram using the hashtag #RestoreKinkly and share the post on their own feeds and stories.

Visit Kinkly.com.

Feb 4, 2022 5:47 PM PST

LOS ANGELES — Jupiter Jetson is now verified on Pornhub and has released new music on Spotify.

“Jupiter has a new EP available on Spotify to get back to her musical roots. The five-track offering features the songs ‘Over,’ ‘Terminal,’ ‘Grandma’s Boy,’ ‘Head Case’ and ‘Berlin,’” a rep said. “Her distinctly powerful, smoky voice, a unique sound all her own, has drawn comparisons to Stevie Nicks, Miley Cyrus, and Amy Winehouse.”

Prior to entering adult, Jetson made music as “a pop alternative singer/songwriter in Germany and built a following,” the rep continued.  

In addition to Spotify, her music will soon be available on iTunes, Apple Music, YouTube Music, SunCloud and other music platforms.

Jetson’s Spotify profile can be found here.

Outside of her music, Jetson’s newly verified Pornhub profile currently features her music and several clips of her performing with Will Tile; she plans to add content weekly.

“I’ve been working hard to get my new music and adult content out there for everyone to indulge and enjoy,” Jetson said. “Both have received a great reaction, and that excites me and makes me want to post more to both platforms. And who knows, maybe there could be a music tour in my future.”

Nexxxt Level Talent represents Jupiter Jetson; follow her on Twitter and find her premium social media links here.