FREE ESSAY ON ADULT ENTERTAINMENT AND FIRST AMMENDMENT RIGHTS

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT AND FIRST AMMENDMENT RIGHTS

The essence of the American dream stems from freedom. Before this nation was even called
the United States of America, religious separatists ventured across the Atlantic Ocean so
that they would be free to practice a religion that was not controlled by the state.
Today, we find ourselves in a constant battle with ethics, morals and values in the
United States. Seeing that we are a nation that is culturally diverse myriad of cultures
and religions has been mixed together and the final outcome is the society that we live
in today. A serious conflict between the "morally correct" and the "ethically deficient"
is the topic of sex and sexuality. Most of the arguments against adult entertainment stem
from the belief that it is morally wrong. Maybe in another country where a certain
distinct religion was the foundation of our beliefs I would be less likely to fight these
ideas. However in the United States the mixture of different cultures, belief systems,
and constitutional rights allows me to think that people should be allowed to chose what
they want to believe. 
Recently, Orange County Sheriff's in Central Florida raided and now are threatening to
shut down Rachel's Men's Club. Of course the reason behind the closing down of the club
has substantial legal grounds. The only reasons this club should be shut down are because
of the sale of drugs on the premises and illegal sexual conduct occurring with the
dancers. Unfortunately, business such as Rachel's are at a disadvantage because of the
type of services they are providing to the public. It is hard to believe someone that you
know is involved with something that isn't the easiest service to explain to your
children. On the other hand, it isn't fair for the owners of these establishments to make
a good living because they are constantly fighting against the onslaught of protesters
that believe that this type of service and activity is immoral and that it should not
take place anywhere. These people have the absolute right, based on the first amendment,
to voice their opinions without question, but to place a person at a disadvantage because
they own a certain type of business is against the foundations on which our nation was
established. 
Current laws in Seminole and Orange counties prohibit adult entertainment establishments
from being located within one mile of any residential area. Further, recent changes in
county codes have limited full nudity in Seminole County. Having instituted this law
prior to the foundation of an adult entertainment facility in the county it is fair to
say that any business man would have equal opportunity to commercial property that is
within the boundaries that the law requires. Unfortunately to better suit the growing
nature of society residential areas expand quickly and sometimes without regard to these
businesses that were founded legally. Should these business be forced to move because the
residence moved closer to them or should the residences have foreseen this matter before
it occurred? In New York City, Mayor Rudolph Guliani believed that since citizens moved
into the area and the business were creating a public nuisance they should be shut down.
In 1998, the adult entertainment facilities of Times Square, New York were forced to shut
their doors. Instead of silhouettes of women lighting up the night sky, the famous Mickey
Mouse silhouette would gleam across the horizon.
Should Americans be forced to live by the same kind of morals and ethics deemed
politically correct by the government? Is the Disney Corporation the standard the way
that everyone should live their lives? In 1993, Disney's Buena Vista Studios produced The
Program. The movie deals with issues that effect the lives of many young Americans such
as sex, sports, social life, alcohol, and peer pressure. One scene in particular came
under great scrutiny and when the film was released on VHS it was removed from the film.
The scene involves several of the main characters that decided that they would lie in the
middle of a busy road as part of a dare. Ultimately, this scene led to teenagers
reenacting the scene which could have gotten them in a tragic accident. I am not
condoning Disney or saying that they should limit their creative abilities, but if
government officials want show us that the type of family atmosphere Disney provides is
the correct type of morals we should have they must be willing to admit that Disney isn't
absolutely pure.
Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that some religious
believers boycott Disney because of their actions. Every year Disney hosts "Gay Day."
This day celebrates sexual diversity in the country, but also brings great controversy.
The majority of the morals and ethics that people believe we should live by come from the
most published book in the world, The Bible. The Bible states that homosexuality is
immoral and is an abomination in Leviticus 18:22. Therefore, if we turn to Disney for our
guidelines of cultural standards but also the Bible; then who are we left to believe?
Thus, I would like to eliminate Disney and their background on good family values. 
Many opponents of adult entertainment clubs believe that they are a breeding ground of
disease. County codes explain that they must control any spread of disease in these types
of businesses because of the skin to skin contact. Unfortunately, the counties have
neglected to realize that the customers are fully clothed while in the club and there is
no genital contact whatsoever. People have a better chance of catching a lethal disease
from a public restroom then they do from visiting an adult entertainment club. Thus I
believe that shutting down these facilities on the grounds of health issues is unfounded
and unwarranted.
The first amendment provides the many freedoms we as Americans live and breathe on a
daily basis. Many citizens commonly use our freedom of speech and expression when their
views differ from that of the cultural norm. The infamous Larry Flynt fought for his
first amendment rights to continue to publish his adult magazine Hustler. Mr. Flynt spent
over ten years fighting legal battle after legal battle including two stays in state
prisons and hearings before the Supreme Court. His efforts show that everyone has the
choice to do, say and act as they would like to in our free society. For those of us who
may not like the type of material that is produced by the likes of Flynt, we must
understand that we cannot stop them and then we can only tolerate them. On the other
hand, I do not believe it is right for extremists to be peddling on to freethinking
people the types of morals that we should have. I know that our founding fathers believed
in our nation and had a great vision of its' citizens thinking and making their decisions
without consequence from a higher authority. If you believe that everyone should have the
same morals and should not behave in a manner that would contradict these moral; you
should go live in a country where church and state are still connected. 
Bibliography
Bloodsworth, Doris. "Court Records: Rachel's had hidden cameras." The Orlando Sentinel.
11 Sept. 2000, D1+. 
---. "Rachel's worker denies videotaping system in club." The Orlando Sentinel. 13 Sept.
2000, D3.
Langford, Lawton. Code of Ordinances County of Orange, Florida. 16 May 2000. 13 Oct.
2000. 
---. Code of Ordinances County of Seminole, Florida. 14 Apr. 1998. 5 Nov. 2000. 
Leigh, Carol. Sanfrancisco Task Force on Prostitution. 9 June 1996. 10 Oct. 2000. 
Smolla, Rodney. Jerry Falwell v. Larry Flynt: The First Amendment on Trial. Univ of
Illinois Pr, 1990.
Stutzman, Rene. "Rachel's fights for its life." The Orlando Sentinel. 14 Nov. 2000, D1+.