Louisiana Passes Religious Republican's New Anti-Porn Law

Louisiana Passes Religious Republican's New Anti-Porn Law

BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana Senate on Monday unanimously passed new legislation creating more liability for adult websites, introduced by the religious Republican lawmaker behind the state’s controversial age verification law.

As XBIZ reported, in April the Louisiana House voted 101-1 to pass House Bill 77. The bill would “let the state attorney general pursue civil penalties against companies that do not comply with a law that requires pornography websites to verify the age of its users,” the Louisiana Illuminator reported.

HB 77 was introduced by faith-based therapist and local politician Laurie Schlegel (R-Matairie), the anti-porn activist behind Louisiana’s controversial Act 440, which took effect Jan. 1 and requires “age verification for any website that contains 33.3% or more pornographic material.”

Schlegel has claimed that “pornography is destroying our children and they’re getting unlimited access to it on the internet.”

HB 77 calls for “investigation and pursuit of actions for commercial entities that knowingly and intentionally publish or distribute material harmful to minors and that fail to perform reasonable age verification.”

If the bill is signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards (D), the Louisiana attorney general will be able to investigate pornographic websites and fine any that do not comply with the AV law up to $5,000 a day, the Associated Press reported. Sites that ‘‘knowingly failed” to follow the law would face additional civil penalties of $10,000 per violation.

The bill was backed by all of Louisiana’s Democratic senators and most Democratic representatives, the second time in a few weeks that Democrats have backed potentially industry-crippling anti-porn bills created by a coalition of religious Republican politicians and powerful religiously-inspired pro-censorship lobbies. Last week, the Texas legislature mandated that all adult sites post a warning comprised of anti-porn propaganda points, with virtually every Democratic legislator voting alongside the sponsoring Republicans.

Republicans throughout the country are currently seeking to outlaw all adult content by overturning the 1973 “Miller Test” differentiating First Amendment-protected sexual material from illegal “obscene” material produced to appeal to “a prurient interest.”

To define “material harmful to minors” in the legislation, Louisiana’s Rep. Schlegel expanded a Miller Test reference to “sexual conduct” into her own feverish fantasy of what such content might entail.

For the religious therapist and Republican politician behind the Louisiana bill, “sexual conduct” apparently involves “prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion” and “an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual contact, actual or simulated normal or perverted sexual acts, or lewd exhibition of the genitals.”

Main Image: Rep. Laurie Schlegel

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

Choice Talent Management Launches Fan Platform 'ChoiceFilmz'

Choice Talent Management CEO Chris Crisco has launched a new fan platform called ChoiceFilmz.

Dredd to Launch Official Site

Dredd has announced his new website OfficialDreddXXX.com, launching April 20.

New Pleasure Product Review Site 'ToyChats' Launches

ToyChats.com, a pleasure product review and discussion site, has officially launched.

AEBN Reveals Jade Venus as Top Trans Star for Q1 of 2025

AEBN has named its top trans stars for the first quarter of 2025, with Jade Venus landing atop the leaderboard.

SexLikeReal Debuts 'AI Passthrough' Feature

SexLikeReal has introduced an AI Passthrough for video editing during VR livestreaming.

Ron Jeremy's Accusers Reach Settlement With Rainbow Bar & Grill

The Rainbow Bar & Grill has reached confidential settlements with a group of women who filed a negligence lawsuit against the Sunset Strip restaurant over alleged sexual assaults committed by Ron Jeremy, according to Rolling Stone.

Cherry Kiss, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q1 of 2025

AEBN has announced its top-selling stars for the first quarter of 2025, with Cherry Kiss landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

Sportsheets Joins FSC as Gold Member

Sportsheets has joined Free Speech Coalition (FSC) as a Gold-level member.

Age Verification Watch: Two End Runs, Two Failed Bills

Industry stakeholders and free speech advocates have anxiously been awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, which could significantly impact state age verification laws around the country. In the meantime, state legislatures continue to weigh and pass AV bills, AV tech providers continue to tout their services, and legal challenges continue to play out in the courts — with some cases on hold pending the SCOTUS ruling in Paxton.

FSC Helps Defeat Colorado AV Bill

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has announced that, with its help, Colorado's recently introduced age verification bill has been defeated.

Show More