TL;DR
- Utah GOP Senator Mike Lee advances bill to criminalize all pornography nationwide.
- Critics say definition of “obscenity” is dangerously broad, possibly affecting mainstream media.
- Adult content creators, including LGBTQ performers, warn it threatens livelihoods.
- The bill could target platforms like OnlyFans, a key income source for queer artists.
- Seen as part of broader conservative agenda outlined in Project 2025.
GOP Senator’s Porn Ban Sparks Outrage
Utah’s Mike Lee is on a crusade to scrub America clean of porn—and his latest bill is making sex workers, free speech advocates, and LGBTQ creators sound the alarm.
The Interstate Obscenity Definition Act, Lee’s pride and joy, just took a big step forward, getting shipped to the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. On paper, it’s a “modernized” definition of obscenity for the internet age. In reality, critics say, it’s a sledgehammer aimed at everything from hardcore porn to your favorite steamy HBO drama.
Under Lee’s plan, “obscenity” would cover any visual depiction that “appeals to the prurient interest” in sex or nudity, depicts actual or simulated sexual acts meant to arouse, and—this is the kicker—“lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” That last bit has civil liberties lawyers rolling their eyes so hard they’re seeing their own brains. “There’s nothing about that definition that I think would survive constitutional review,” warned Robert Corn-Revere, chief counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
From Game of Thrones to OnlyFans—No One’s Safe
The bill’s language is so sweeping, even Game of Thrones might be in trouble. And if you think that sounds extreme, try being an adult performer whose income is suddenly in the crosshairs. Alana Evans, president of the Adult Performance Artists Guild, didn’t mince words: “They are coming for us right now.” For LGBTQ creators—many of whom rely on platforms like OnlyFans to pay rent, cover healthcare, and fund their art—the threat is even bigger. This isn’t just about shutting down a porn site; it’s about dismantling a livelihood.
The LGBTQ adult content space has long been more than just explicit videos—it’s a form of expression, identity, and community-building. For queer performers, especially trans and nonbinary creators, online platforms have offered a safe and independent space to work without the exploitation and discrimination common in mainstream adult industries. Lee’s bill risks bulldozing that safe haven.
A Bigger Conservative Play
It’s no coincidence this push echoes Project 2025, the ultra-right-wing Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for remaking America in its own moral image. In that playbook, sexuality—particularly anything outside the cis-hetero mold—is the first thing to be policed. The porn ban isn’t a one-off; it’s a building block in a broader effort to roll back sexual freedoms, queer rights, and even the art and storytelling that challenge traditional values.
If Lee gets his way, the fallout won’t just be for adult entertainers. It could set a precedent for cracking down on any content deemed “indecent” by a shifting political majority. And when politicians start deciding what art, literature, or self-expression has “value,” history shows the LGBTQ community is often among the first targets.
For now, the bill sits in committee, but the message is loud and clear: The culture war is coming for the bedroom, the screen, and the bank accounts of those who dare to own their sexuality.