FBI Pays Diabolic Video a Visit—Are You Next?

About XXXWriterDude Ken Knox is an adult industry insider who has written for a number of industry publications, including Unzipped, Men, Freshmen, Honcho, In Touch for Men, and X-Factor. He is the associate editor at AVN Online magazine, and is the former associate editor of GAYVN.

With Monday morning’s impromptu visit by FBI representatives to the offices of Diabolic Video—the first such visit since the institution of the 2257 Regulations 11 years ago—a ripple effect went through all of Porn Valley and beyond. I received at least 3 phone calls at the AVN office from porn producers who asked how serious this really was, and what they should do about it. My response to them was, “Well, are you compliant?”

People are worried—as they should be. With Bush still in office, things are not looking very bright for civil rights, let alone privacy and the right to enjoy certain kinds of entertainment in the seclusion of your own home. Porn producers, on the other hand, have it even worse: They are the people who are putting themselves out there every day when they go to work. They are making themselves targets for the government’s own silly kind of war on all of America—and, indeed, the world. While Bush seems to be on some kind of demonic quest to prove himself the greatest dictator America has ever had for a leader, his minions are busy trying to get re-elected by snuffing out the smut that pervades American society. Never mind that porn is a multi-billion dollar industry that is kept in business year in and year out by the very people the government claims to be “protecting.” Never mind that for the majority of the industry’s existence, most porn producers have made it their priority to make sure that underage models are not employed in their videos. Never mind that this is—the last time I checked—the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. And who is more brave than adult producers who are willing to give the proverbial middle finger to a government who seems more interested in bullying us around than in taking care of our country’s welfare. Sheesh!

Yet we can all sit around and bitch as much as we want about the 2257 regulations and how we feel about what the government is doing. In the end, however, getting all self-righteous and indignant isn’t going to do us any good. It’s certainly not going to protect us from the Big Bad Wolf when he finally does come knocking on our doors. Today the FBI paid a visit to a straight company, but with gay rights consistently under attack from pundits with much to gain politically, if the inspections continue it’s only a matter of time before gay companies are singled out as well. It’s imperative that all of us in the industry are prepared when the Big Bad Wolf comes calling. Otherwise, the ending to your fairy tale is not going to be one of “happily ever after.”