LAS VEGAS/OKLAHOMA CITY—Right at the peak of the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, lawmakers in conservative-leaning states have advanced a new round of age verification measures that specifically target adult entertainment platforms. One lawmaker even reintroduced a total ban on pornography.
The South Dakota House of Representatives passed House Bill (HB) 1053, introduced by Republican state Rep. Bethany Soye, the majority whip.
If adopted by the Senate and signed into law by the governor’s office, HB 1053 would levy criminal penalties for violators of those who don’t implement what they consider to be “reasonable” age verification to protect minors. What makes this bill unique to others is that it specifically calls out “obscene live conduct,” which covers webcam sites.
These criminal penalties include a class 6 felony for repeat offenders and a class 1 misdemeanor for first-time offenders.
Soye failed previously in 2024 to implement age verification in South Dakota but managed to force a study committee that found age verification for porn to be implemented at the website level rather than the device level or the level of the app store. AVN has covered this series of events over the past year.
“I think most people today, especially older people, don’t understand just how violent and misogynistic porn has become,” Soye explained via coverage by the South Dakota Searchlight. “This isn’t your old girly magazine,” added Soye.
Though an overwhelming majority of the conservative-leaning House adopted the bill, most of the small Democratic minority voted against HB 1053 for various reasons.
“I think it sets a dangerous precedent of increased government control over the internet,” warned Rep. Erin Healy, the Democratic minority leader.
HB 1053 is expected to pass through the Senate.
Meanwhile, Wyoming lawmakers have additionally advanced an age verification bill that is less extreme than South Dakota’s proposal. HB 43, introduced by Rep. Martha Lawley, a Republican lawmaker, proposes a civil penalty regime for adult entertainment websites that don’t rely on methods of age check like an ID or debit card.
This bill advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee and is up for consideration before the entire House. The American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming, in a similar line to the national affiliate of the union, has voiced concern for the measure, saying “[the] bill could have a chilling effect on free expression online.”
Wyoming is expected, like South Dakota, to advance the law to the desk of the governor.
Down south, Oklahoma preacher-turned-lawmaker has reintroduced his proposed ban to outright outlaw pornography throughout the state. As AVN reported last year, Sen. Dusty Deevers of Elgin, a far-right Republican, introduced a ban on pornography with criminal penalties attached as a part of a legislative package he says “restores sanity.”
The ban proposal, Senate Bill (SB) 593, makes it illegal for the entire swath of adult entertainment production and consumption should be banned in Oklahoma. In the same announcement, Deevers proposed a ban on drag shows for minors, a ban on no-fault divorce, and a ban on abortion and reproductive health care.
Deevers went viral last year for his initial attempt to ban porn entirely, which fell flat. Instead, Oklahoma opted for an age verification approach to restrict access to speech that the First Amendment otherwise protects. The likelihood of SB 593 advancing and becoming law is very slim at this juncture.
The Free Speech Coalition, a trade group representing the adult entertainment industry, was contacted for comment on all three proposals. No comment has been offered. Once the column is received, it will be updated.
UPDATE (8:53 p.m. 1.24.25):
Mike Stabile, the director of public policy and a spokesperson for FSC, has offered AVN the reaction to the crop of anti-porn bills at state legislatures:
“Since Jan 1, we’ve seen almost twenty new antiporn bills introduced, including new, stricter bills in states that already have age verification. Conservative activists are swinging for the fences right now, hoping they can get the courts to reexamine decades of First Amendment precedent. I think it’s tempting to laugh off some of the more extreme ones, but I wouldn’t. These people are deadly serious about banning the entire industry, and they believe that they now have the backing of the administration to do so. Age verification was only ever a stopping point, and everyone in this industry needs to stand up and fight if they want to survive. “
