Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler,
(818) 677-2130
carmen.chandler@ csun.edu

Educators and Artists to Discuss Pornography and the First Amendment

The "World Pornography Conference: Eroticism and the First Amendment" will take place from Aug. 6-9 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City.

Participants will include First Amendment rights lawyers, academics interested in the effects of pornography, and owners, directors and performers in the adult entertainment industry.

"It has been a major undertaking to bring together the lawyers representing free speech and practicing Constitutional law; the academics whose interest lies in all areas from film to the effects of pornography; and the industry itself, filled with the diverse writers, directors, talent, producers and distributors," said James Elias, chair of the conference and director of the Center for Sex Research. "The interaction can be beneficial to all parties in that issues will be openly discussed - providing insights to all."

Constitutional rights attorneys from around the country, including those representing Hustler and Playboy magazines, will speak on a variety of issues, including obscenity and cases that shaped decency laws in the United States.

Other topics include interactive sex, the role of women in pornography, Victorian pornography and the struggles involved in publishing pornography.

Speakers from Canada, Russia, Europe, Asia and South Africa will talk about pornography in their countries.

Registration for the conference is $175, $100 for California State University or University of California students. For more information, call CSUN's Center for Sex Research at (818) 677-3844.

The Center for Sex Research was established in 1968. Over the years, it has conducted a series of conferences on topics of critical concern to society, including the changing role of gender and the current attitudes and behaviors toward prostitution. The center is self-sustaining, and not supported by state funds.