We were so busy yesterday toasting the long-overdue passing of Jerry Falwell in a giddy Campari-drenched haze that we neglected to mention anything about his lasting contribution to the porn cause: it was his 1988 Supreme Court case against Larry Flynt and Hustler Magazine that marked a decisive victory for free speech when the court ruled that an obvious satire on a public figure did not amount to libel (and overturned a lower court’s award of $150,000 for the “emotional distress” incurred by the spoof Hustler ad that joked about Falwell having sex with his mother in an outhouse.) So instead of gloating about how Falwell finally got what he deserved for all his viciously antisex, antifeminist, anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic attacks over the years, we’ll just move on from here and try to look on the bright side of things. (Like, isn’t Pat Robertson due to croak any day now too?)
· “Hustler Magazine v. Falwell” (Wikipedia)
See also:
· CNN Transcript: Larry Flynt and Jerry Falwell on Larry King Live (1997) (cnn.com)
· “Larry Flynt On Jerry Falwell: Hustler Lawsuit Revisited On Day Of Rival’s Death” (accesshollywood.com)
· “Flynt to Talk Falwell on CNN” (xfanz.com)
· Order: “The People Vs. Larry Flynt” (1996) (Amazon)
· Thumbnail via “EVANGELIST FACE OR O-FACE?” (men.style.com – thanks Erica)
