With Doug's permission I am forwarding the following announcement/ request for support.
Brian Dauth Queer Buddhist Resister
CDA Fundraising Countdown!
NCSF needs your help fighting our battle against increasing obscenity prosecutions. NCSF's Communications Decency Act lawsuit, filed with Barbara Nitke in Federal Court, is scheduled to go to trial this Fall! John Wirenius, our attorney, has graciously agreed to donate his services pro bono, but we need money to bring in expert witnesses to testify on our behalf (all of the expert witnesses are donating their time to this case). We have also been mandated to pay for certain court transcripts and copying.
NCSF urgently requires funds for these necessary expenses.
NCSF thanks Hilton Flax of Purple Passion/DV8, NCSF Supporting Member, for providing space for the NYC CDA Fundraiser in April, 2004. The fundraiser was produced by Kellene with tons of help from loyal NYC volunteers with donations of art and items from community members, raising $2,100 for the CDA lawsuit.
PLEASE: ask your group to dedicate funds from a party or event to the CDA lawsuit. As supporters of NCSF, we hope you can help us out in the next six months by donating funds to our CDA lawsuit.
PLEASE: distribute this call for donations. In the past few weeks NCSF has received checks from individuals donating to the CDA lawsuit totaling $265. THANKS in advance to everyone for donating. Any amount is welcome!
For more information on NCSF's major donor circles and the opportunity to make an even more visible impact, please contact our Chair, Vivienne Kramer, directly at vivienne at ncsfreedom.org
It is only with your help that we will win this landmark case. To donate to the CDA Lawsuit, go to the donation page: http://www.ncsfreedom.org/donations.htm
Or write "CDA Funds" in the memo line of your check, and send it to:
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
822 Guilford Avenue, Box 127
Baltimore, MD 21202-3707
CDA summary:
The Nitke vs. Ashcroft case (formally known as Barbara Nitke and National Coalition for Sexual Freedom vs. John Ashcroft, Attorney General for the U.S.) challenging the Communications Decency Act (CDA) is finally going to trial in the Federal Court, Southern District of NY in Manhattan this fall. The government has employed delay tactics and tried to get the case dismissed, and now they've exhausted all the time they have.
We filed our expert witness reports in spring 2004. You can go to the NCSF website to see who filed reports supporting our contention that "local community standards" cannot be used to judge internet content. The information on experts is located on: http://www.ncsfreedom.org/library/cdaexpert.htm A more thorough summary of the case is located on: http://www.ncsfreedom.org/CDA/index.htm
John Ashcroft is actively pursuing prosecutions of obscenity (porn). Who was the first target? Extreme Video, which produces SM, rough sex, and rape-fantasy videos. Will the current religious-influenced administration distinguish between pay-for-porn and SM educational websites or personal websites? Who knows? Anyone who has a website featuring SM, bondage, fetish or any sexually extreme images is at risk.
John Wirenius, attorney for the CDA lawsuit, has submitted the following budget:
$10,000 to bring in the expert witnesses for the trial
(all of these witnesses are donating time towards this case)
8,000 to pay for the court record and transcript
2,000 to pay for printing of the record for the Supreme Court
We still need to raise $15,000 for the CDA lawsuit
Please donate to the CDA lawsuit and help our community protect our websites and our First Amendment Rights!
Contributions or gifts to NCSF, Inc are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes.
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A project of NCSF
The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is a national organization committed to creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States that advances equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual expression. NCSF is primarily focused on the rights of consenting adults in the SM-leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory communities, who often face discrimination because of their sexual expression.
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom 822 Guilford Avenue, Box 127 Baltimore, MD 21202-3707 410-539-4824 media at ncsfreedom.org www.ncsfreedom.org