Then, Donald Trump’s affair with a porn star became the unlikely catalyst for the most improbable campaign yet to get voters to do something about the shutdown of the adult film industry. #HandsOffMyPorn urges young men to rise up and vote against the Republican candidate.
With a budget of $200,000, the group has started running ads on adult websites, reminding viewers that some of Trump’s most ardent allies are pushing to ban porn and jail people who produce it. The implied message: if adult entertainment matters to you, you’d better vote on November 5.
The effort responds to Project 2025, a comprehensive plan outlining a federal government restructuring should Trump win. “Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned,” the document states in part. Trump’s administration has tried to distance itself from the initiative, but many of his allies contributed to the blueprint, and Democrats argue the policies amount to Trump’s own views.
Specifically, #HandsOffMyPorn reaches out to male audiences—who are four times as likely as women to view porn—via public service announcements across battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia. In front of adult videos, stars such as Siouxsie Q deliver riveting messages to spur viewers into voting.
The landscape has veterans of the industry deeply concerned. To 26-year industry veteran Holly Randall, Project 2025 is far more serious than previous threats and crackdowns. As banning pornography is increasingly debated, defenders say this would be a canary in the coal mine, presaging broader attacks on free speech and a range of sexual and gender-related rights.
Trump has denied affiliation with Project 2025, but a recent investigation revealed that numerous document authors had been affiliated with his administration. The campaign chides the irony in Trump’s past, particularly his lawsuits associated with hush money he paid to porn star Stormy Daniels. In light of this, the future of the adult film industry also hangs in limbo as the election draws near.
