Flynt Faces Rowdy Law Crowd (Harvard Crimson)
Apr 29th, 2024 by Viviane
Hustler Magazine publisher draws hisses in speech on First Amendment rights
By PARAS D. BHAYANI
Crimson Staff Writer
At a speech on the First Amendment, Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler Magazine, made what seemed to be false assertions about the format of his presentation and his publishing of certain cartoons while drawing hisses from the crowd for using a racial epithet and describing women as “sex objects.”
In a talk before a crowd of 200 in Harvard Law School’s Ames Courtroom Friday, Flynt emphasized the need to “push the envelope” on the First Amendment, saying that he had spent his life fighting in “the trenches” and “had taken a bullet for free speech.”
“If you’re going to live in a free society, you have to tolerate certain things that you don’t like so that you can be free,” Flynt said.
The short speech was followed by a lively session in which students—who handed questions to a moderator—grilled Flynt on his refusal to debate critics and on the content of Hustler.
HUSTLING HARVARD?
In the first question after the speech, Flynt was asked why he declined to participate in a forum “where he would have to share the spotlight with his critics.”
Responding strongly, Flynt denied that he had ever turned down a debate, saying that he would “come back for a panel” if invited. The reason for the solo forum, he said, was that he is filming a documentary and his camera crew said a debate format would be unsuitable.
But this claim was refuted by documents obtained by The Crimson regarding the planning of Flynt’s visit. The documents illuminate communications from Flynt’s agent—not Flynt himself.
The saga of Flynt’s refusal to debate began when his agent, Kim Dower, contacted the American Constitution Society (ACS), the liberal law and policy group, and asked them to host his appearance at Harvard. Brianna J. MacDonald, the ACS publicity chair, wrote in an e-mail to Dower that her group was “hesitant” about inviting Flynt “without allowing for other voices added to the discussion to expand the debate.”
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Tags: sex