How Texas Blocked Pornhub
The Political Orphanage
Andrew Heaton
4.9 • 1000 Ratings
🗓️ 9 October 2025
⏱️ 104 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Pornhub ceased operating in the Lone Star State after Texas implemented an age verification law. Pornhub, and other adult websites, said the compliance was too onerous, and the potential fines too staggering. In response, the Free Speech Coalition sued Texas in court for an injunction to block the law, on the grounds that by burdening protected (if offensive) speech it violated the first amendment. Texas responded by saying that requiring age verification online is no different than asking to see ID at a brick-and-mortar porno theater.
In this episode we visit the Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, and the full history of American jurisprudence regarding pornography and protected speech.
Ronnie London is general counsel of FIRE, and joins to discuss.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | If you wanted to access internet pornography in Texas after September 1st, 23, you had to do so by getting past an age verification law. |
| 0:11.7 | After that day, pornographic websites could no longer rely on the honor system for access. |
| 0:18.5 | Click here to confirm you are an adult, that sort of thing. No. Moving forward, |
| 0:23.2 | pornographers and their associated platforms would need to verify the names, birth dates, |
| 0:28.4 | and identification of their patrons proving adulthood. And adults would need to input their personal |
| 0:36.4 | information to be verified in order to access erotic material. |
| 0:43.5 | Given the technical complexity to build such infrastructure, the steep fines which could be incurred if found in violation of it, |
| 0:51.6 | and ideological opposition to the database, porn hub pulled out of Texas. |
| 0:58.1 | And indeed, without the aid of a VPN which could disguise your location, Texas, and quite a few |
| 1:04.4 | other states with similar statutes, also had a porn egress. |
| 1:18.1 | And would-be porn aficionados found themselves unable to access their favorite adult websites and no less than 17 states. |
| 1:25.9 | Or so I'm told, I've never seen any pornography myself for the very good reason that I've never needed to. |
| 1:29.5 | My life is awash with endless amounts of effortless, athletic sex. So for me, I didn't even know about any of this until it hit the |
| 1:36.3 | Supreme Court. But I can see how lesser frustrated men might have been affected by this. |
| 1:43.8 | Like maybe they're afraid that their full name and birthday will get leaked along with |
| 1:47.7 | their porn history and they'll get embarrassed at the Elks Lodge, stuff like that. |
| 1:50.8 | But again, not me. |
| 1:53.4 | Too much womanizing on my end. |
| 1:56.3 | How much you ask? |
| 1:57.3 | Well, let me tell you this. |
| 1:59.0 | My date to my senior prom was the cheerleading squad. |
| 2:03.5 | We rented a limo. It was grand. And today, my house is pretty much like the Playboy Mansion, |
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