This presentation was given at the 2018 Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation Global Summit hosted by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. (EndExploitationSummit.com)
PATRICK A. TRUEMAN
President and CEO, National Center on Sexual Exploitation
This presentation will address the need to enforce federal obscenity laws, which currently prohibit distribution of obscene material (hardcore pornography) through the Internet, through cable/satellite TV, on hotel/motel TVs, in retail shops, through the mail, or by common carrier. The U. S. Supreme Court has always held that the distribution of obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment. The Court has developed a very workable and understandable three-part test to be used in obscenity prosecutions. When obscenity laws have been enforced, society is improved. The lack of federal prosecutions, however, has been a major contributing factor to the coarsening of our culture, to the climate of sexual violence prevailing in society, to the development of a public health crisis of pornography, and to the prevalence of sex trafficking in America.
As president, Patrick Trueman spearheads efforts to change corporate policies that facilitate sexual exploitation through the Dirty Dozen List. This aggressive project educates executives, galvanizes public attention, and spurs popular actions to defend human dignity. Under his leadership, NCOSE has produced policy improvements at a wide range of notable institutions, including Google, Wal-Mart, the Department of Justice, Verizon, the Federal Communications Commission, and more.
In 2015, Mr. Trueman established the NCOSE Law Center, which serves as a resource for legal efforts to combat illegal pornography, sexually oriented businesses, and to bring innovative lawsuits against public institutions facilitating sexual exploitation. In 2010, he founded PornHarmsResearch.com to provide peer-reviewed research and talking points on the harms of pornography.
On a global level, Mr. Trueman leads NCOSE’s Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation, an international coalition, which boasts nearly 300 organizations and academic experts who are committed to sharing strategies and resources for combating public & private harms caused by pornography.
Patrick Trueman is a former Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Criminal Division at the U. S. Department of Justice from 1988 to 1993. While there, he supervised the prosecution of child sex crimes, child pornography, and obscenity. He managed an office of twenty of prosecutors and support staff, and worked with the nation’s ninety-three United States Attorneys to initiate and coordinate federal prosecutions.
During his 41 years as a lawyer, he litigated cases at all levels of the federal system, including in the United States Supreme Court. He has been an advisor to many municipalities on First Amendment law and has helped draft ordinances to end or curb the impact of sexually oriented businesses such as pornography shops, strip clubs, and related establishments. A recognized international expert, Mr. Trueman has traveled to Europe, South American, the Middle East, and other areas to speak about human trafficking or the effects of television sex and violence on the family.
