BY DAN HORN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Larry Flynt's First Amendment roadshow returns to Cincinnati today.
The Hustler magazine publisher is to open his whirlwind tour this afternoon with a press conference downtown and a visit to his bookstore on Sixth Street.
Later, at the University of Cincinnati's Zimmer Auditorium, Mr. Flynt is to speak at 7 p.m. to several thousand students about his most recent battle here over obscenity.
"I want the opportunity to talk to these kids because they take their civil liberties for granted," Mr. Flynt said Tuesday. "I think that kind of apathy really puts you at peril."
The visit to Cincinnati is part of an informal national tour that Mr. Flynt recently launched to generate publicity for the First Amendment cause he adopted years ago. His crusade began in the 1970s when he first faced criminal charges for selling the sexually explicit Hustler.
His latest round of speaking engagements and talk show appearances is focused on his upcoming Cincinnati trial on obscenity charges. The charges against Mr. Flynt and his brother, Jimmy, stem from the sale of adult videos at the Sixth Street store.
Although Mr. Flynt maintains that the materials sold there are protected by the Constitution, prosecutors say the videos cross the line and should be declared obscene. A jury will decide in January.
"The First Amendment is supposed to protect offensive speech," Mr. Flynt said. "If you're not going to offend anybody, you don't need the First Amendment."
Mr. Flynt said the highlight of his visit today is the address he plans to deliver at UC. He said he made a similar speech at the school in the 1970s before his first obscenity trial in Cincinnati.
Mr. Flynt lost that case, but his conviction was overturned on appeal. He has said he wants another chance to argue his case in front of a Cincinnati jury. "I'm looking forward to it," he said. He also said he's been encouraged by the reception he's received on his latest tour, which has included a debate in Florida with conservative icon the Rev. Jerry Falwell.
The Rev. Mr. Falwell, who once sued Mr. Flynt over a parody published in Hustler, now speaks to his nemesis on a regular basis. Mr. Flynt said they now get along even though they still disagree on almost everything.
"It's amazing," he said. "I guess we've buried the hatchet."
Flynt out of Reds picture
