Local Porn Theater’s Business License Revocation Speaks to State of Industry

In Clarksville, IN, a longstanding adult bookstore is facing closure via the revocation of its business license by its town council. The city claims Theatair X is in violation of a zoning ordinance, alleging that the business knowingly allowed sexual acts to happen on its premises, leading to the arrests of those four people in February.

While this may not be particularly newsworthy outside Southern Indiana, it does reflect the current state of the porn industry.

Theatair X started life as a drive-in theater, and operated throughout the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. Following the decline of drive-ins, the theater took on its X moniker in 1971 and switched to showing adult films, renting “fantasy booths” and selling magazines, videos and sex aids. Despite local pressures to close, the bookstore managed to survive nearly 50 years.

“It won’t be an easy battle. It won’t be easy. It won’t be overnight,” Bryan Wickens told Courier Journal. Wickens is the head of local group Reclaim Our Culture Kentuckiana (ROCK), which has been the primary critic of the shop over the last decade. “But I’m very encouraged after all these years to see a town council that’s taking the lead to do something to protect their community and their citizens.”

The fact that the theater is in “Kentuckiana” — the region that consists of the Louisville metropolitan area, plus the Indiana counties of Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Scott and Washington — may have contributed to its longevity.

Across the United States, many adult theaters and brick-and-mortar shops have bowed to economic realities impacting retail businesses in general, regardless of industry. These factors have combined with various other social issues, however, to impact the adult retail especially hard. If one is to gauge the political climate of the Kentuckiana region on the basis of ROCK’s mission statement — “TO DEFEND AND SUSTAIN THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES UPON WHICH OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED THROUGH GRASSROOTS INVOLVEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY.” (capitalization their’s) — one might infer a relatively conservative standpoint. As such, though the internet might make porn accessible, search history’s may make face-to-face access and consumption points more appealing. Put together, this environment may have facilitated Theatair X’s long-standing presence in the community, rather than deterred it.

It’s interesting though that, after numerous efforts over the past 50 years to shutter the shop, the Clarksville town council has finally made headway in its endeavors — in 2019. This serves as a community-level counterpart to increased anti-industry activism and action occurring online, all of which should serve as a red flag to members of the community.

Jeffersonville attorney David Mosley, one of the attorneys representing Theatair X, said he expects there will be an appeal and the business will remain open. However, just because the business may be able to stay open, it is important to note the environment that circulating around it. Though signs point to consumer demand, larger social pushes — be they sincere or socially contrived — indicate a hostile environment.

Image by Anthony via Pexels.