profile

WIA Profile: Diane Duke

What did you do for a living prior to coming on board as the executive director of the FSC?

I have worked with non-profits for almost 25 years including the American Heart Association and the YMCA. Before coming to FSC, I served as senior vice president for Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon for 12 years, where I was responsible for the oversight of board development, public affairs, fundraising, marketing and media relations, budget development and strategic planning.

FSC was involved in blocking the .XXX top-level domain

In your opinion, what are the top three priorities/issues for the FSC as 2008 unfolds?

(1) Continue to organize the industry and our consumers in order to impact the legislative process in local communities, statewide and nationally, preventing anti-adult industry legislation and regulations; (2) strategically combat 2257 with the goal of completely striking it down as unconstitutional or restructuring it to a reasonable level of compliance; and (3) provide resources for FSC members and the industry to address the issue of piracy.

Most people in the industry know about the litigating that FSC has done, especially its challenge to 2257; what are some activities the FSC undertakes that people might not be so aware of?

FSC was involved in blocking the .XXX top-level domain submitted to ICANN by Stuart Lawley and ICM. FSC, in coalition with others, launched a public comment campaign to provide input on the dangers of a .XXX TLD. FSC then sent two representatives to Portugal to lobby ICAAN Board members prior to the critical. FSC spoke on behalf of the industry and we were victorious. For the first time in history, at our October event, a presidential candidate addressed the adult industry; we partnered with Lockton, the world's largest privately held insurance brokerage, to provide members with health, worker's comp and property and casualty insurance; we are now providing software discounts to our members; and FSC lobbies at the nation's capital and in Sacramento, Calif.

If you could snap your fingers and change any one thing about the adult entertainment industry, what would you change?

If I could change one thing, it would be to have the industry come out of the closet, stand up for itself and take pride in being the vital upstanding industry that it is.

Each month, industry news media organization XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

Electric Novelties Execs Reflect on Company Origins, Mission

When Zach Goode first crossed paths with Electric Novelties over 20 years ago, both he and the company were deeply entrenched in the apparel world. Goode was handling sales for a friend’s novelty T-shirt company, Sik World, while Electric specialized in sexy lingerie and clubwear.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
profile

Sensual Distributors Ltd. Blends Real-Life Love Story, Passion for Pleasure Biz

This local brick-and-mortar is a “mom and mom” operation led by co-owners Alana Thompson and Angini Singh, a lesbian couple who overcame their country’s strict, religious culture to create a sexual wellness boutique that serves their unique community.

Colleen Godin ·
opinion

How History Drives Marketing Strategies Today

Thanks to the efforts of activists, sex educators and members of marginalized communities, products like sex toys, lubricants and adult films have become much less stigmatized, and much more visible and accepted in the public sphere today.

Hail Groo ·
opinion

BAFTA Nominations Highlights Importance of Gender-Neutrality

While the Brit Awards have paved the way for gender inclusivity by introducing gender-neutral award categories, it has recently been confirmed that the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards will not follow suit.

Scarlett Ward ·
profile

VerifyMy Seeks to Provide Frictionless Online Safety, Compliance Solutions

Before founding VerifyMy, Ryan Shaw was simply looking for an age verification solution for his previous business. The ones he found, however, were too expensive, too difficult to integrate with, or failed to take into account the needs of either the businesses implementing them or the end users who would be required to interact with them.

Alejandro Freixes ·
opinion

How Adult Website Operators Can Cash in on the 'Interchange' Class Action

The Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement resulted from a landmark antitrust lawsuit involving Visa, Mastercard and several major banks. The case centered around the interchange fees charged to merchants for processing credit and debit card transactions. These fees are set by card networks and are paid by merchants to the banks that issue the cards.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

It's Time to Rock the Vote and Make Your Voice Heard

When I worked to defeat California’s Proposition 60 in 2016, our opposition campaign was outspent nearly 10 to 1. Nevertheless, our community came together and garnered enough support and awareness to defeat that harmful, misguided piece of proposed legislation — by more than a million votes.

Siouxsie Q ·
opinion

How to Explain Wax Play to Shoppers

When it comes to candles in the bedroom, most folks think of them as a great way to create a sexy ambiance. For folks who enjoy wax play, however, candles are also a kinky way to heat things up. While it may sound daunting to the uninitiated — because, you know, fire and hot dripping wax — wax play can be a fun and accessible sensation-play option, as well as an excellent intro to BDSM.

Rebecca Weinberg ·
opinion

Staying Compliant to Avoid the Takedown Shakedown

Dealing with complaints is an everyday part of doing business — and a crucial one, since not dealing with them properly can haunt your business in multiple ways. Card brand regulations require every merchant doing business online to have in place a complaint process for reporting content that may be illegal or that violates the card brand rules.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Girlsway Celebrates a Decade of Acclaimed Sapphic Erotica

When Girlsway launched back in 2014, Bree Mills had a plan. As head of production for Gamma Entertainment, she set out to up the stakes of all-girl content with the new imprint — and to continually, proactively reinvent the brand and its offerings along the way.

Alejandro Freixes ·
Show More