SWCEO Interviews Corey Silverstein
Blog Post Written By: MelRose Michaels
In a recent Twitter Space, MelRose Michaels sat down with Corey Silverstein, the adult industry’s premier IT attorney and founder of Silverstein Legal, to discuss Project 2025 and its potential impact on the adult content creation industry.
Stay informed and prepared for the challenges ahead in the adult entertainment industry as Corey sheds light on what this sweeping conservative proposal could mean for creators, platforms, and free speech.
MelRose Michaels: Corey, thanks so much for joining us today. Let's jump straight into Project 2025. Can you explain what it is and why it's so concerning for the adult industry?
Corey Silverstein: Sure. Project 2025 is a wish list put together by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative group that’s been around since the early 1980s. It’s a 900-page document outlining their vision for the future of U.S. laws. It covers a broad range of issues, from abortion and transgender rights to border security and international affairs. For the adult industry, it’s particularly alarming because it suggests criminalizing all forms of pornography and prosecuting those involved in creating and distributing it.
MelRose Michaels: So, is this proposal already law?
Corey: No, that’s a key point. It’s not law—yet. It’s a proposal filled with general ideas and concepts, but the fact that adult content is even mentioned as something to ban is worrying. While only a few sentences in the 900 pages reference pornography, the implications are severe. They want to criminalize adult creators and the entire industry.
MelRose Michaels: How could this challenge the First Amendment rights of creators?
Corey: If Project 2025 becomes law, it would completely violate the First Amendment, which protects free speech. The creators behind the project are ignoring established case law and constitutional protections for adult content. Even with the current conservative Supreme Court, I believe it would be nearly impossible for such laws to survive a constitutional challenge.
MelRose Michaels: In states like Tennessee, we've seen age verification laws already criminalize certain aspects of content creation. How likely is it that Project 2025 will succeed?
Corey: I think the likelihood is low. There’s a lot of political posturing involved, and many of the proposals, including restrictions on women's rights and birth control, are so extreme that they’re out of touch with the majority of the U.S. population. That said, the fact that people in power are discussing these ideas is still concerning, and we can’t afford to be complacent.
MelRose Michaels: Speaking of complacency, what can creators do to stay informed and active against these types of proposals?
Corey: It's crucial to stay informed and vocal. When people don’t speak up against bad ideas, bad things happen. Project 2025 includes extreme suggestions, like banning a widely used abortion pill and removing terms like “sexual orientation” and “reproductive rights” from federal regulations. It’s absurd, but it’s out there, and it’s dangerous. The adult industry needs to be aware and ready to fight back when necessary.
MelRose Michaels: It seems that this proposal could also increase censorship on platforms like OnlyFans or Twitter. Is there anything in Project 2025 that addresses platform regulation?
Corey: There isn’t much detail on how they plan to regulate platforms, but they do suggest that all pornography should be banned. Platforms like OnlyFans and Twitter are definitely keeping an eye on this because it could have a huge impact on their business models. Still, I believe that any attempt to pass federal laws criminalizing pornography would be defeated by First Amendment arguments.
MelRose Michaels: We’ve seen a lot of financial discrimination against adult creators. Do you think Project 2025 could make things worse in terms of banking and payment processing?
Corey: Yes, and it’s already happening. For years, we’ve seen banks and credit card companies ramping up pressure on the adult industry. The Nicholas Kristof article on Pornhub in The New York Times was a turning point that brought adult content into the spotlight, leading to increased scrutiny. I don’t see this getting better anytime soon, and Project 2025 could fuel even more aggressive financial discrimination.
MelRose Michaels: Do you think Project 2025 could allow the government to track or monitor adult creators more easily?
Corey: Absolutely. There are suggestions that tech and telecom companies could be forced to provide backdoor access to law enforcement and the government. This is terrifying because it opens the door to more invasive monitoring of creators. Recently, we saw the CEO of Telegram arrested in France for failing to cooperate with law enforcement. That kind of government overreach is the kind of thing that Project 2025 could encourage.
MelRose Michaels: How could this proposal disproportionately affect marginalized creators, such as women, LGBTQ+, and minority creators?
Corey: Project 2025 blatantly attacks women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and minorities. As a father of a daughter, I find the rollback on women’s rights absolutely horrifying. The notion that people who don’t identify as heterosexual somehow deserve fewer rights is absurd. Anyone who signed on to support Project 2025 is taking us back to the Stone Age.
MelRose Michaels: What’s your advice for creators listening in today?
Corey: My advice is simple—keep fighting. Content creators are warriors for the First Amendment. You’re exercising your constitutional rights every time you produce legal content, and the fight doesn’t end with any one election or proposal. Stay informed, stay vocal, and don’t let fear dictate your actions. Laws like FOSTA-SESTA didn’t stop sex work; they made it more dangerous. We have to be ready to challenge proposals like Project 2025 at every turn.
MelRose Michaels: Corey, this has been incredibly insightful. Where can people find you if they want to stay updated on these issues?
Corey: You can find me on Twitter at @myadultattorney or visit my website at myadultattorney.com. I also run Adult Law, a subscription-based service for adult creators looking for legal advice at affordable rates. I’m always happy to help and fight for this industry.
MelRose Michaels: Thank you, Corey, for taking the time to join us today.
Some parts of the above interview have been condensed or edited for clarity. For the full interview, listen to the entire Twitter space.
Find Corey D. Silverstein on Twitter.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the interview are those of the guest speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SexWorkCEO or MelRose Michaels. Anything said or written is of their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone else.
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