Larry Flint

Larry Flint Video

Born November 1, 1942, in Lakeville, KY, Flynt spent several years in the navy before going home to Dayton, OH, where his mother was living at the time. There, he bought a local bar, transforming it into what became a successful strip club. After opening similar clubs elsewhere in Ohio, Flynt began to send a newsletter out to his clientele. This newsletter acted as the basis for the first issue of "Hustler," which was first published in 1974. The magazine pushed the envelope in what was considered pornography, publishing graphic nude pictures of disabled, pregnant and elderly women, and hard core photos of raw sex. There was public outcry over the magazine, and brought about several lawsuits pitting freedom of speech against pornography. In May, 1976, Flynt was indicted on several counts of pandering obscenity and organized crime. He was initially convicted to 7-25 years in prison, but the ruling was later overturned. In March 1978, alleged gunman and white supremacist Joseph Paul Franklin shot Flynt and his lawyer, Gene Reeves, outside a Georgia courthouse. Flynt was left permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

In the fall of 1983, Flynt threatened to publicize surveillance tapes that were potentially embarrassing to the FBI. When he refused to reveal the source of the tapes the courts fined him $10,000 a day. In a display of defiance, Flynt paid his fine while wearing a diaper made out of the American flag. He was tried and convicted of desecration of the flag, and spent six months in federal prison.

In 1996, director Milos Forman made a film called The People vs. Larry Flynt, focusing on Flynt's career-long battle against censorship, and portraying him as a charismatic champion of free speech who fought for his right to offend. The movie starred Woody Harrelson in the role of Larry Flynt.

Flynt made headlines again in August, 2003, when he declared his candidacy in the race for governor of California in the event of a recall of incumbent governor Gray Davis. Running on the Democratic ticket, Flynt told the Los Angeles Times, "California is the most progressive state in the union. I don't think anyone here will have a problem with a smut peddler as governor."

Lary Flint