Diane Duke to Leave Free Speech Coalition

Diane Duke will step down at the end of December as the chief executive of Free Speech Coalition, the trade association for the adult entertainment industry. Duke has headed up the Canoga Park group since 2006 and the past few years has led the adult industry’s response to mandatory condom laws promoted by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Hollywood. Jeffrey Douglas, chairman of the coalition’s board, will be interim chief executive until a permanent replacement for Duke is named. Duke said that after nine years with the coalition it was time to move on. “In the meantime, I will remain a resource for the industry until the transition is complete, and I have complete faith in our board of directors to continue the fight,” Duke said in a statement to adult industry online publication XBIZ. While the coalition had taken positions on many issues related to the adult industry during Duke’s tenure, it was the fight against mandatory condom laws that was the most high profile. While voters in Los Angeles County approved such a law in 2012, three times the coalition beat back attempts in Sacramento for statewide legislation. The county initiative, Measure B, required adult film performers to use condoms as a means to stop the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the main supporter of Measure B, has collected enough signatures for a statewide ballot measure to appear on the ballot in the 2016 general election.