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We have lost our wonderful downtown Los Angeles campus. This was our home for the last three years, and the site of many amazing classes and events. It was featured on many television shows from news segments to educational shows such as the Discovery Channel’s The Sex Files. It was seen on shows in Canada, England, and Germany as well as the U.S.

The main classroom for Erotic University

Due to the actions of the city of Los Angeles, the entire facility that housed our campus has been sold. Despite being home to the adult film industry, Los Angeles has long had some extremely repressive laws. For example, there are no nudist resorts within the county of Los Angeles, and despite having more coastline than any other city, there are no nude beaches This is because L.A. has one of the most restrictive anti-nudity ordinances in the country.

Our campus was housed in Entertainium Studios, a 50,000 square foot facility that beside being home to our classes and events, also housed  a world class erotic art gallery, had many sets for shooting adult movies, and held private events for adult couples only that put few restrictions on what those couples could do. Yes, couples even had the opportunity to have sex in front of other consenting adults. We have long advocated this, which we believe is healthy and helps demystify sex. The city thought otherwise.

Entertainium Studios

City officials had wanted to shut the place down for awhile. About a year ago they claimed that the huge building had a maximum occupancy of 50, and shut the whole place down for a couple of months. The lawyers fought that and won.  

Their most recent action classified the facility as a sexual encounter club. They raided the place with many undercover officers who had attended evening events. In Los Angeles, it is illegal to run a sexual encounter club without a license. So, how do you get a license? I think you can guess the answer to that. You can’t, which is why there are no legal swinger clubs in the city. Unlike Canada, where swing clubs have been found completely legal by their Supreme Court, cities are free to ban them in the U.S., and Los Angeles is typically one of the most restrictive.

You may be thinking, gee, maybe the city should shut down a place like this- it probably spreads disease. Besides the fact that adults should be able to evaluate their own risks, most people had sex with the person they came with, and condoms were within reach everywhere. Hotels would be a much higher risk as a vector of disease transmission. Even the CDC does not consider swing clubs a high risk, since safe sex practices are more common than in the general populace.

Los Angeles officials have always been uncomfortable with sex. Two years ago they tried to regulate strip clubs out of existence, and only backed down when enough signatures were collected (including at our events) to put a repeal on the ballot. In 2000, the city went after Seymore Butts, (Adam Glasser) of Showtime’s Family Business. They even charged his accountant mom with obscenity, using her as leverage to get him to plea. He fought back instead, and finally plead down to creating a public nuisance and paid a $1000 fine that went into a Victim’s Fund (a bit of irony for what is essentially a victimless crime).

It was the first obscenity case in L.A. in 8 years, and none have been successful since. Most prosecutors know that L.A. jurors are unlikely to convict.  This is the main reason the city has not wiped out the adult industry, along with a key ruling by the California Supreme Court years ago that says adult films are not prostitution. Charging producers with pandering and performers with prostitution was a favorite city tactic before that ruling.

The screening room where some classes were held

While there were many adult events held at Entertainium, including events for foot fetishists, a small adult industry convention, adult industry gatherings, and Erotic University special events such as our mini-convention in celebration of National Orgasm Month, the vice squad specifically targeted the L.A. Couples event. Just a few weeks prior we did our Virtual Campus launch at this event, where we offered tons of prizes and organized a strip poker tournament.

Without the revenue that the various events brought in, the owners could no longer afford the huge upkeep on the facility. It was recently sold, and will continue as a mainstream studio space. The elaborate adult sets and spaces designed for special events have been sledge hammered into history.

Sadly, some major Erotic University projects have had to be put on hold. Due to launch early this year was Erotic University Live!, an Internet radio show with a studio audience. We were also due to launch the Center for Sexual Expression and Education, whch was to feature a research library and educational events.

The under construction radio station for Erotic University Live!

Entertainium was an amazing sex positive environment unlike anything anywhere else in the world. It allowed us to offer unique educational experiences, and its loss is a tragic one. While the Erotic University Virtual Campus lives on, and we will find a new physical location, our home in downtown Los Angeles will be greatly missed.

-JB