Hustler to Open Stores in Britain

Porn publisher Larry Flynt and his Hustler (NSFW) empire will soon be invading the U.K. via a chain of his Hustler sex stores.

Flynt has announced a deal with a group of British investors to launch a chain of "erotic superstores" selling his collections of lingerie, sex toys, and "leisure" wear. The first two stores will open in Birmingham and London this summer as part of the Hustler Hollywood chain of sex shops run by Flynt's daughter Theresa. Another three outlets are planned for next year in cities such as Manchester, Nottingham and Cardiff, with Hustler "gentlemen's clubs" to follow if all goes well.

Though Hustler Hollywood U.K. insists that hardcore magazines, "extreme" sex aids (NSFW) and all sex videos and DVDs will be banned from the U.K. stores, the play marks a significant move by the United States' sex industry to expand into Britain, following hot on the spiked heels of another recent thrust of American flesh into the U.K. market, the invasion of the Spearmint Rhino.

Spearmint Rhino is a growing chain of strip clubs that recently opened up in Britain amidst a firestorm of protest and controversy, including a series of legal clashes over licenses and resignation, the employment of an under-age dancer and allegations of drugs abuse.

What this really boils down to is every country's right to decide what is legal for adults to purchase. Can an adult buy a U.S. nudie mag in England? Generally, yes. How about a dildo? That depends on where and what kind. How about a porn movie? Yes, even in gas stations, but apparently not in a Hustler store. What about a lapdance? Well, that seems to be a bit of a sticking point...

"You have a right to buy whatever you want," Flynt recently told Wired.com. "You may not be able to afford a printing press to print it, but you have a right to buy it. That's not something that's often talked about in relation to the First Amendment. But civil liberties and individual rights are all we really have in this country."

True. But what about the civil liberties and individual rights of the Brits?