While I'm not in favour of having obscenity laws on the books and I don't subscribe to the view that porn or even sexual humiliation/consensual degradation is inherently misogynistic, it's really difficult to ignore the overtones of misogyny in
some adult films, and Max Hardcore's stuff definitely falls into that category due to the overall tone of the movies.
And just so we're clear here, the obscenity charges weren't filed due to the BDSM, but because actresses in several films (all of whom were over 18 in real life) played characters who were explicitly stated to be as young as 12 -- hence child porn charges initially being tacked on as well, before being dismissed. Regardless of whether or not you feel that simulated pedophilia (whether cartoon or using adult actresses) should be illegal, it's still not quite the same thing as bringing up charges against someone for BDSM or extreme kink.
He was never, ever tried for rape, which means it's unlikely that he actually did anything wrong
Him not being tried for it hardly proves that he's never sexually coerced or abused any of the the actresses who have worked for him. Several of them have come forward stating that he did things to them that I would absolutely describe as sexual abuse, and while it's
possible that they're lying, it's rather absurd to assume that he's innocent of these accusations based solely on his never being taken to court over it.
For one thing, sexual assault laws are sometimes lacking when it comes to certain acts of sexual abuse, particularly when you get into the grey area of consent. Moreover, it's fairly common for law enforcement to fail to follow through on cases involving sex workers, as they're extremely difficult to try in court and society tends to have some rather unfortunately views regarding the rights of people who are paid to have sex. Finally, it's rather daunting for an adult film actress to go through with filing charges and enduring a trial due to the high risk of backlash from the industry and society in general; going up against a famous, well-connected guy like Max Hardcore when you're a fairly unknown young actress would be pretty terrifying, I'd imagine.
