Hugh Hefner’s mugshot has been used to celebrate freedom to read in the Banned Books Week Coalition.
The Playboy founder, who died back in 2017, was arrested in 1963 for "publishing and distributing an obscene magazine,” with it resulting in a hung jury. He beat the charges.
Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of reading and freedom of expression that draws national attention to the harms of censorship.
In 1954 Hef won a legal battle against the US postal service when Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield refused to deliver copies of Playboy on the grounds it was obscene.
Hef told the court: “We don’t think Postmaster Summerfield has any business editing magazines. We think he should stick to delivering the mail.” Hefner won.
Hef lived an exceptional and impactful life as a media and cultural pioneer and a leading voice behind some of the most significant social and cultural movements of our time in advocating free speech, civil rights and sexual freedom.
Hefner was best known as being the unofficial spokesperson for the 1960s and 70s sexual revolution.
Though Hefner was bright he did not excel in school, often sitting at his desk and drawing cartoons for hours. Hefner seemed so totally disengaged that teachers wondered if he could hear them. Not knowing what to do, Grace had him examined by child psychologists at the Illinois Institute for Juvenile Research.
Following a series of tests they concluded that his problems were rather special. Hugh Hefner was a genius. His I.Q. was 152.
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