JOE FRANCIS - FRANCIS DEFENDS DECISION TO JOIN GAY-RIGHTS MARCH

FRANCIS DEFENDS DECISION TO JOIN GAY-RIGHTS MARCH

JOE FRANCIS has hit back at allegations he only took part in a gay rights march to boost his battered public image - insisting he understands how it feels to be stripped of your civil rights.
The Girls Gone Wild founder took to the street of Washington, D.C. on Sunday (11Oct09) to protest outside the White House as part of the The National Equality March.
Lesbian actress Cynthia Nixon and gay-rights advocate Lady Gaga also addressed the rally to offer their support.
However, critics suggested Francis only joined the demonstration to battle negative publicity following his recent bar brawl with model Jayde Nicole, in which he is accused of punching her and dragging her to the ground by her hair.
But the adult film mogul insists he knows what it's like to fall victim to the prejudices of America's conservatives - because he was handed a 12 months jail term in 2008 on prostitution and child abuse charges in connection to using underage girls in his strip films.
He tells New York Gossip column Page Six, "With the gay movement, it's personal. The same religious-right a**holes who took away my civil rights and put me in jail for a year because they don't like what I do for a living have taken away gay rights. I know firsthand how it feels to have your civil rights stripped from you."
But Francis hinted he may have had other things on his mind, adding, "P.S., lots of lesbians marched, too."
Francis is currently under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for the altercation with Nicole.