The mission statement of the proposed Opportunity Federal Credit Union is to be the trusted provider of financial services and promote the economic wellbeing, rights, and freedoms of adult industry professionals.
Purpose and Core Values
The Free Speech Coalition wishes to form a credit union to help provide access to reliable banking and financial services to an often-debanked and financially marginalized demographic. By providing stable banking services to those who work in the legal adult entertainment and sexual wellness industries, we can help individuals grow small businesses, mitigate the risk of financial exploitation, and promote a diverse, inclusive banking system.
Currently, adult industry workers and businesses that manage to secure basic banking or financial services are at high risk of losing access due to stigma associated with the subject matter or a misunderstanding of the risk they present. Without access to banking, legal adult industry workers are exposed to increased trafficking risk because they must hand over financial control to someone who could exploit them. Earnings can be stolen or withheld by these third parties with little legal recourse and the loss of banking services destabilizes housing, education and healthcare.
Securing access to financial services allows workers control over their own finances. With stable banking and access to credit and financial tools, individuals and businesses can operate securely and openly, with the confidence that they will be able to meet basic needs such as rent, meet payroll, or build savings towards a better financial future.
Our credit union will truly embody the credit union industry’s mission of “People Helping People” because it will be guided by industry veterans who understand the specific risk profiles and expected transactional patterns of individuals and businesses in our industry, allowing us to serve customers that other financial institutions will not. We will provide the tools for our community to build a solid financial foundation for whatever path they choose.