Porn and Rick Perry: Presidential Contender Owned Stock in XXX Video Rental Chain

Texas Gov. Rick Perry may not be as wholesome as he lets on. Back in 1995, the GOP rock star owned stock in a video rental store chain whose hardcore porn selection drew the fury of multiple conservative groups, according to a report from the liberal Texas blog Burnt Orange.

While running for Lieutenant Governor, Perry invested in Movie Gallery, Inc., which was reportedly once the nation's largest pornography distributor. Perry's 1995 Personal Financial Statement shows that the Republican presidential nominee purchased the stock through Perry Blind Trust. While the precise amount of the investment was not revealed, it was listed in category B, meaning the stock was worth between $5,000 and $10,000.

Ironically, the American Family Association - the conservative group that helped organize Perry's highly-publicized stadium prayer rally earlier this month - spent years boycotting Movie Gallery due to its immoral store offerings. The AFA undertook a nationwide campaign against the chain and urged government officials to investigate the company.

There were hundreds of these hard, nasty-looking videos that were extremely graphic, an AFA spokesman told a local newspaper, according to a report from Salon.

When contacted by Salon about the family value candidate's investment, Perry spokesman Mark Miner told the website it was a non-story.

It was a regional video chain just like a Blockbuster or any other, he said, before emphasizing that Perry had bought and sold the stock in 1995.

However, because Perry's stock holdings were put into a blind trust in 1996, his investments from that year on are not publicly known.

1995 was apparently a big year for Texas politicans and the porn industry. That year, former Senator Phil Gramm's presidential campaign was derailed after the New Republic reported that he had invested in porn films with his brother-in-law.