I don't know whether people literally defended the company or not, and I'm willing to take your word for it. However, let's be careful not to confuse defending

I don't know whether people literally defended the company or not, and I'm willing to take your word for it. However, let's be careful not to confuse defending this one company, with defending constitutional rights or (separately) the moral/ethical legitimacy of voluntary sex work. Those strike me as things some HN readers would be more likely to defend.