Peepshow

News and Stories from the Sex Industry

Porn Industry’s #MeToo Moment Leads to Calls for Change

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Camera in front of window.
Camera in front of window.

Update: XBIZ released a story covering the alleged assaults on Porn Fidelity sets on Monday afternoon. AVN released an in-depth piece with several late Tuesday night.

Those of us in the industry know that stories of abuse are constant, circulating though whisper networks of performers. As both male talent and as a photographer, those collective traumas are palpable to me in the caution many models carry into new working relationships. In a few instances, these stories of abuse have been widely publicized—e.g., the numerous allegations of assault by Ron Jeremy or the rape allegations made against James Deen.

But, those who experience abuse at the hands of men in the industry generally feel pressure to remain silent on multiple fronts. On the one hand, a performer’s livelihoods may be threatened if they are labeled “difficult to work with” and denied bookings as a result. On the other hand, public acknowledgment of abuse in the industry is weaponized against us by social conservatives and SWERFs (sex work exclusionary feminists) who seek to abolish the industry altogether. Moreover, even when allegations of abuse are corroborated by several performers, studios and companies (overwhelmingly run by men) are slow to respond and quick to forget.

A glaring example of this is that James Deen was recently scheduled to return to shooting for Evil Angel in a John Stagliano directed quasi-documentary titled “Consent” until a public backlash led to last minute changes. This is not Stagliano’s only recent controversy. Cam model Jenny Blighe accused Stagliano and scene partner Manuel Ferra of violating the pre-negotiated boundaries of her first appearance in a mainstream shoot (and, on a more basic level, of ignoring the fact that she was visibly suffering throughout the shoot). While trade publications like XBIZ and AVN covered the release of the film, which was titled, Cam Girls, they were (characteristically) silent when the troubling details about the shoot emerged.

What feels to many like a breaking point was reached on Friday when Annabel Reed tweeted allegations of an assault on a Porn Fidelity set by Ryan Madison (husband of site operator Kelly Madison).

Redd post was met with a torrent of responses by other models alleging similar experiences with Madison and with many other men in the industry.

The anger and frustration of performers was intensified when AVN and XBIZ failed to cover the allegations of assault but chose to run a press release by Motley Models CEO Dave Rock on Saturday in response to Maya Kendrick’s allegations the he pressured her for sex while representing her. (Not the first such allegations.)

AVN’s decision to run the statement from Rock provoked particular ire, as it came on the heels of a piece connecting George Floyd—the man whose death at the hands of a police officer sparked recent protests around the country—to a porn production. AVN’s CEO Tony Rios was forced to issue an apology.

While performers are continuing to come forward with new stories, outrage over pervasive abuse within the industry has already begun to galvanize a performer-led movement for change. Here are some ways that performers are taking actions (and you can to):

  1. Petitioning to remove content produced by Ryan Madison and other alleged abusers from PornHub and other porn hosting platforms.
  2. Creating/circulating lists of abusers to avoid.
  3. Contacting agents, directors, and studios to encourage them not to book performers with histories of abuse.
  4. Developing performer support groups (especially in cities that are industry centers).
  5. Boycotting industry organizations or media that refuse to acknowledge and seriously address issues of assault on set.
  6. Developing alternative industry media without the conflicts of interests that discourage coverage of these issues in major trade publications.

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