For a Dirty Old Man I'm Such an Old Lady (and I don't mean tranny)

I worry about the ladies in the sex industry.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I follow and exchange tweets with a number of women who are involved in the sex/porn industry. While I cannot make generalities about the entire industry, my interactions have shown them to be intelligent, personable, hard working people trying to live life as best they can. (What profession can claim that every member is an "upstanding individual"?). As someone who has looked at a lot of porn, I can't help but hear about the problems that some of the stars have gone through. I worry that those I follow and whose work I have enjoyed could be affected by these influences.

And yes, I am being sexist. I do not include men in my concern because I would expect them to be less endangered. It's the way I am - sue me.

The sex industry in general is looked down upon by large segments of this society. There is a stigma of sleaziness and (for some) criminality applied to the women who work in it. Once identified as an "escort", "porn star" etc., the label stays forever. You don't always see entertainers, sports figures, and other walks of life always identified by what they do (i.e. Madonna, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, etc.) but it will always be "Porn Star Jenna Jameson". It is hard for anyone to cope with the world when that world is predisposed to judge him or her as inherently bad.

[BTW - I can't stand how sexual content is ostracized but extreme forms of violence are accepted. In film if you show a penis getting mangled it has an "R" rating, but if you show an erect penis: automatic "NC-17"! (Or "XXX" depending on what one does with it) Why is society so paranoid about a natural biological function that is necessary for the continuation of the human race? I think the world would be better if we taught kids how to fuck instead of how to kill.]


I don't need to go into the dangers of AIDS and STD's in an industry based in sex. While there are a lot more safeguards in place today than there were before, no prevention ever 100% effective. There are even reasons for not using condoms in productions (I have read that they cause irritation during long sex scenes shoots and that the buying public prefers to not see them). Most performers get tested monthly and I am sure that each testing period is stressful .

[Another BTW - If you care about what happens to the people in this industry you might consider donating to the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM) , a non-profit corporation dedicated to the well-being of sex and adult industry workers. The Bill Gates Foundation and the Pugh Charitable Trust probably aren't donating - maybe you should.]


Some of the people I follow also act as escorts - these are the people I worry about most. Aside from it being illegal, escorts have the potential of putting themselves into harm's way. When you are a performer, you are usually dealing with someone you have worked with before or you know someone who has worked with him/her. Escorting puts you in contact with strangers - any one of which could be dangerous. While the women I follow say they screen their clients, as I've said before nothing is perfect. I live in Boston, so I am quite familiar with the Craigslist Killer - a man who robbed and eventually killed escorts he found on Craigslist. I can't help but think of him whenever I see a tweet about escorting.

If you think I'm exaggerating all this in order to make this entry more dramatic, go to this web site and count the number of deaths due to AIDS, drug use, suicide. and violence. I don't know if these problems occur at a higher rate for sex performers, but it sure seems like it.

It takes an emotionally strong person to be part of the sex industry. They have to handle all the issues I've mentioned and be able to live their lives. All of the women I follow seem to have strong emotional support - husbands, boyfriends, families, and friends (including each other). They seem to be coping with and even thriving in the sex industry.

But it doesn't stop me from worrying about them.