Twenty ex porn performers, some of whom survived horrific abuse working in the porn industry, can’t remain silent anymore. They’re calling on porn producers, directors, and agents to stop recruiting impressionable teens into porn.
End Teen Porn
Joining forces with Exodus Cry, a California nonprofit organization that fights to end worldwide commercial sexual exploitation, ex porn performers/survivors are kicking off the “End Teen Porn” campaign and introducing an open letter (https://beyondfantasy.com/petition/#open-letter) urging the porn industry to raise the age of entry into porn from 18 to 21.
The open letter summarizes the mistreatment of performers at the hands of agents, producers, and directors:
being made to appear as an underage child
being made to enact sadistic pedophile fantasies
being rushed into signing consent forms, with no idea what we just said “yes” to
being coerced in high pressure situations to do sex acts we’ve clearly said we will not do
being taken advantage of and degraded in humiliating and degrading sex acts
being victims of violent sexual assaults
sustaining physical injury, psychological trauma, and/or being placed at risk of sexually transmitted infections
Exodus Cry is encouraging the public to show its support and sign the petition online at beyondfantasy.com/petition/. “Will you add your voice? We are asking people to sign our petition to raise the age of entry into porn to 21. Your voice will help End Teen Porn.” said Benjamin Nolot, CEO and Founder of Exodus Cry.
Industry Insider Speaks Out
Producers and directors have previously spoken out about the dangers to young performers. Prominent porn producer and Adult Video Network Hall of Famer, Axel Braun, shared in 2013, “After 23 years in the business, I have come to strongly believe that an 18-year-old fresh out of high school has a completely different perspective on life than he or she will have three years later… I simply don’t feel comfortable anymore, shooting talent under 21.”
Since then, nothing in the industry has changed.
“The implications of appearing in a pornographic film are significant with potentially lifelong consequences. For many, it has destroyed their lives: performing ‘dehumanizing’ sex acts they said they wouldn’t do and being made to appear as minors,” said Nolot.
Excerpts from the Open Letter
A Survivor’s Urgent Message
Maggie, a signatory on the letter, shares, “Between ages 18-19 I was in about 130 pornographic movies… violent sex and making girls look like teenagers, or younger, was the goal. At times the violent sex made us bleed, at which point the cameras would stop rolling, while it was cleaned up. Then, we would just resume filming again. I was so naive as an 18-year-old. I desperately wanted to believe I was in control of this very scary situation. Now, when I look at myself in these movies, I see myself being raped repeatedly.”
Maggie’s story is representative of many young performers whose youth is being exploited and abused for someone else’s pleasure and gain. The result? Teen porn actors face long-term physical and psychological trauma that often leads to drug overdose. Suicide is the only way out for some as “Barely Legal” documents.
“We as former porn performers are grateful to still be alive because far too many of our fellow young performers have died by suicide or drug overdose.” They may be gone, but their tragic passing lights a fire in us to be more vocal about this critical message. We are tired of being chewed up and spit out by an industry that profits off the vulnerability of youth. We’ve had enough. Using teens in porn is blatantly exploitative, deeply traumatizing, and is destroying beautiful young lives.”
“While in porn, our vitality was sapped and many of us have suffered extreme PTSD. It’s not surprising that there is a crisis of suicides, widespread drug and alcohol abuse, and an early mortality rate, predominately among young female porn performers. In 2017-2018 alone, young porn performers Olivia Nova, August Ames, Turi Luv, Yurizan Beltran, and Shyla Stylez all died within just months of each other. All of them were under 21 when they entered the porn industry.” The full open letter can be seen and signed at: https://beyondfantasy.com/petition/#open-letter.
“Barely Legal”
Exodus Cry recently released a 3-part documentary series called Beyond Fantasy. It brings viewers face to face with some of the biggest porn producers and performers as they describe, in their own words, an industry that profits from ethical violation, coercion, and abuse. “Barely Legal,” the first of the three episodes released Aug. 19, shows how the teen genre, porn’s most popular category, often depicts underage girls and promotes the fantasy of sex with children.
“Our behind-the-scenes exposé of the hardcore porn industry reveals the extent of the industry’s obsession with using ‘barely legal’ 18-year-olds to feed a global audience’s insatiable appetite for ‘fantasy sex’ with underage girls,” said Benjamin Nolot, CEO & Founder of Exodus Cry and producer of Beyond Fantasy.
“Barely Legal” can be viewed here: beyondfantasy.com/watch. The other two Beyond Fantasy episodes, “Hardcore” and “Unsafe Sex,” will be out in September. The press kit and photos can be found at: https://beyondfantasy.com/press/.
About Exodus Cry
Exodus Cry (EC), is a leading global anti-trafficking nonprofit organization focused on ending widespread sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, assisting, and empowering its victims, and educating the public about these horrific crimes. EC is focused on spotlighting the root causes of sexual exploitation and activating people to join the global movement against this injustice. Its award-winning films and social content have received tens of millions of views worldwide, been promoted by celebrities, and helped shape global legislation after being seen by audiences at the United Nations, U.S. Congress, and both the Canadian and United Kingdom Parliaments. Driven by the belief that every person should be free of exploitation, EC’s outreach teams have reached over 5,000 exploited women and children in 12 countries and trained more than 3,000 individuals in outreach and intervention in 28 countries. EC is based in Southern California (USA) and was founded in 2008.
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