It was four days later that I learned one of the adult actresses who accused James Deen of rape passed away. As Seen On Tinder, a feminist Facebook page shared an image that highlighted the erasure of and showed the double standards against female porn stars. Amber Rayne is her name, and she was the victim in this specific case.
I am not one to regularly keep up with the goings-on of the porn industry, and while I preach for the acceptance and liberty of performers and consumers, I do not identify as a consumer. (My beliefs are that there are harms and benefits to all sides, but if you are respectful and willing to participate, it is within your rights.) Many friends of mine are sex worker advocates or in at least one of the industries themselves, so I was disappointed to see that either my friends neglected to share Rayne's passing away or my Facebook newsfeed failed to update me on this big piece of information.
Sex work is usually used to refer to prostitution, but I side with the definition that takes many forms: Sex trade (prostitution), stripping, porn, etc. Sex work is known for being dominated by women. As a result, societal antagonism towards women plays out in sex work, and in turn, stigma against sex workers negatively impacts women.
Amber Rayne died on April 2, 2016. In light of her passing, Daily Mail Celebrity came out with an article, and somehow, their Twitter page failed to name Rayne, but they named her rapist. Not only did they do that, they labeled her a "porn star" while calling Deen an "adult actor." What we see here is an ever-present instance of misogyny, both in media and society. More than that is the erasure of sex workers and their profession, which can lead to ignorance about their lives, and make any violence against them "justified" in the name of what is "good and pure."
Amber Rayne and Kora Peters told The Daily Beast about how James Deen violated them on
set. Stoya, Tori Lux, and Ashley Fires were among some of the other adult actresses who came forward about him. Of course, not only do these particular victims have to face accusations of lying, they are accused of "asking for it" because of their occupation. Even more disturbing, many people are wondering how porn stars can be raped.
I will tell you how porn stars are raped: These human beings are sexually violated. Sexual activity was forced upon them without their consent, even when they actively expressed their unwillingness to engage in such activity. People are allowed to change their minds, even if they are being paid, especially with such an emotional and physical activity. By denying the agency of sex workers, you deny the agency of all women.
Whether or not you are involved with sex work, please open your eyes to the people around you. Your trans coworker may be silently struggling as a sexual assault victim, your neighbor may be camming as a means to pay for college, or your sibling may be considering working as a stripper. These scenarios go on, and let me tell you -- they do happen. It is not your job to be the judge of whether someone willingly chooses to participate in sex work, or if someone is the victim of sexual assault.
It's important to recognize both sides because sexual freedom does not equate to sexual servitude. A person who chooses to go into porn is doing it out of their own free will, and has the right to refuse an advance, as does any other person. This applies to all sex workers. By refusing to see beyond the label of "porn star" or "sex worker," we are denying our own humanity.
If you can't remember Amber Rayne's name, remember how she and other countless sex workers have been victimized and silenced. Much of the world ignores their plights because of the career they chose, and while it was their choice, being violated and disrespected were not. Stop viewing women and sex workers as objects. Instead, let's accept, and celebrate sexual freedom.
