Dennis RomeroA new book by a former porn actress threatens to expose the adult video industry, recently rocked by a new HIV scandal, as a place where women are exploited and sexually transmitted diseases flow freely.
Shelley Lubben's just-released Truth Behind the Fantasy of Porn – The Greatest Illusion on Earth is billed as a look behind the scenes of adult entertainment, where, she writes, ” … pornography is modern day slavery for thousands of women and the millions of addicts who can't stop clicking,”
As we reported first Friday, the industry got back to work after it was determined no other performers contracted HIV following last month's news that one actor came down with the virus.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation used the news to emphasize its stance that mandatory condoms should be forced on porn. We reported that the state already essentially requires condoms, but it doesn't really have the resources to enforce the rule at most sets.
Shelley Lubben, porn star, activist, author.; Credit: shelleylubben.com
In the meantime Lubben's book paints adult video sets as disgusting places:
We hate being degraded with their foul smells and sweaty bodies. Some women hate it so much that I would hear them vomiting in the bathroom between scenes.
… When we entered our adult years we became sexual spectacles and demanded higher payment in the form of attention and cash as compensation for the neglect and sexual abuse that we suffered as children. I like to call it porn star currency.
Lubben, who worked in porn under the name Roxy in the mid-1990s, is now executive director of the Pink Cross Foundation, which counsels porn stars who want to quit the business.
You can get the book at her site.
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