This is an example of the concerns and critiques I have with the porn industry.
A porn actress Tuesday settled her wrongful termination lawsuit against an adult film production company, which she accused of firing her for complaining about unsanitary work conditions.
This is why it’s so crazy-making to me when anti-porn folks completely dismiss my position as “YAY PORN; IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MEN; I HATE WOMEN.”
Because, this is the kind of thing I am very concerned about, and this is where I think a truly sex-positive, worker-centered approach to change is needed. It’s not about OMG TEH SEKS, which is what many people seem to get hung up on; it’s about safe working conditions, and employment policies that are fair to both employer and employee.
This is the kind of thing that concerns me about the porn industry. It’s a workplace issue, not a “sex is so degrading” issue.
As Anthony said:
[This case] is one more example of how a progressive, sex-positive analysis of both the sex media and the talent responsible for creating it is so badly needed… neither the more libertarian Right “let ‘em do it and damn the consequences as long as they get paid” meme nor the radfem “Poor oppressed women, let us liberate them from their plight, even if against their will” doctrine can do much good to help those like Kira Kener who deserve the right to perform her craft on her terms.
For those who were (snidely) asking a week or so ago on a few other blogs, this is what pro-porn activism is about.
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4 Responses to "Porn priorities"
Uhh…radfems don’t contend that sex is degrading.
And I personally support her win, and hope the victory goes beyond the plaintiff by setting a precedent to make the industry safer as a whole. I don’t think anyone would argue with that.
Thanks for commenting, KA. Unfortunately, plenty of radfems in the blogosphere would disagree w/ you and say abolition of the industry is the way to go, disregarding harm reduction even if abolition is the ultimate goal. I appreciate you adding your perspective.
I guess they see “sex for money” as degrading. I don’t like the “radfems think SEX is degrading” shorthand because so many misconceptions about radicals hating sex exist, and the misconceptions are propagated this way. It’s simply not true.
I personally would rather see the industry diminish rather than grow, yes. But I still don’t think all radfems would be opposed to securing the safety of other women just because they’re in the industry! I wonder how many do feel that way…
Once again (I keep having to say this!) I do not think all radfems are opposed to safety for women in the sex industry, and I certainly do not think all radfems think sex is degrading. A pet peeve of mine is blanket statements, which is why I try not to use them; because generalizations like that will never be true and it’s just lazy to use them. But I guess people see/read/hear what they want, especially if they identify with the group in question; I’m sure I’ve done it, too. I feel like I should not have to constantly clarify that I don’t mean all radfems, because it should be obvious that I don’t mean all radfems. (Just like how I don’t think POC should constantly have to clarify that they don’t mean all white people, for example; that kind of thing can stifle the message, when you’re constantly trying to take care of everyone’s potentially wounded egos.)
Point being… I have run into many radfems in the blogosphere who do not endorse harm reduction for sex workers, and deny sex workers any agency by continually painting them as victims. Total abolition is the only thing that they find a satisfactory goal, regardless of what the consequences would be for women in the sex industry.
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