Gail Dines, her porn training, and me...

right here.

Nina Hartley Bringing The Fire To "THE" OSU (YouTube Video Clip)

This was from the porn debate at The Ohio State University last year....the one that Ernest said that she was promised airtime from ABC, who then stoned her for the Yale Sex Week debacle.

Perhaps this is why Gail Dines and the antiporn fascists want no debate with her...as sweet and professional she can be, she does have the occasional short fuse that can blow up in your grill at the wrong time if you set it off.






Nina Hartley at THE Ohio State University (via YouTube) -- hat tip to Ren, Lisa Roenig, and Amber Rhea

(Oh...and slightly OT memo to Buckeye fan: What is up with "THE" OSU?? Like, you need to distinguish yourself from Ohio University??? LOL

Emily Sander (aka Zoey Zane): Sex Hate Claims Another Individual

If you ever needed to know why this blog needs to exist, than this latest bit of tragic breaking news should make the issue as clear as ever.

This comes directly from the Zoey Zane website, straight on the heels of the report of her confirmed murder and abandonment (with a tip of the hat to James over at the Adult Sites Search Yahoo! group).

http://www.zoeyzane.com

We currently are working with a local bank in Kansas to setup a reward fund for the capture of Isreal Mireles. Please check back to this url for updated info.....

18-year-old Emily Sander was a college student from Kansas who was missing for nearly a week after Thanksgiving weekend. She was last seen leaving a bar in El Dorado, Kansas about 30 miles from Wichita, with a man identified by police as Israel Mireles, 24 years old, authorities said. El Dorado police found evidence of foul play after entering Mireles' hotel room where he was living. A nationwide hunt went on to find Emily. Emily was a beautiful, young spunky girl - 5'3" at 105 pounds. She had shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes that could light up the room. She had just started college and was looking forward to getting her degree so she could move back home to Texas where all her friends and family were.

Sadly, Emily's body was found 50 miles East of where she was last seen with Mireles, on Thursday, November 29, 2007 around 2:30pm near Toronto Lake in Kansas. Emily's life ended too soon. Her case was quickly updated to a homicide, and a nationwide manhunt is now under way for Mireles and his 16-year-old pregnant girlfriend, who both started on the run just after Emily's disappearance, known to be heading South. Mireles was driving a 2007 Ford Taurus rental car, which turned up Tuesday, November 27 in Texas, just near where he had family. Authorities believe that he is either trying to cross the Texas border to Mexico, or have already crossed the border. He also has family ties in Mexico.

It truly saddens us to see, in this day and age, that we still live in a society that ridicules a women for doing something that is completely legal. There was some incorrect information leaked to the press yesterday by a unknown individual named "David Thomas" claiming to have information about Emily's "Porn" career. We want to set the record straight. Emily was a solo nude model whose site went live September,25 2007. She was exactly that - a solo girl. There was no interaction between Emily with any Male. It was just Emily, her fun-loving personality, and the camera. We decided, a day before the media reports came out about Emily's "porn" career, to take down her website out of respect to Emily and Emily's family. We were unaware if Emily's family knew of the site and didn't want to add any unneeded stress or burden to them. The last thing we wanted was for her case to turn into a "missing porn star" case, which is exactly what the media turned it in to, which sadly took away the focus of Emily's disappearance and the importance of finding Isreal Mireles.

Of course, it surprises me like not at all that the tabloid media is playing up the "innocent girl corrupted and killed by porn" angle, it's the only way they know how to get ratings these days.

And it doesn't surprise me one bit either that all the usual antipornradicalfeminist posse will exploit this case as a wedge to indict and convict all porn and all the men who consume it for the apparant individual crime of Isreal Mireles.....that is the only way THEY can seem to keep their myopias afloat.

And....no freakin' surprise that some will attempt as is the usual to try to pin the blame on Ms. Sander/Ms Zane for her own death...as if her chosen hobby, her body piercings, her love of sex, or her choice of drinking partners had anything to do with the nature of her far too premature death.

(Don't even try, ByrdBrain....this blog is not a free carrier.)

All I care about is that a woman who hasn't even begun to live her life has had it taken away from her tragically, suddenly, and horribly.....and the real culture of sexual fear and loathing and sex-hate -- the REAL culture of death -- has claimed another victim.

Only God and the criminal justice system will ultimately judge Isreal Mireles....but untill we get over ourselves and accept that young women should be fully free and responsible to make their own choices with their own bodies, sexually or otherwise, and have those choices respected and accepted....then the ultimate judgment will fall on all of us who watch all this happen and merely blink and nod in response.

This, ladies and gentlemen and 'ye of transgender, is what sex hate ultimately leads to.

Presente, Ms. Emily/Zoey.

[Crossposted also to The SmackDog Chronicles]

Chemistry 3 (wherein I pretend to be a porn reviewer)

A few weeks ago, Tristan Taormino sent me a copy of Chemistry 3, her latest film. Rusty and I watched it off and on whenever we had a free moment, and finally finished it before we left for vacation last week.

Chemistry 3 won Best Gonzo at the 2007 AVN Awards. I found this interesting because a lot of people equate gonzo with degradation and, basically, all the 'bad' in porn. But Chemistry is closer to the real meaning of gonzo than all that other stuff people equate with the term:

Gonzo pornography is a filming style of adult video. It is characterized by a filming style that attempts to place the viewer directly into the scene. The name is a reference to gonzo journalism, in which the reporter is part of the event taking place. By analogy, gonzo pornography puts the camera right into the action -- often with one or more of the participants both filming and performing sexual acts -- without the usual separation characteristic of conventional porn and cinema.

What I liked about Chemistry 3 was that it included lots of laughter and a generally laid-back, not-forced feel. That's the whole point, of course; the three guys and three girls could fuck whom they wanted, when they wanted, and had cameras on hand to film as much of it themselves as they wanted.

There were also several "confessionals" with the different performers, where they talked about their personal preferences, their experiences in the adult industry, and a variety of other topics. When I saw Ren's comments about porn companies putting "behind the scenes" stuff on DVDs, I immediately thought of Chemistry 3. The entire film has the feel of those behind the scenes extras. And I think that's important - a lot of folks could stand to be reminded that people who work in the adult industry are, well, people. Shocking, I know; but porn performers have likes and dislikes, interests and opinions, and parts of their lives that don't involve fucking - just like the rest of us.

To anyone who goes around spouting off at the mouth about how horrible and exploitative porn is, I'd recommend watching Chemistry 3. The women aren't getting slapped around and referred to as bitches and sluts, and at no point does anyone have a bored, going-through-the-motions look on his or her face. If you watch Chemistry 3 and call it degrading, to me that says that you think sex on the participants' own terms, where everyone is enjoying themselves, is degrading.

Oh, and for that matter - because why end with snark? - I recommend Chemistry 3 to anyone who wants to see some good porn. Always Aroused Girl is even having a contest at her blog where you can win a copy. If I were some kind of pseudo-professional porn reviewer with a rating system based on stars or thumbs, I'd give Chemistry 3 the maximum number of those.

Kira Kiner vs. VIVID: A Lesson On Porn And Safe(r) Sex

This case is one that fascinates me quite a great deal because of the implications of how porn studios and production companies sometimes neglect the safety of their talent for the sake of the quick buck. That makes them no worse, mind you, than the attitudes of most businesses far less stigmatized than porn is. But still, it does make one pause that an outfit with VIVID's profit margin couldn't find enough room to provde one of their star performers the basic elements of cleanliness???

The story is from the CBS Los Angeles affialate, transported by me to Nina Hartley's forum.

Porn Star Pleased To Have Sex Toy Case Behind Her

(CBS) LOS ANGELES

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.

Kira Kener, 32, alleged she was infected with a venereal disease by a sex toy she used during a video shoot, according to her lawsuit filed in January 2006 that asked for millions of dollars from Vivid Entertainment Group of Los Angeles.

Vivid Entertainment identifies itself on the company's Web site as the world's leading adult film company.

Attorneys for Kener and Vivid Entertainment told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis the settlement would be put in writing in 30 days. The terms were not disclosed.

Kener said outside the courtroom that she is pleased to have the case behind her."I'm really looking forward to getting my new Web site up and running," Kener said.

According to the lawsuit, Kener tested positive for a venereal disease after shooting a pornographic video in February 2004. The director ordered her to work first with a sex toy, then with an actor, the lawsuit stated.

Kener had concerns about working with the actor, but was told to do so by the director anyway, the lawsuit stated.

Kener came to work crying the next day and refused to work with anyone else
until she was tested for venereal diseases, according to the lawsuit.

However, another director stepped in and yelled, "There's no time or money
in the budget for testing. I'll just call someone else to come in and work with
you. I'll let that person know that you may have come in contact with something,
but it's up to them if they want to work with you," according to the suit.

Kener later tested positive for the disease, the lawsuit stated."Since then, Kener is informed and believes that marital aids are a breeding ground for diseases," the lawsuit stated.

Kener was fired by Vivid Entertainment on Feb. 26, 2004, the same day she told management she was concerned about having to work with previously used marital aids, the lawsuits stated.

The lawsuit also alleged Vivid Entertainment had not paid all the money it owed her for her video shoots and had used her "Kira Kener" trademark for financial advantage without her permission.

Vivid Entertainment lawyers maintained in their court papers that Kener was
an independent contractor and not an employee, and that their agreement with her
allowed them to use her name for economic advantage.

Kener, whose former name was [name deleted our of respect for her privacy], was working in strip clubs throughout the United States when she signed an exclusive agreement to perform in adult videos for Vivid Entertainment in 1998, according to her declaration that is part of her lawsuit.

Kira Kener is now her legal name and she lives in North Carolina, steps she said she took to protect her family from exposure to the adult entertainment industry.

I'm guessing that the venereal disease she contracted was chlimydia.

Either way, it 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 consequenses 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.

BTW...Kira Kener was actually one of the porn stars featured in Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' book XXX, which profiled some of the industry's top talent. She does have a MySpace page (NSFW), which will do until her new website opens, which she promises will be soon.

Greta Christina on Hard Porn, Sex Work, and Consent

Greta Christina had an excellent post the other day on the above-mentioned issues:

See, in any kind of job, and in any kind of relationship, there are things you like and things you don't. Even if it's a job or a relationship that you're basically happy with, there are going to be parts that are hard to deal with. What makes a job or relationship a healthy one is that the good parts make the bad parts worth putting up with -- and that you're free to make that decision.

And that's true for porn -- all porn, not just spanking porn -- as much as it is for any job. I think some people have a tendency to think that if every single thing on a porn shoot isn't a perfect erotic dream for every performer, it's therefore exploitation at best and coercion at worst....But if you look at making porn as (a) a job and (b) a sexual relationship, you realize that porn doesn't have to make all its performers perfectly happy in order to be a healthy job. It just has to make them happy enough. There has to be enough about it that they like, sexually and professionally, for the stuff they don't like to be worth putting up with.

[more]

She also links to another excellent post on this topic on ErosBlog, "Evil Porn Werewolf Enslavers Debunked". I liked it so much, I thought I'd throw in a direct plug here. ErosBlog is a new one to me, but its on my regular reading list now.

Sasha Grey...speaks about her job...

More interviews....

This time in podcast form, some interviews with some more porn performers, and a few directors too. Once again, not over the top pornspeak, but not necessarily worksafe unless confined to the privacy of ones own iPod.

All of these links (with the exception of the Justine Jolie one) go straight to MP3s, so right click (that's control-click to you Mac users) to download:

• Dana DeArmond, altporn actress, "The Internet's Girlfriend".
  
• Daphne Rose (starts 22:30), fetish model and porn actress.
  
• Eon McKai, altporn director.
  
• Joanna Angel, of BurningAngel.com fame, altporn model, actress, director, and all around nice Jewish girl gone bad.
  
• Justine Joli (starts:16:45m but other good stuff here), actress who truly puts the glamour in glamour-porn.
  
• Nina Hartley, living legend.
  
• Paul Thomas, long-time porn director.
  
• Shine Louise Houston (starts 28:40), of Pink and White Productions, porn director who's putting the lesbian back in girl-girl.
  
• Tristan Taormino, sex educator turned gonzo director.
  

Interviews...

Some interviews with various porn performers, from the gonzo to the Contract Girls....(note the surprising lack of overwhelming pornospeak! But yes, explict language, may not be safe for work)

Vicky Vette

Sasha Grey

Tera Patrick

Harmony

Jesse Jane

Ashley Blue

Jasmine Tame