Entertainment

4 Women Accuse “Feminist” Porn Star James Deen of Sexual Assault

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Porn’s glorified boy-next-door, James Deen, was once hailed as the adult film industry’s “feminist hero.” The 29-year-old porn pioneer repeatedly rebuked the title, but as of this weekend he can officially kiss the moniker goodbye. Deen has been accused by three female adult actresses and one anonymous woman of sexual assault.

The accusations began after Deen’s former girlfriend and fellow porn star Stoya sent out two tweets Saturday that called out his feminist persona and accused him of rape.

Deen responded to the allegations with his own series of tweets Sunday night reading:

But it didn’t take long before two more female porn stars accused Deen of sexually assaulting them as well.

Adult actress Ashley Fires shared her story with the Daily Beast saying Deen is the only performer she absolutely refused to work with. She told the Daily Beast, “the reason I put him on my ‘no list’ was because he almost raped me.” Retired porn star Tori Lux quickly came to her side, recounting her only violent encounter with Deen, where he slapped her repeatedly and shoved her face into his crotch. Both incidents allegedly happened behind the scenes of major porn sets while they were changing or getting ready. Prior to those incidents, both women hardly knew Deen.

Now a reported fourth woman has come forward to LAist.com with her own rape allegations against the porn star. She asked the site not to name her, but instead to identify her using the initials T.M. She told the site that after only meeting Deen once, he forced her to have sex with him in front of a crowd of friends and fans at a hotel party.

So far there have been no formal charges filed against Deen, but the porn industry quickly began cutting ties with the star. The San Francisco-based BDSM and fetish porn company Kink.com has dropped Deen from its roster saying “consent and respect are sacrosanct” for the company and its performers “deserve the ability to work without fear of assault.” The porn company Evil Angel also broke off ties with Deen, suspending sales of newly created scenes featuring him.

Sex toy maker Doc Johnson has ceased production on a dildo molded from Deen’s penis and the Frisky, a women’s entertainment and lifestyle website, has announced that it will no longer publish Deen’s “What Would James Deen Do” sex-advice column on its site. OH Joy Sex Toy, an adult webcomics series, also removed ads for Deen’s website from its site and edited posts featuring him.

Johanna Angel, an alt-porn actress and producer who also dated Deen for six years, tweeted in support of Stoya.

So is James Deen the Bill Cosby of porn?

Both men were considered role models in their respective fields, before having their reputations tarnished due to shocking sexual assault scandals involving multiple women. While we haven’t heard any stories of him drugging women, it’s the disappointment attached to such a popular star that likens him to Cosby.

In the past Deen has been lauded as feminist for his positive support of female sexuality, and history of making porn films aimed at appealing to women. Now his pro-women persona is kaput.

What’s incredibly sad about these women’s stories is that many of them said that were it not for the stigma attached to sex work, they most likely would have reported these assaults earlier. Unfortunately many people believe that when sex workers are assaulted they deserved it in some way, or it was their fault due to their line of work. However, sexual assault happens to all different types of women–and men–and its important to rally behind the victim, instead of the abuser.

Deen has denied these claims and has not be charged with anything, but the concern is entirely justified. Usually where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Alexis Evans
Alexis Evans
Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.
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