On November 28, adult film star Stoya took to Twitter to publicly accuse fellow adult film star and her ex-boyfriend James Deen of rape. Here are Stoya’s tweets:
That thing where you log in to the internet for a second and see people idolizing the guy who raped you as a feminist. That thing sucks.
— Stoya (@stoya) November 28, 2015
James Deen held me down and fucked me while I said no, stop, used my safeword. I just can’t nod and smile when people bring him up anymore.
— Stoya (@stoya) November 28, 2015
According to Mic, the couple dated for a few years before they broke up in 2014. Since Saturday, two other adult performers have come forward with allegations against Deen. Ashley Fires and Tori Lux both detailed their experiences of sexual assault by Deen for The Daily Beast. Adult actress Joanna Angel, who tweeted her support for Stoya, also warned fellow porn actor Sydney Leathers to stay away from Deen.
Thankfully, a number of brands have subsequently dropped Deen. The Frisky has ended Deen’s sex column “What Would James Deen Do?”; the porn studio Kink.com dropped him; the sex toy comic review site Oh Joy Sex Toy will no longer endorse him; Project Consent took down an older interview and announced they will no longer work with him; and Deen voluntarily resigned from the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee. The Daily Beast is calling him “the Bill Cosby of Porn.”
These allegations not only make James Deen look like a heinous jerk, but also a huge hypocrite: his personal brand is that of the “boy-next-door,” and he has spoken in interviews about his respect for women and his feminism. He’s even been called a “feminist porn star.”
Even before the accusations went public, Deen made horrible comments about rape on Twitter, which The Daily Beast unearthed in their article.
Things I’ve learned… It’s not rape if you yell surprise and if you put enough bbq sauce on anything it will taste ok
— James Deen (@JamesDeen) February 19, 2011
Deen has since denied the accusations on Twitter.
Stoya was incredibly brave to publicly tell her story, and fortunately, she has inspired her fellow survivors to tell their stories. The outpouring of support via #solidaritywithStoya shows that Twitter users promptly believed and supported Stoya, and that many are understanding that it’s vital to believe survivors.
Images Via Instagram/James Deen
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