Coming Out Like a Porn Star: Essays on Pornography, Protection, and Privacy

by Jiz Lee

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Author: Jiz Lee

Publisher: ThreeL Media

Paperback:
ISBN 10: 0990557162
ISBN 13: 978-0990557166

This one-of-a-kind book shares intimate personal stories of porn performers "coming out" to family, friends, partners, lovers, and community. The contributors represent a wide range of races, ethnicities, and genders. They include Joanna Angel, Annie Sprinkle, Betty Blac, Nina Hartley, Candida Royalle, Conner Habib, Dale Cooper, Christopher Zeischegg, Cindy Gallop, Drew DeVeaux, Erika Lust, Gala Vanting, Casey Calvert, Lorelei Lee, Stoya, Ignacio Rivera AKA Papí Coxxx, and many others.

Jiz Lee is a veteran porn performer who had worked in over two-hundred projects within indie, queer, and hardcore gonzo adult genres. Lee is the editor of Coming Out Like a Porn Star, and co-editor of the Porn Studies Journal Special Issue: Porn and Labour.

Review

Featured in The New York Post, Buzzfeed, Vice, Dazed and Confused and more!

“We all have secrets, alter egos, and live double lives. Coming Out Like a Porn Star is an incredibly rich and moving narrative of an experience we can all relate to. We can learn something from all of the authors.”
― Belle Knox, ‘The Duke Porn Star”

“This revealing, moving, and often surprising collection lets you go deep inside the lives of generations of porn stars and explicit performers. It’s an absolute must-read for anyone interested in sex industry politics, sex-positive culture, and porn studies––and for anyone whose friend, lover, or family member has taken their pants off in front of a camera. One after the other, these memoirs add up to a powerful, if ironic, conclusion: Porn stigma is the biggest problem many adult performers face, and it is at least as likely to come from our feminist moms as from prudish conservatives. Once you’ve heard the clear, articulate voices of these porn stars, you’ll never look at a sex movie, or the people who make it happen, the same way again.”
― Carol Queen, PhD Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture

“A one-of-a-kind collection with perspectives from a terrific mix of adult entertainment professionals, COMING OUT LIKE A PORN STAR is a timely, insightful read that will change perceptions about an industry so often misunderstood.”
― Dan Miller, XBIZ™

“What are the performers like?” “What do their parents say?” After over a decade researching all aspects of adult entertainment, these sorts of questions remain among those most frequently raised by folks living and working outside the industry. Coming Out Like a Porn Star provides a platform for a diverse array of adult performers to tell their own stories. Jiz Lee has spearheaded a compelling and heartfelt collection – one that engages wider society’s fascination with porn performers in order to humanize, edify, and enlighten.
― Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals, Author of Exposure: A Sociologist Explores Sex, Society, and Adult Entertainment

“Intimates the fascinating story of adult performers who’ve ‘come out’.”
― Jayme Waxman, Playgirl Magazine June 2015

"Coming Out Like a Porn Star is a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of sex workers telling their stories in their own words. What becomes apparent almost immediately is that this book is about much more than coming out: it is about the right to privacy and sexual autonomy; the power of sexual expression and social stigma; and what it means to look at the world through 'porn-o-vision.'"―Routledge

“Frank and decidedly humorous, this collection takes the stereotypical narrative of what it means to be a porn star and puts it out of its misery. Without a doubt, this is the most honest, diverse and innately human take on the art form we call porn I’ve ever read. Stories like these have the power to change minds, shatter conventions and completely reframe the entire genre of porn.”
― Jerome Stuart Nichols, sex & wellness coach, creator of LTASEX.com

“Coming out is never a straightforward process. Lee’s collection of essays offers a nuanced, heartfelt, and incredibly honest look at what it means to come to terms with a highly public, incredibly sexual identity within the bounds of one’s private life.”
― Lux Alptraum, former editor/publisher, Fleshbot.com

“Finally – a collection of essays bold enough to embrace – and express – the complexities and contradictions of performing sex. With uncompromising thought and lucid prose, Lee and fellow contributors rewrite the public record.”
― Nichi Hodgson, author of Bound To You

“A manifesto, a reclamation by Lee of the role of porn as a positive artistic form.”
― Rachel Kramer Bussel, Salon.com

“Coming Out Like a Porn Star fundamentally changes the cultural conversation about porn performers. Never before have adult performers been given the space to talk about coming to terms with what they’re doing with their bodies, their careers, and their lives. It is in this space that we find out they’re neither victim nor villain; instead we encounter people whose inner strength and thoughtful, well-articulated sense of self can teach us a thing or two about how we can better relate to our loved ones, ourselves, and society at large.”
― Violet Blue, journalist and author of The Smart Girl’s Guide to Privacy

"Perhaps the most significant contribution of Coming Out Like a Porn Star to the world of adult writing is that it suddenly confronts its reader with 50+ people who simply choose to live their lives (and share their stories) in the porn industry. These people are intelligent, accomplished, complex, and full of emotions―just like anyone else―and this simple fact does more to shatter people’s preconceived notions than anything else."―Emmeline Peaches Reviews

Featured in The New York Post, Buzzfeed, Vice, Dazed and Confused and more!

“We all have secrets, alter egos, and live double lives. Coming Out Like a Porn Star is an incredibly rich and moving narrative of an experience we can all relate to. We can learn something from all of the authors.”
— Belle Knox, ‘The Duke Porn Star”

“This revealing, moving, and often surprising collection lets you go deep inside the lives of generations of porn stars and explicit performers. It’s an absolute must-read for anyone interested in sex industry politics, sex-positive culture, and porn studies––and for anyone whose friend, lover, or family member has taken their pants off in front of a camera. One after the other, these memoirs add up to a powerful, if ironic, conclusion: Porn stigma is the biggest problem many adult performers face, and it is at least as likely to come from our feminist moms as from prudish conservatives. Once you’ve heard the clear, articulate voices of these porn stars, you’ll never look at a sex movie, or the people who make it happen, the same way again.”
— Carol Queen, PhD Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture

“A one-of-a-kind collection with perspectives from a terrific mix of adult entertainment professionals, COMING OUT LIKE A PORN STAR is a timely, insightful read that will change perceptions about an industry so often misunderstood.”
— Dan Miller, XBIZ™

“What are the performers like?” “What do their parents say?” After over a decade researching all aspects of adult entertainment, these sorts of questions remain among those most frequently raised by folks living and working outside the industry. Coming Out Like a Porn Star provides a platform for a diverse array of adult performers to tell their own stories. Jiz Lee has spearheaded a compelling and heartfelt collection – one that engages wider society’s fascination with porn performers in order to humanize, edify, and enlighten.
— Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals, Author of Exposure: A Sociologist Explores Sex, Society, and Adult Entertainment

“Intimates the fascinating story of adult performers who’ve ‘come out’.”
— Jayme Waxman, Playgirl Magazine June 2015

"Coming Out Like a Porn Star is a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of sex workers telling their stories in their own words. What becomes apparent almost immediately is that this book is about much more than coming out: it is about the right to privacy and sexual autonomy; the power of sexual expression and social stigma; and what it means to look at the world through 'porn-o-vision.'"—Routledge

“Frank and decidedly humorous, this collection takes the stereotypical narrative of what it means to be a porn star and puts it out of its misery. Without a doubt, this is the most honest, diverse and innately human take on the art form we call porn I’ve ever read. Stories like these have the power to change minds, shatter conventions and completely reframe the entire genre of porn.”
— Jerome Stuart Nichols, sex & wellness coach, creator of LTASEX.com

“Coming out is never a straightforward process. Lee’s collection of essays offers a nuanced, heartfelt, and incredibly honest look at what it means to come to terms with a highly public, incredibly sexual identity within the bounds of one’s private life.”
— Lux Alptraum, former editor/publisher, Fleshbot.com

“Finally – a collection of essays bold enough to embrace – and express – the complexities and contradictions of performing sex. With uncompromising thought and lucid prose, Lee and fellow contributors rewrite the public record.”
— Nichi Hodgson, author of Bound To You

“A manifesto, a reclamation by Lee of the role of porn as a positive artistic form.”
— Rachel Kramer Bussel, Salon.com

“Coming Out Like a Porn Star fundamentally changes the cultural conversation about porn performers. Never before have adult performers been given the space to talk about coming to terms with what they’re doing with their bodies, their careers, and their lives. It is in this space that we find out they’re neither victim nor villain; instead we encounter people whose inner strength and thoughtful, well-articulated sense of self can teach us a thing or two about how we can better relate to our loved ones, ourselves, and society at large.”
— Violet Blue, journalist and author of The Smart Girl’s Guide to Privacy

"Perhaps the most significant contribution of Coming Out Like a Porn Star to the world of adult writing is that it suddenly confronts its reader with 50+ people who simply choose to live their lives (and share their stories) in the porn industry. These people are intelligent, accomplished, complex, and full of emotions—just like anyone else—and this simple fact does more to shatter people’s preconceived notions than anything else."—Emmeline Peaches Reviews

About the Author

Jiz Lee is a genderqueer performer who built a name in the adult industry by presenting their genuine pleasure and unique gender expression on camera. Jiz has worked in over 200 projects spanning five countries within indie, queer, and mainstream adult genres. Jiz has written on gender and porn in The Feminist Porn Book, and has taught queer sex workshops. Ever fascinated by the radical potential of sex, love, and art, Jiz blogs at JizLee.com.

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Coming Out Like a Porn Star: Essays on Pornography, Protection, and Privacy