Saturday, February 4, 2012

James Deen is Not the Nice Guy of Porn - PART II





















 (source)

Just this week Nightline featured an interview with porn actor James Deen. To watch it visit ABC News or Hulu. The links will take you straight to the video interview, provided the sites have not taken them down by the time you read this.

I first heard of James Deen through a gender studies professor who was preparing for a course about pornography and its cultural impact. I did some digging and came to learn a bit more about Mr. Deen. To read my January 2012 post, James Deen is Not the Nice Guy of Porn, click here.

In that post I report that there are many who have deemed Dean to be a sensitive man within porn. Deen has been labelled "The Ryan Gosling of Porn" by some. He's become the heartthrob of porn for young girls. He's a 25 year old man with a laid back appearance and a laid back vibe. This seems to be one of the reasons as to why so many women are flocking to him.

Fans believe that Deen has earned his fame as he is much more gentle in his scenes than some of the other male actors out there. He will hold the hand of another actress and he will spend time kissing her. Nightline failed to mention that he also has sex with them while "gently" choking her with one hand.

For some this suits them just dandy. Deen performs different types of porn. He's heavily involved in BDSM scenes for Kink.com and will walk naked women in public before having sex with them before a live audience for Public Disgrace.com. Depending on the company and depending on the scene, you will find women with their breasts tied tightly with ropes and the rest of their bodies tied and then suspended from above. Some are put into cages and then penetrated. Some are ordered to pee in a bucket or secured to the floor by metal pipe contractions. Not your average BDSM. Others are bound and gagged with clothespins snapped all across their legs and breasts.

I don't mention this out of attempt to shock. If you're a BDSM fan I imagine none of this is shocking. There are many who truly enjoy watching or being a part of BDSM. Humiliation and degradation is a turn on for some and Deen is one to oblige.

Deen also does a lot of "alternative" porn where he has sex with women who sport tattoos and piercings. It's amazing that the word "alternative" is still being used. I thought it was a 90s thing. Back in high school when some of the music I listened to was considered "alternative". 

When I was in high school and in college, I was sometimes tagged as  "punk" or "goth". I didn't appreciate either label, because it was just that. A label. But it seems that the women at Burning Angel not only love to be called sluts but they are content to be pigeon holed as emo, punk or goth.

Below is an transcript excerpt from ,Nightline. Here Nightline expresses their concern about Deen's work.

From Nightline 2/2/12

Voiceover: Today the voracious, unstoppable American porn industry, by some estimates a $13 billion business, has now targeted and reached a new demographic: teenage girls. Evidence of that? Deen has become something of an internet sensation for fans much younger than 18, a fact that many parents may find disturbing.

Nightline reporter: You have this massive following of young women, some of them teenagers, what do you say to that?


Deen: If there's a 15-year-old girl, an underage girl, an underage guy, an underage person that is viewing a scene I'm in or some kind of porn, chances are they're curious, they're horny. Whatever it is, they're sexual enough that it is something that they desire, that they crave, that they want. It's not necessarily a bad thing.

Nightline reporter: Parents might not think so.

Deen: Why? Everyone has sex.

I agree with Deen in that there is nothing wrong with craving sex. There is nothing wrong with sex. Desire, curiosity, and sexually charged hormones are all good things. So, what's my problem? My issue is patriarchy. That's my problem.

"I would like to think that I'm, you know, opening up their sexual experience they'll be able to take their boyfriends and say, 'hey, I saw this in a porno, I want to try this. I don't think porn should be used as an actual learning guide."

As you can see Deen just contradicted himself. He tells us that he hopes a man who sees his films will want to try something new in the bedroom with his girlfriend but then says one shouldn't learn from pornography. For many porn is indeed used as a teaching guide. I do not want anyone assuming anything about my sexuality based on what they have viewed from porn. I know plenty of women who would agree with me. I imagine that there are plenty of women who disagree as well.

The problem is that porn doesn't just offer ways in which to experiment but it tells us how to have sex, how to react to sex. How women are supposed to moan, how obligated they should feel and how they should look while having sex.

Nightline's piece focused on the fact that Deen's popularity stretches across age groups. It's not just women in their 20s but teens as well. Deen tells Nightline that he thinks minors should stay away from his blogs and films. He encourages them to find him when they turn 18.

Deen claims he first became interested in becoming a porn star when he was in kindergarten when he found  porn magazine. "I picked it up and I'm like, 'oh my God, this is the cool, this is awesome,'" he said. "It was this weird moment that I will always remember where I was like, this is what I want to be when I grow up. I want to do this." 

According to Nightline, Deen said he was once suspended for telling a school teacher he wanted to become a porn star one day. He has now starred in 4,000 movies and is the youngest person ever to win porn's "Male Performer of the Year."  

The person who directed me to the Nightline interview also lead me to a June 2011 article. Gaby Dunn from 100 Interviews sat down with Deen.  

"The origin story I’d read online about James’s porn career was that someone gave him the advice that if he could have sex in public, then he could do porn. James says this is mostly true.

It actually started one day when he was listening to ‘Love Line’ on the radio. The guest was porn legend Jenna Jameson. When they opened the lines for callers, a bunch of men called in to say things like, ‘I could fuck you better’ or ‘I could do porn. I have a huge dick.’ Eventually, Jenna snapped.

“If you wanna do porn,” she said on air, “get a folding chair and jerk off for 45 minutes with twenty people around you. When one of them yells ‘Come!’ then you have to come within 30 seconds.”

Instead of being intimidated like Jenna probably meant, James thought that was something he could do. He started going to parties and hooking up with girls in full view of the rest of the party-goers, sometimes having sex right in the middle of the action. He considered it practice." 

I don't know Deen. He might be a really nice guy, truly intelligent, and approachable; just as his fans insist upon. I don't like or dislike Deen. I don't know him. My concerns aren't so much with Deen but with pornography as a whole.  

When I wrote my first post James Deen is Not the Nice Guy of Porn, I had done some research which included taking a gander at his blog that his fans speak so highly of. There I found him talking about what he wants to eat for lunch, how drunk he is, and then who he "banged" that day.  Each entry is about a paragraph or maybe two at the most and is accompanied by a close up photo of a co-workers vagina or anus.

It's difficult to view Deen as the nice guy of porn, when he talks about how he wants to "jizz" all over some woman's face or how he wants to "ass slam" her or "fuck her til' her eyes bleed."

I don't fear that Deen is going to corrupt the purity (so to speak) of women as the Nightline piece seemed to suggest. But I do think that Deen is just another guy in porn. His fans point out differences which they believe makes him unique. My belief is that there aren't enough differences to make me think of him as a more nurturing character within porn. But when it comes down to it, there isn't anything about porn that I could embrace.

Within my pieces about pornography I find it important to emphasize that I do not speak for everyone. Porn is a big-ig-ig industry, so obviously there is a fan base waiting for it. That being said, I also find it important to emphasize that pornography harms women and men alike. My post has focused on heterosexual porn, which is mainstream. Although, there are other types of porn out there, the variety has not erased the fact that, sex for pay, has become fashionable.

People use to want to "party like a rock star" and now people strive to "party like a porn star." The whole purpose of mainstream porn is to enhance a man's ego. The women in porn "love" everything that is happening TO them (not with them) and are always wanting more. They are willing to accept anything that man wants to do. This is not real life. Some may argue that, porn is meant to be about fantasy and not real life. Understood, but as a woman, I know what it is like to have men in my life (friend, foe, or romantic interest) who believe that life would be grand if women would give it up like the porn stars do.

It's this kind of mentality that has me weary about any man I allow into my bedroom. Even the most sensitive of men may adheare to the myth that men give and women receive.

Porn stretches farther than the screen. A man could detest porn but we have a porn saturated media that continues to tell women how to be women and men how to be men. Deen's supposed "nice guy" flare doesn't reverse any of that.

24 comments:

  1. My god you're arrogant, uninformed, and long winded. You've had 2 posts on deen now, and have really said absouttely nothing. Maybe thats why theres a stigma towards feminists. Its all on all the time, and you're more than likely going to open your mouth whether you have anything pertinent to say or not.

    As far as James goes I've known him for 12 years, and worked with him for about 5. I've had my troubles in life, and he has always been there to help me (and most people for that matter) with anything I needI have a pretty good understanding of the porn industry, which obviously you do not. Have you ever been to a porn set? much of the slightly racially/gender based commentary between actors is just a bit of a way to lighten the mood. It's gotta be akward for alot of these girls to fuck a guy theyve never met before particularly one with the porno social standing of james Deen.

    It's a movie, and these are actors. Should we be desecrating Samuel L. jackson for setting a bad example by being in a plane full of snakes (znd let me tell you, the black folks HATE snakes. FUCK NO!! What most everyone sees in porn is scripted, andafter the director yells action, not in the 4 or 5 hours before that everyoes been on set discussing do's and dont's, and what the girl likes/doesn't like. Bottom line is that what you see is not reality. It's what the majority of porn watchers want, otherwise we'd be doing something else because it's all about $$. Its a job and everyone wants to make that money. If ya show up clean, sober, and on time, you can get your cock hard (or vagina wet. Don't want you to think i'm being sexist here) and cum on command You'll probably do pretty well.

    In my 5 or so years in the industry I have NEVER had a girl complain about Deen, or want to stop a scene or anything like that. And believe me these alt girls have no problem telling you their opinion, or standing up for themselves. I'll admit some of 'em scare ME a bit, and I've been around.

    So bottom, bottom line James Deen=pretty normal nice guy as far as his real life goes. If I called him with an emergency right now he'd drop whatever he's doing to come help, and vice versa. He likes to fuck, and being masogonistic, and an asshole rarely helps you get your dick wet.
    Remember people IT'S A MOVIE NOT REALITY.

    and in closing "I'm tired of these mutha' fuckin' snakes on this mutha' fuckin' plane"

    I'm going to get a burrito. Good luck with the whole feminism thing, maybe make it alittle shorter and more informed next time.

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    1. I'm an avid porn watcher. Him randomly choking women in many of the porns he is in is NOT scripted. Most everything is usually faked, including sexual pleasure but you can really tell when an actress is surprised with an out of the blue choke. None of these observations are from BDSM stuff, I don't watch that. The stories are most likely true. He's an aggressive douchebag on set, especially when he doesn't get his way, and quite possibly a rapist.

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    2. https://reason.com/blog/2015/12/01/rough-porn-rape-and-james-deen

      I believe these women. They have 0 reason to lie about this.

      As for the author and her ridiculous views on porn, get over it. Most people take it for what it is. Fake bullshit to help us get off. We don't let it tell us how to act or think, we may explore our own sexuality through it and get some sex position ideas but that's it. Girls aren't watching porn thinking, "Oh that's how I should moan (ceaselessly without ever having an orgasm LOL) and act?" unless they're a total idiot, which you seem to think they are. How utterly un-feminist of you.

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    3. Hello. Thanks for stopping by. Plenty of women take their que from porn. I of course don't think women are idiots. You know that.

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  2. Anonymous,

    Thanks for stopping by. I don't need my readers to agree with everything I say. I am open to dialogue. But it seems to me that you are not interested in dialogue, but rather in being right.

    Right from the start you insult me and that doesn't accomplish much, nor does it make me see you as credible. It shuts me down, deflates me, and makes me think; "God, could this guy have anything of any intelligence to say?" Not a good way to start things off, in my humble opinion.

    I do not think I am arrogant or uniformed. I will, however, admit to being long winded. I have always had difficulty, trimming the fat off of my stories.

    "Maybe thats why theres a stigma towards feminists. Its all on all the time, and you're more than likely going to open your mouth whether you have anything pertinent to say or not."
    --------------There is a plethora of reasons as to why feminists are stigmatized. I'm not clear as to what you mean when you say it's all on all the time. I don't know what that means. I think what I have said is pertinent but you disagree and therefore you feel it isn't pertinent.

    "As far as James goes I've known him for 12 years, and worked with him for about 5. I've had my troubles in life, and he has always been there to help me (and most people for that matter) with anything I need"
    -----------I don't claim to know his character and therefore I wouldn't assume that he is good or bad. What you say sounds wonderfully positive and I'm glad he's been such a good friend to you. I do not make the quick judgement that those in porn are of ill will. As I mentioned in my post, I mostly blame patriarchy as a whole which influences so much.


    "much of the slightly racially/gender based commentary between actors is just a bit of a way to lighten the mood."
    ---------I don't understand why it is that racism/sexism would be a way to lighten the mood. I don't understand why levity would have to go in that direction.

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  3. I understand that the films are scripted. That's common/basic knowledge. It understand it's not reality. That's part of the point. Porn pushes something that isn't real and something that is potentially harmful. Watching porn repeatedly has a potential to influence a relationship and also how a person views themselves and others around them.

    As a woman/human being, I can tell you that I feel negatively affected by pornography (which includes our pornographic society). That is valid, simply because I exist, and these are my feelings.

    "It's what the majority of porn watchers want, otherwise we'd be doing something else because it's all about $$."
    -----------I think that those in porn participate for a variety of reasons and yes, it makes sense that money would be number one. It's a big compromise in my view but some people love what they do. It depends on how one feels about sex. For ME sex is not for public display and I cannot separate intimacy for repeated sex with strangers. Again, I am speaking only for myself.

    "In my 5 or so years in the industry I have NEVER had a girl complain about Deen, or want to stop a scene or anything like that. And believe me these alt girls have no problem telling you their opinion, or standing up for themselves. I'll admit some of 'em scare ME a bit, and I've been around."
    --------------That's good. I'm glad no one is complaining about him. And I did not allude to the possibility of others feeling offended by him. And why is it the alt girls that stick up for themselves? The others don't? Standing up for oneself is important, no doubt. But sexism isn't limited to speaking up for oneself.

    "He likes to fuck, and being masogonistic, and an asshole rarely helps you get your dick wet. Remember people IT'S A MOVIE NOT REALITY."
    -----------Porn is misogynistic in itself. That's the message in my post. I understand that porn is not reality, but I am not interested in subjecting myself to film which tells me how I am supposed to be as a woman. A film which features women as play things and essentially less than fully human. Mainstream/straight porn, shows women as always loving whatever a man does, and always wanting more. Always willing.

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  4. "And believe me these alt girls have no problem telling you their opinion, or standing up for themselves. I'll admit some of 'em scare ME a bit, and I've been around."
    -------------That's great that no girl has complained about Deen. Why is it the alt girls that stand up for themselves? The others don't? Feminism is not limited to simply standing up for oneself.

    "and in closing "I'm tired of these mutha' fuckin' snakes on this mutha' fuckin' plane""
    ------------I know which movie you speak of but I've never seen it, so I don't know what it's about. Sorry.

    "I'm going to get a burrito."
    ---------Are you sure you're not James Deen?

    "Good luck with the whole feminism thing, maybe make it alittle shorter and more informed next time."
    ---------Good luck with the feminism THING, sounds condescending. As if it's trivial. Feminism is for everyone, not just women. I will feminism didn't have to exist, but patriarchy is here to stay, so it does. Those who oppose feminism have been incredibly influenced by patriarchy and also benefit from it, and therefore do not wish to erase it.

    I believe I am informed. I do not claim to know everything about anything, and I am always interested in learning more. So, even though we do not agree with each other, it was nice getting feedback.

    As far as writing shorter posts; no promises. Heh. As you can see, it's not easy for me.

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  5. James Deen is a Jew, and like all Jews, he employs highly paid PR teams and the eternally-complicit Jewish media to whitewash his crimes against Humanity (or in this case, Feminism).

    There is NO SUCH THING as a Feminist pornstar

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    1. Will,
      If you spend any amount of time at the "Race & Culture" archive of this blog, you will see that I take an anti-racist stance. If you describe yourself as a feminist; you must as well.

      Although pornography is a prime example of patriarchy, sex workers are capable of embracing views that are in keeping with feminism. Although I firmly reject what they do, I recognize that sex workers are often allies.

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  6. Very interesting. I totally hear your point about porn being detrimental to society and Deen being insensitive and objectifying women. BUT, I think he is super hot and find the scenes he does sexy.

    I guess that means I've drunk the KoolAid.

    BTW I don't agree that any of this means Deen is a bad person. To each his own, who are we to say his path is wrong?

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    1. Anonymous,
      Thanks for adding your two cents. First; I have no idea if Deen is a bad person and wouldn't commit to such a statement as I do not know him.

      My goal is not shame you or anyone else who enjoys pornography. I do however, believe that it is not only appropriate but important question porn on a micro and macro level.

      My opposition is not meant to police the fantasies of others but rather I am encouraging introspection. It is important to delve into the layers of our motivations and influences that prompt arousal.

      Even if a person were to make a conscious effort to remove the porn, it is more than likely that misogynist fantasies will remain. If a person is to get to a point where they understand and acknowledge that porn is harmful, I think personal fantasies will begin to shift. A process indeed.

      Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. There is nothing wrong with pornography. It is true that most of it is crap and made by people who obviously have no idea what turns women on, but that would be my only real complaint about it.

    The guy's have no idea how to turn on their co-stars and seem clueless about female anatomy. The women spend much too much time cock-worshipping - and not in a good, sexy, hot, fetish fantasy kind of way. And the cum on the face shots are ridiculous and completely ruin whatever good mood the flick was creating. It's much sexier to see the guy cum in the girl. Even better is to see a girl have an actual orgasm, not one of those fake, over-the-top, ridiculous things they always show. And if they could just keep up one GOOD position for at least a little while, it would be a million times better.

    All of these things are problems. Yes, I can concede that. It is misogynistic in that the women in the flicks are treated as mere props and their enjoyment and comfort are not considered as important. That's as far as I will go in agreeing with your basic argument.

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  8. I do not agree, however, that the simple act of watching people have sex for the sake of arousal and (hopefully) eventual orgasm is in and of itself misogynistic.

    I can understand if someone wishes to argue against it because they feel it is immoral. I can respect that everyone has different points of views when it comes to morality and I can respect their beliefs.

    I can even understand if someone genuinely does not "get" pornography. If their sex drive isn't geared that way, that's fine. I can try to see it from where they're coming from, even if I don't feel the same way at all.

    However, porn is not misogynistic. It is not objectively a message of hate against women. If watching people having sex just for the sake of enjoyment was awful in a completely objective sense, then couldn't the same thing be said about most romantic movies? Or dramas? Or basically anything where a man and a woman (or two women or two men) share a long and passionate kiss, caress one another or hold/nuzzle/brush against one another?

    All of these things are produced with the express purpose of creating an arousal in the audience. To stir them and make them feel something. In women, with our arousal being so dependent on our brains and all of the meaning attached to those kisses and caresses, the drama or romance surrounding them, those scenes can evoke strong sexual arousal. And of course, kissing and caresses are usually the beginning of actual sex.

    Perhaps the industry is sexist. I believe the same could be said for the mainstream movie industry as well. But that does not make the thing itself, the simple idea of sex on film, a sexist thing.

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    1. Anonymous,

      Thank you for your thoughts.

      "If watching people having sex just for the sake of enjoyment was awful in a completely objective sense, then couldn't the same thing be said about most romantic movies? Or dramas?"
      ---Certainly. Porn, however, takes it to a much different level.

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  9. Now, referring to Deen. Here is the real reason for Deen's popularity. He is the only performer who actually puts forth any effort to get the girl aroused. He seems to actually enjoy oral sex and he knows how to do it. He will go down on his partner for 30 minutes if that's what it takes. Longer, I imagine, but the length is cut down for the movies. He talks to the women throughout the entire thing, whispering to them, asking them if they are alright with what he's doing at the moment. He kisses them, actually makes out with them. He seems to genuinely care about their comfort during the filming. He doesn't just jam it into them dry. He tries to get them wet and aroused. In other words, he doesn't just treat them like props, completely secondary to his enjoyment.

    Yes, he does do the fetish porn. Yes, those involve consensual, scripted acts that are humiliating or uncomfortable. Some people like that stuff. Some women like that stuff. It is difficult to find good pornography that caters to people who's sexuality includes fetishes. Mostly because of people who do not have those desires, who do not understand, and who find it offensive and want those who like it to stop liking it.

    My message to people like that is simply this: there is a difference between fantasy and reality. Reality has a lot of limits. It is always consensual and anything short of total respect and equality will not be tolerated.

    Fantasy is limited only by my arousal, consent is optional, if not completely tossed aside. There is no room for political correctness in sexual arousal, and I refuse to have my private fantasies policed, not by men and not by women who feel it is their place to become the new tyranny, dictating to other women what they should and should not enjoy or want.

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    1. Anonymous,

      What you say about Deen, is common knowledge. He is viewed as the considerate porn star. Although I am in no way in favor of pornography, I can easily determine that some porn is "better" than other porn.

      You spoke of political correctness. I'm not sure what you mean, as I see no correlation between an anti-porn stance and political correctness.

      In responses to previous comments, I mention that my intent is not to police fantasies. I believe that a natural shift will occur if a person comes to understand that porn is harmful -- and the shift will take time.

      Regardless of Deen's staged tenderness, it remains sexist as porn is largely geared towards the male gaze. Certainly there are many women who love pornography, however, it's important to realize that the point of porn is to feature women who are always willing and always wanting more. "No" doesn't exist unless rape fantasies are played out in which, "no" actually means, "yes." This is an addition to our steady rape culture.

      Porn tells us that a woman's role and purpose is to serve as a source of appeal. The woman who provides it, is disposable. This is really the tip of the ice berg, but I to some degree you see where I'm at.

      Thanks for the feedback, Anonymous. Thanks for stopping by.
      ~Lady J

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  10. kos sher nagoo osgol...

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  11. Ok the way i see it is this. Being a woman and i like to watch porn i really like the videos with deen in them. Theres something about him cant explain it dont care to. And homestly it seems like he accually wants to get the woman off and thats sexy as hell.

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    1. Thanks for jotting down your opinion. I think there are a variety of reasons that he may want to get women off. I'm not confident that it comes from a place of respect, passion, and connectedness. Thanks, again for stopping by.

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  12. I know this is an old blog post but I just watched a video by Jessie Roberts about her leaving porn. It seems she may have implicated that James Deen was the reason she quit.

    She describes the scene which someone in the comments recognized and it was with him. She mentions him being a sadist which Deen is in his work at the least. She also described what happened after shooting when she was spending the night or what have you. Here's the link:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymWVWHOgDFM

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    1. Hello there. I have yet to watch the video but I wanted to get back to you. I know there have been porn actresses who have claimed rape. It's so terrible to think about. It's not entirely surprisingly that a porn actor would rape a woman, being that porn endorses rape culture. Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. Hi Lady J,

    I know this is old, and im not sure if you will see this. But I want to express my support for the views in this post.

    Porn is kidding itself when somehow its excusable to choke a woman and call her 'slut fucking whore' etc.

    It's a damned joke, and sadly its a battle we might not win, but thank you for speaking up. Don't head the keyboard warriors mate.

    I am a 22yr old male, no stranger to porn. I've woken up the lies it told me since I was an early teen, to think that young girls are getting into it now is heart breaking. James Deen is a disrespectful fuckwit who has solicited nothing but a negative impact upon this earth.

    Thanks again Lady J, Keep doing your thing xx

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    1. Hello there. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time. Thank you for being an ally. Keep on doing YOUR thing! I appreciate your sentiments. I understand that men too suffer from patriarchy. Turning away from porn is certainly not a popular thing to do if you're a male. I get that, and you have my support too. Be well!

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