CHATSWORTH, Calif. – Following the eruption of rape allegations over the Thanksgiving weekend, adult performer-director James Deen has resigned from the board of directors for the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee. Deen served as the board’s chairman.
APAC provides adult performers with organized representation in matters of health, safety and community.
According to a prepared statement, Deen’s resignation was voluntary.
The first rape allegation emerged just before noon on Saturday, when Deen’s former girlfriend Stoya took to Twitter to voice her displeasure about the way fans idolized as a feminist “the guy who raped” her.
“James Deen held me down and fucked me while I said no, stop, used my safeword,” she tweeted. “I just can’t nod and smile when people bring him up anymore.”
Four hours later, Joanna Angel, another of Deen’s ex-girlfriends, tweeted her support for Stoya: “You have my support @stoya. I’m here for you.”
Both women are adult performers and directors.
A second rape allegation surfaced Saturday night, when former adult performer Tori Lux distributed a statement accusing Deen of “ruthlessly attack[ing] and degrad[ing” her on a porn set in June 2011.
“While James wasn’t performing with me that day, he was present on set, and almost immediately after I’d finished my scene James began to antagonize me,” the statement noted. When she rejected his sexual advances, he “disregarded [the rejection] by grabbing me by the throat and shoving me down onto a mattress on the floor.
“He then straddled my chest, pinning down my arms with his knees and raised his hand above his head, swinging it down and hitting me in the face and head with an open palm. He did this 5 or 6 times, hard, and finally got off of me. I stood up, disoriented, my jaw sore, and before I could collect myself, he grabbed me by my hair and shoved me to my knees, forcing my face into his crotch several times before shoving me to the floor.”
In the statement, Lux said she “was completely stunned” by the way no one on the set intervened. She also noted she didn’t report the alleged assault or speak out about it because “historically, people (including the police) tend to operate from the assumption that sex workers have put themselves in harm’s way, and therefore can’t be assaulted — which is incorrect, as being involved in sex work does not equate being harmed.”
On Saturday night via Twitter, Deen called Stoya’s accusations “false and defamatory.”
“I respect women and I know and respect limits both professionally and privately,” he continued.
Neither Deen nor Stoya has tweeted since, and Deen has not responded to Lux’s accusation.
APAC’s statement about Deen’s resignation, distributed Monday, voiced support for assault victims but made clear the organization would not take sides in a dispute between members of the organization.
“APAC recognizes the seriousness of the statements made by performers in the community and that they indicate a major conflict between a board member and other members of the organization,” the statement noted. “The APAC board wants to state unequivocally that we stand with performers and other sex workers who are victims of any sort of sexual assault. APAC is committed to being a safe space for performers, and to creating a safer and healthier industry.”
Performer-director Chanel Preston will step into the position of APAC chairman of the board while continuing to serve as the organization’s president.
Image: James Deen, via APAC
