SAN FRANCISCO – Kink.com, one of the largest producers of fetish content in the world, has overhauled its long-standing Model Bill of Rights in an effort to better protect performers in the adult industry from sexual assault and harassment.
The overhaul comes in the wake of sexual assault and rape allegations leveled against adult performer James Deen by nearly a dozen female performers. A few of the accusers said incidents occurred on Kink.com sets.
Deen has denied all allegations. He specifically noted that any actions taking place during Kink.com shoots were consensual and occurred as part the fantasy role-playing required on camera.
Though Kink.com has maintained policies and procedures almost since its founding, the company elected to make its written presentation more comprehensive and explicit.
The revised rights address performer safety both on- and off-set, provide multiple and confidential ways to report incidents, and stress affirmative consent as a guiding principal for performer interactions.
“This is just the first-step in a larger effort to strengthen performer protections on-set,” said spokesman Mike Stabile. “We’re also updating our shooting guidelines, instituting reporting protocols, and working with performers outside of the company to make sure that our sets are safe and that performers are protected.”
The new protocols, entitled Model Rights and Responsibilities, expands previous performer protections to better address issues of sexual assault and harassment, as well as sobriety, transphobia and payment. Included in the updated protections are:
An expansion of the previous protections to include all interactions, on and off set.
A requirement that on-set consent does not equal off-set consent, with an affirmative consent model — “only yes means yes” — as a marker for expected behavior.
A provision for escorting models to and from sets.
A guarantee to provide private bathrooms and showers.
An increase in check-ins with models after a shoot.
Insurance of multiple confidential methods for reporting incidents or concerns.
All performers who work with Kink will review and sign the new protocols before shooting, Stabile said.
The new model bill of rights may be viewed here.
