Pineapple Support, the adult industry’s leading mental health nonprofit, is providing free therapy to any performer in the industry that has been the victim of sexual abuse or assault.
“The stories of the survivors who have come forward in recent weeks have been heartbreaking,” says Leya Tanit, founder of Pineapple Support. “While this is not a new issue, it made it an imperative to address head on.”
Pineapple Support will provide performers who have experienced sexual trauma with six completely free, one-on-one therapy sessions with specialized therapists, and has created a support page featuring myths and facts about rape and sexual assault.
“Rape and sexual abuse are extremely common,” says Tanit. “1 in 5 women in the US experiencing some kind of sexual abuse in their lifetime, but it’s not limited to them, of course. Assault, abuse and trauma can happen no matter what your gender.”
The inspiration behind the initiative was performer Demi Sutra, who reached out to Pineapple Support about the idea, and created an online fundraiser for this project, which has over $10,000.
“I originally wanted to gather a group of people and fans to donate to Pineapple so that we could somehow provide an even easier path into therapy,” says Demi Sutra. “While this idea was good, Pineapple created an even better one after we spoke. When they messaged me, explaining their new program specifically catered to survivors of sexual assault, I wept. I am in deep gratitude and I have a lot of hope and faith in their new program, and I can’t wait to find more ways to continue to be involved and help others.”
Pineapple Support was founded by Tanit in early 2018, in response to losses in the adult industry from depression, addiction and other mental illnesses. The organisation, which is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit in the United States and a registered charity in the UK, has so far connected over one thousand adult performers to mental health services, including free and low-cost, therapy, counseling and emotional support.
For more information and to request therapy as part of the initiative, visit Pineapple Support. To donate to the online fundraiser organized by Demi Sutra, visit Give Lively.
