UCLA learned the hardcore truth today that porn is not glamorous. During a panel discussion on the lack of employee health and safety in the porn industry - which included former porn actress Shelley Lubben, Executive Director of the Pink Cross Foundation; Paula Tavrow, director of UCLA's Bixby Program in Population and Reproductive Health; Whitney Engeran-Cordova, director of the Public Health Division of AIDS Healthcare Foundation; Mr. Marcus a current porn performer/director; and Executive Director of the Free Speech Coalition, Diane Duke - the debate heated up and they certainly duked it out!

Shelley Lubben told the hardcore truth about the hazards and the rampant disease on unsafe and unsupervised porn sets. She also talked about the consequences of unsafe sex during hardcore porn acts which she knows about all too well. Her time in porn resulted in Herpes, pregnancy complications, severe anemia, uterine ablation, and removal of over half of her cervix due to early cervical cancer from HPV.

When questioned on how she knew these consequences came from porn and not her six years of prostitution before she entered porn, Lubben replied, “I never had STDs until I did porn. I had protected sex as a prostitute. I didn’t do as hard of (sex) acts in prostitution. I never did anal until I got to porn.” Although Lubben states unequivocally that prostitution is still horrible, porn is worse.

The porn industry continues to deny the reality of the harm and abuse it inflicts upon human beings. The rampant sexually transmitted diseases, the false sense of security given to the performers, the industry’s fraudulent doctors and employers, the drugs and alcohol, the brutality against women – all adds up to an abusive, disease filled, deadly industry where workers daily risk their lives.

Many women in porn speak of their hopes and dreams to only do porn for a short while and then one day get married and start a family. How tragic is to get to that point only to learn that all of the rough and abusive acts they were subjected to and all of the STDs they contracted have led to infertility or serious (potentially life threatening) long term health problems with their reproductive organs?

Diane Duke of the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) who was there on behalf of the producers defended the industry’s current testing system as 'remarkable' but it was pointed out that testing ‘does not prevent anything.’ Current porn star Mr. Marcus, a 17 year veteran of the industry who has appeared in over 50 gangbang movies which are known for their brutal acts, showed up to defend the industry - yet in a meeting that was filled with testimony of violence against women and damage to the reproductive health of women, it was hardly convincing.

Where is the testimony of the 18-19 year old woman that has been in porn for only a short time? What is her experience like when she walks onto a mostly male porn set at a private location and is forced to do brutal, unprotected sex acts?

No other porn performers showed up to defend the industry - which is the norm for public debates. Why do porn actors rarely show up? There have been several state and local meetings in the last two years and yet only a handful of porn stars have ever showed up. Mainly producers and lawyers for the industry show up at these meetings. Why is that?

Mr. Marcus spoke of a need for ‘more education’ in the industry. We agree on that point. No woman should go into porn on the false promise that they will be kept safe, or that the porn industry is concerned about the health and safety of their employees. They say they are, but their actions speak otherwise. Just two weeks ago, Diane Duke wrote an article in the adult industry trade magazine titled, “FSC: On the Forefront of Fighting for Your Bottom Line.”

Who is fighting for the health and safety of these people? Certainly not the industry. But we will! Not only that, Pink Cross demands that the entire industry be shutdown until it is in compliance with state law. The current workplace health and safety laws must be enforced. The porn industry is currently operating illegally. We also know that the porn industry is full of rampant disease and thrives on illegal activity such as drug trafficking, prostitution and brutality against women.

The Pink Cross will fight for those in this industry that is driven by money over everything else – even the health and safety of its own workers! That is wrong and we cannot and will not tolerate that kind of treatment of human beings who are made in the image of God. Will you join us? As panelist Whitney Engeran-Cordova profoundly stated, “No one should be disposable.”

We will not apologize for telling the truth about how porn destroys lives. We cannot be silent while porn continues to damage people in the name of the almighty dollar. People are worth more – they deserve to be told the truth! We love these people too much to not tell them the truth. And we will continue to do so…