The Adult Performers Association :-)

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Nica Noelle has had similar conflicting feelings as I have about the direction the adult industry has been heading, specifically as it relates to the overall welfare of adult performers.

Twitter brought us together via a growing awareness of the bullying those who speak out are subjected to.  I love twitter, and that love for twitter only grows as more unexpected but really great opportunities present themselves. :-)
We started discussing ideas, what the future of adult could hold for adult performers, and ways we could turn it around. It turns out that while our ideas may differ slightly in how the end result is expressed, the core values and beliefs are in line with one another.

At one point I told her, “I’m on the verge of either walking away from this industry and throwing my hands up in disgust, or wanting to metaphorically hijack it at gunpoint (metaphors, don’t take me literally) & and convince the drivers they’re taking the wrong turns.”

She laughed in agreement.

We created AdultPerformers.org, the homesite of the organization we’re founding, Adult Performers Association.  While it echoes a lot of ideas I have personally, some of which I’ve expressed on this blog, or on my other sites blogs, it is it’s own entity, which is the product of many voices, not just mine.  Some of my own personal beliefs I’m not even going to bother trying to insert into that organization, because I realize that ultimately it won’t help APA achieve its goal of being a unifying element for adult performers.

Two or three years ago Madison Young and I had discussed creating a site that was essentially a portal to adult performer friendly representatives from various relevant non adult industries, but then life got in the way, and it remained just an idea.. Until now. Madison Young is also onboard with helping develop an organization we can all be proud of.

There are others who are working with us, but prefer to wait a bit to see what kind of bullying and fear mongering occurs before they want to be publicly acknowledged.

I highly encourage you to take some time and look over AdultPerformers.org to see if it’s something you’d like to be supportive of.  I hope it is.  We’re excited for feedback, from everyone, as long as it’s constructive criticism or suggestions.

I’ll be keeping this blog, as there are personal opinions that I have that aren’t appropriate for APA, as they may hinder it’s growth, or have polarizing reactions.  And ultimately, while I still think they are important ideas to have out in the open, I think the existence and growth of a useful association for adult performer’s trumps my personal feelings on certain issues, so I’ll be keeping some things compartmentalized.

 

-JS

 

Responses to the previous APHSS blog, from MikeSouth.com

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Comments reposted from MikeSouth.com

16 comments to APHSS- The Evolving Replacement for AIM

  • DWB

    Just.. wow.

  • abutnik

    Hi Mike:

    A few minor technical points. When programming a web app using Ruby-on-Rails (RoR), the output is usually HTMLwhich is the HyperText Markup Language sent to your browser for rendering into a web page. Ruby is the language used by the Ruby-on-Rails web framework. A programmer would write the web app in Ruby using RoR to handle the common tasks that almost all web apps need (accessing a database, writing HTML back to the user, parsing a web address, etc). RoR is well regarded and trusted by many app developers. The Phusion Passenger module simplifies deployment of the app on Apache (a popular web server).

    As for the recency of the PHP versions, the PHP 5.2 and the PHP 5.3 languages are considered separate product lines since some older PHP code cannot run on 5.3. The latest version of PHP in the 5.2 line is the version that they are running (5.2.17) which was released on Jan 6, 2011 and only included one fix since the code is quite old and stable in the 5.2 line. From a security standpoint, old and stable is usually preferred to the new code (take salt grain now) because new code invariably contains undiscovered bugs (depends on many factors though – not always).

    I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that security is a process and not a product (a famous security quote). You don’t get security by just loading the newest code. Many hacks started by people scamming valid credentials from support staff (so-called social engineering). Big topic. Anyway, best-regards.

  • DWB

    *crickets*

    Expected this one to be a long drawn out comment exchange, but the silence actually says more.

  • richard373

    This issue being toss under rug buy the male porn star who may or may not have hiv.

  • Morning. Since this isn’t my blog, and I’ve been a bit busy with a sick friend, I only now checked in to see comments, after reading Mike’s latest posts.

    @Abutnik I just reread what I’d written based on your comment. Clearly, I need to get better at proof reading :-) ”is” was meant to be “isn’t”, and actually on rereading, a better way to have said what I was trying to get across would have been “.. the output of the filenames usually isn’t php”.

    As I’m still just learning to program using Ruby this year, I’m not going to debate with you on php versions, as you probably do know more about that than I do. However in discussions with various programmers, I have heard that using the most recent version of software that is no longer in Beta testing is preferred, as there is less online documentation about ways to exploit that version.

    I agree that security is a process, not a product. But I subscribe to the notion that Security Through Obscurity is an obsolete model. So it seriously disturbs me that there isn’t a security advisor on the APHSS advisory board. Nor has there been mention of implementing periodic independent security audits.

    But the biggest issue in my eyes, is the flippant disregard that has been given to protecting performer’s legal names.

    I understand that the issue of anonymity online is a hot topic right now. Rather than just giving up people’s privacy rights as a lost battle, I think it is important to stand up for what has been defined as a human right by the UN, in addition to defending the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which was also later declared a human right.

  • mharris127

    Saying that Maggie Mayhem (I think she is the original author) isn’t qualified to comment on APHSS because she is kinky (and was a sex educator at one point BTW) is like saying Peter Acworth isn’t qualified to speak on economic issues for the same reason (Peter has a masters in economics and completed part of a doctoral program in the same field). Everyone has the right to comment but please keep it civil. In my experience kinky people are generally more educated and cultured than the general population, many if not most in the kinky end of the biz have a bachelor’s degree or higher, so saying someone can’t make a educated comment because she “crushing mens privates for $” is a bit moronic to say.

  • I never said Maggie was not qualified to comment because she’s kinky. Anyone is qualified to have an opinion — that’s not what this was about.

    In any case, my comment was addressed to Ms. Seraph, not Ms. Mayhem.

    Speaking of civility, Ms. Seraph has the unique quirk of being very friendly and civil AT FIRST — right up until you give her an answer she doesn’t like, and then she goes apeshit. Perhaps you’ve encountered people like that. It’s called a personality disorder. I have never considered her a bad person — in fact I think she is a decent, good hearted person. But, like me at times, she flies off the handle — only I don’t come across as solicitous and sweet-as-pie at first only to then turn into a “mercurial count” (her self description) on a dime. That’s HER gift.

    I’m tired of talking about her, really. She attacked both Joanne and me personally before I went after her. She had first contacted me asking for assistance with PWL, and I assisted her in any way I could. I had nothing against her (I’d never even heard of her) but, frankly, even if I’d hated her guts at that point I still would have helped her against PWL. It was only later that she went apeshit. I wish it hadn’t gone the way it did, but what’s done is done. I’ve learned from the experience, and I hope she has too. In all sincerity, I wish her the best of luck.

  • mharris127

    Apologies, then Michael. Those Twitter screencaps are notoriously difficult to read, especially for one who does not use Twitter. Having Bipolar I disorder (controlled by medication) myself, I know all too well about mental illness. Assuming you are correct (I do not know her personally), January would be a very “interesting” talent member to hire (possibly losing her temper in a severe manner responding to a normal request) — personality disorders such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Conduct Disorder (I have never experienced either one personally, fortunately) are not something to fuck with, people have actually been killed due to others with these disorders being untreated. I hope this observation is not a foreboding of something tragic in the future happening.

  • I hope so too, but I do not mean to imply that she’s some kind of ticking time-bomb. I lack the full factual record and the professional accreditation to make a medical / psychiatric diagnosis, and I’m no psychic — I can only report that she has a really lousy personality at times, even amongst people who are trying to help and/or have helped her, and that people would be well-served to be aware of this before engaging with her.

    Let me clarify one thing: when she contacted me for guidance in the PWL matter, I already knew her feelings about FSC, I had already read statements of hers which to me indicated support for the .xxx extortion scheme, AND I knew she had already attacked Joanne personally, in multiple forums. But I corresponded with her anyway, hoping that these issues would not become a problem, and that she would not flip out on me too eventually; I did not assume it to be inevitable. There’s a great line in the movie Dead Again: “If fate works at all, it’s because people think that THIS time it isn’t going to happen.”

  • @mharris127 What you’re seeing here is a clash of beliefs about what direction the adult industry, specifically testing should be going. Unfortunately, rather than respond to my queries, answer questions, or discuss ideas with me, some people have just decided to resort to character assassination and defamation, citing unknown sources and invisible armies. And then there’s the usual anonymous trolls that have been sent my way online to annoy.

    I will acknowledge that I was incredibly upset when I discovered the FSC really wasn’t interested in actively pursuing the defense or protection of adult performers while PWL was still up, and instead said they represent the adult industry’s interests, and referred me to sex worker outreach groups. I had been told and believed that the FSC represented the adult industry at large, not with the exception of adult performers. However, the nature of my remarks and responses since that first week have been about real issues, and ideas, not personal attacks, or defamatory and libelous statements about other people’s mental health or just statements which are catty, and directed in a very malicious way at a person. If I chose to engage in a war of baseless personal insults, I’d be as bad as those whose antics I’m fairly disgusted by right now, and it would devalue the ideas I’m trying to get across.

    I have never had a problem with a director that has hired me, a tv network I’ve done segments for, nor have I had problems on set with anyone I’ve shot for my current site or previous network of sites.

    I do stand up for myself. I do have opinions, some of which aren’t always popular with the “in” crowd. I’ve never been able to accept other groups’ propaganda at face value, so I research issues, and give them serious consideration before forming my own opinion. I don’t follow the herd, and if I think someone is wrong, I’ll tell them. Those qualities tend to be rather polarizing. People tend to either love me or hate me. Ultimately it doesn’t matter, because I like who I am, so I don’t really care what other people think. I do care if their baseless attempts to defame me potentially damage my career or professional reputation.

    Clearly, the very topic of my particular niche in the adult world can seem very controversial and even threatening to some. And, some are quick to assert that an online persona which I created specifically for FemDom adult videos is all there is to me, without ever having met me. I guess I can see how that might be confusing, from afar. My life and interactions with people are very neutral for the most part, unless it’s someone who’s signed up to play D/s games with me, at which point it’s structured adult role play. That’s it.

    I’m currently frustrated that my comment I made in the late morning of Aug 31st on this thread hasn’t been approved, yet this discussion is able to continue without my having an opportunity to respond. But that’s life. If I truly had a personality disorder, or was a danger, wouldn’t all hell have broken loose by now?

    Best Regards,
    January
    Sept 2nd

  • Let me start by giving credit where credit is due: January Seraph opposes the outing of an allegedly HIV+ performer — here or elsewhere — and, as someone who opposed PWL as fiercely as anyone (and more than many), I commend her. As she tweeted to Mike the other day: “I think it’s wrong to out someone like this, regardless of circumstances around it” and “I get your point of view, but from where I stand, it doesn’t look like all the facts are in.” I could not agree more.

    In the spirit of detente, I’d like to offer a friendly suggestion to Ms. Seraph: release BOTH sides of our twitter exchange, and link to your myriad insulting posts, tweets and comments regarding FSC and Joanne personally. I also grant her permission to release our entire email correspondence (minus any portion that either of us may have stated off the record or otherwise in confidence — I do not recall if anything was stated off the record). At least then she’d be owning up to the full factual record. I am confident that, once that full record is available, her statement that “rather than respond to my queries, answer questions, or discuss ideas with me, some people have just decided to resort to character assassination and defamation” will be considered hilarious — or, shall we say, unfounded — by any openminded observer.

    I must add that I love it when people charge that the only reason others criticize them is because somehow those persons are “threatened” by them. Ms. Seraph has tweeted that my very manhood must be threatened by her — no doubt by her patent excellence, intelligence, charm, skill and prowess. It couldn’t possibly be that I simply think she’s a disingenuous hot mess who REFUSED to answer my questions or support her ridiculous positions (such as, that the database poses a risk to private health data even though it contains NO HEALTH DATA) in favor of continuing her tirade.

    My position on the APHSS database and website is quite simple: the best, if not the ONLY, way to truly protect private information is to narrowly LIMIT the type of information that it goes into the database. For God’s sake, the CIA was hacked. Sony was hacked, etc… As the plethora of international news reports about hacking scandals makes clear, NO SYSTEM is 100% secure. But if it isn’t in there, it can’t be stolen; it really is that simple. The APHSS system contains NO health data. Full stop.

    In my opinion, this case is just like Ms. Seraph’s position on .xxx — which she, unsurprisingly, neglects to address on this site. It would appear that she really thinks she knows so much more than Hustler, AEBN, Manwin, Kink.com, Evil Angel, Pink Visual, Wasteland.com, YNOT, Adult Webmaster Empire, et al.

  • Hello Michael,

    Since you seem to have calmed down a bit and are being more reasonable at the moment, I’m open to discussing my views on the various topics you bring up. However, since the issue of .xxx is an entirely separate subject from APHSS, I’ll take the time to be thorough on writing my thoughts on each, and will post them as separate blogs.

    APHSS is now directly related to one of the core metrics that the non profit I’m founding is based on, so I’ll post on that subject on http://AdultPerformerAdvocate.org . I’ll make sure to include our correspondence history as well, both in email and twitter.

    Regarding Sony being hacked, they had repeatedly been warned that their security system was incredibly flawed. When a teenager hacked his PS3 for greater usability, Sony decided to sue him, and then Anonymous retaliated by exploiting the same security weaknesses that Sony was suing a minor over. I’m not saying it’s right, but Sony also sort of set themselves up to be the bad guy in that scenario, and repeatedly was warned of vulnerabilities, but did nothing to fix them. http://bit.ly/gfxNmb Apple recently tried a different approach with the kid who hacked the Iphones with JailBreakMe 2 and Jailbreak 3 which seems to be a more reasonable response http://onforb.es/qlPG0f
    And then of course, it is important to note that the CIA wasn’t actually “hacked” in that none of their private records were accessed and exploited, however they were the victim of a DOS (Denial of Service) attacks which lasted several hours.

    The new tld .XXX is an unrelated topic to APHSS, and has nothing to do with the purpose of APA, so I’ll post my thoughts on that on my own personal blog, as it’s solely my own opinion, and has no relation to the APHSS privacy issues I’m concerned about as a function of APA.

    Regarding your girlfriend and the FSC, I think it’s sweet that you stick up for her the way that you do. Although, I’d personally be embarrassed if I needed my significant other to fix any disputes with other people for me. I’m happy to expand upon my correspondence with or statements about both Joanne and the FSC. But to reiterate, that’s a personal issue that is unrelated to APHSS and the privacy issues around it. So again, I’ll be posting that on my personal blog, so as not to get my personal feelings confused with the agenda Adult Performer Advocate, which is poised to quickly become a useful resource for adult performers.

    As a side note about APA, there are other founding members who might make better senior members of the board than I, as I am aware that I can be quite polarizing to some groups and individuals. So I may just be a voting board member, and let someone else run the show, if we decide it would ensure a better response from the under represented community of adult performers that we’re looking to provide support to. I’m not on some mission for glory, I just think it’s something that needs to be done, no one else has stepped in to create something useful yet, so I feel compelled to start the process of growing a support network that will address the needs of performers from before they set foot on the first shoot, providing them better tools and resources to reduce harm and preserve their chances at leaving the adult industry unscathed, and providing resources and options on how to transition out one day, should they choose to do so.

    I’ve got other priorities today and tomorrow, but you can check my respective websites for those specific blog posts by Monday evening.

    Best Regards,
    January

  • January refuses to acknowledge my kind words for her, except to write (in typical condescending style): “Since you seem to have calmed down a bit and are being more reasonable at the moment” — as if my criticisms had no validity and were UNreasonable simply because I was outraged at her. You’re an amateur, Ms. Seraph, and you have failed Rhetoric 101.

    But this cow’s condescension continues: “I think it’s sweet that you stick up for her the way that you do. Although, I’d personally be embarrassed if I needed my significant other to fix any disputes with other people for me.” Who the fuck ever said that anyone NEEDED me to do anything? Ridiculing you is a pleasure for me. And YOU contacted ME, babe. Unlike other men you know, January, I don’t take marching orders from any women in my life. I’m not one of your fanboys (fanboi’s?) who wants to get pegged.

    I love the part where you write that your own little website, Adult Performer Advocate, “is poised to quickly become a useful resource for adult performers.” Maybe Mike’ll even put you in his sidebar — then you’ll have “made it” for sure! You also note, “there are other founding members who might make better senior members of the board than I, as I am aware that I can be quite polarizing to some groups and individuals.” People would have to actually REGARD you and consider you relevant to be polarized over you. Few people in the adult industry could pick you out of a line-up. You’re not polarizing, you’re self-aggrandizing and ridiculous; it’s a distinction worth noting.

    And you have still not answered my query: you’ve claimed repeatedly that private health data is included in the APHSS database. WHAT HEALTH DATA, January? Are you capable of answering a simple question? What medical data is in that database? You cannot answer because, as we all know, you pulled that claim out of your ass. There is NO medical data in the database.

    And once again, I’m not surprised that you refuse to discuss .xxx sTLD here on Mike’s site. That’s just the kind of brave person you are.

  • Sigh. My responding to you at all was my acknowledgement Michael. Because after you hijacked Hollie’s interview on TheRealPornWikiLeaks.com (http://therealpornwikileaks.com/2011/08/hollie-stevens-refuses-to-grow-bush-starts-tree-on-fire/ ) I’d decided not having any direct communication with you would be the best choice. I was just reminded of that when I read your latest screaming response to me. So this is truly the last time I’ll say anything to you Mr Whiteacre.

    1. Had I known that you had any affiliation with the FSC or Joanne when Cyndi Loftus sent me your way, I never would have spoken to you from the beginning. There has never been any begging on my end, nor has there been any abuse directed at you, only some questions, and civil correspondence.

    2. I resent the anti-sex worker language you fling about at the drop of a hat, and the derogatory way that you characterize people, specifically men, that I play with. They are all extraordinary, strong people who deserve more respect than that.

    3. Perhaps because you are too involved with creating more character assassination efforts aimed at me, you’ve neglected to read my concerns entirely.

    “PornWikiLeaks hasn’t even been down for a month yet, but somehow memories seem to be fading of exactly what information was used against us to perpetuate that organized harassment and terror. For the majority of us, it wasn’t “health data” that fueled the fire of that hell, it was the mere linkage of our legal names with our performer names, which just happened to be obtained by a medical database breach.”

    I’ve never said that APHSS has “health data” that puts as at risk. I’ve criticized the signup process, and the fact that there is an online repository with only adult performer’s legal names. Just having that online makes it a target.

    Here are two suggestions, in the “spirit of detente”;

    a) Place a warning disclaimer on the APHSS signup page advising performer’s to signup with an email address that doesn’t contain their performer name. Don’t ask them for their phone number on the signup page, or suggest they create a new google voice number if you feel that you need that.

    b) Anonymizing legal names by turning them into a series of letters or numbers which is then posted online, would be a smart thing to do. Keep the database that contains the linkage of legal names and the assigned anonymized numbers or characters offline, so it’s not hackable.

    As far as the blog posts I said I’d make- I retract the offer, given your latest round of hostility. Please direct your tirades elsewhere.

     

    Ms. Seraph writes: ‘I’ve never said that APHSS has ‘health data’ that puts as at risk.” Read her tweets (if she hasn’t already deleted them). Even reading the Twitter screenshots above (with only my replies) demonstrates that I was responding to that very statement by her. She couldn’t answer me then and she can’t answer me now, so she tries to deny that she ever made that ridiculous claim. Yes, she did raise the issue of performer names, but it was mentioned IN ADDITION to a (false) claim about health data.

    Perhaps that’s why, after I suggested she include the COMPLETE record, she changed her mind about making those posts…

    This is like a three year-old closing her eyes and think she can’t be seen. You can’t tut-tut your actions, statements and positions into oblivion, Ms. Seraph.

    I’m not hostile to sex workers, Ms. Seraph, I’m hostile to hypocrites, charlatans and the outrageously deranged. I vociferously support and promote the rights of sex workers. It’s YOU I have a problem with, not sex workers. As for the men you, ahh hemmm, “play with” — maybe we should let that one be . . . .

    And I have news for you, Ms. Seraph: as someone who puts her image and likeness (even the image of her entire body), as well as her thoughts on issues of public concern, out before the public, and who offers personal services to members of the public, you have a diminished expectation of privacy. As soon as someone is recognizable in public, their expectation of privacy goes down. Period. You’re going to get recognized at the supermarket by someone — there’s no two ways about it. This doesn’t mean you have NO expectation of privacy, it means you have LESS of an expectation of privacy than private citizens who have not placed their likeness, philosophy and persona into the stream of commerce.

    Your face and body are recognizable. You’ve appeared in magazines, fetish videos and porn videos (working with women as well as with what Mike and others here would consider dreaded male “crossover” performers). You create and contribute to advocacy websites and hold yourself out as a resource to others. You meet with members of the public, one or more of whom might conceivably follow you home or to another location. You are a recognizable (if marginal) figure. And your legal name, like it or not, constitutes truthful information.

    That said, should you be harassed, attacked, threatened or extorted by virtue of these facts? ABSOLUTELY NOT. That’s why I opposed the evil of PWL. But you are not a purely private citizen, minding her own business, working at a book store in some small town. You have placed your image, your likeness, your writings, and a “persona” out before the public and into the stream of commerce.

    As for the blog posts on the subject of .xxx I’d hoped you’d be brave enough to thoughtfully compose — don’t worry, I’ll collect your statements on .xxx FOR YOU, dear, and make them available to those who are interested in what you’re really all about. Who’s afraid of the truth, right?

    Cordially,

    MW