Stoya accused adult film star and former boyfriend James Deen of sexual assault in a series of tweets posted to her account over the weekend.
Her tweets started on Saturday afternoon , according to a report via the Huffington Post . Stoya shared the simple but short tweet that revealed a lot about what happened during their relationship.
“That thing where you log in to the internet for a second and see people idolizing the guy who raped you as a feminist. That thing sucks.”
In addition, Stoya shared an explicit tweet that detailed what James Deen did to her during what was supposed to be a special intimate moment together. Stoya hasn’t made any more comments on social media and has not responded to the media for comment. Deen released a statement on Instagram and Twitter, calling the sexual assault allegations “false and defamatory.”
“There have been some egregious claims made about me on social media. I want to assure my friends, fans and colleagues that these allegations are both false and defamatory. I respect women and I know and respect limits both professional and privately.”
Then another one of Deen’s famous ex-girlfriends and former adult stars, Joanna Angel, shared her support for Stoya.
You have my support @stoya . I’m here for you. https://t.co/KQZzHVIwcP
— Joanna Angel (@JoannaAngel) November 28, 2015
Deen has not responded to a request for comment from the media about the sexual assault allegations.
The internet has since reacted harshly to Stoya’s comments. Some said that adult film stars cannot be raped, while others claimed that Deen is the golden boy of “ feminist porn ” and the “ porn star for the ladies .” The 29-year-old performer then achieved mainstream fame by starring in The Canyons alongside Lindsay Lohan and starring in Farrah Abraham’s sex tape.
Amid all of the backlash, social media is obviously sick of the stereotypes against sex workers and the assumption that they can’t be raped. Even the hashtag #SolidarityWithStoya has trended, sharing their support for the adult actress, sharing their own experiences, and ending the myths about sexual assault.
Amelia McDonell-Parry, editor-in-chief of women’s website the Frisky , announced that she will no longer publish the regular sex advice column from Deen .
“I very much liked James Deen. I enjoyed working with him on WWJDD. I asked him to do an advice column because I liked his directness and his confidence, but most of all, I liked his emphasis on communication, honesty and, most of all, CONSENT.”
Four hours after James Deen denied the allegations on social media, a second woman came forward with similar claims. In her essay published on the Daily Beast , former adult star Tori Lux described the assault that took place after an adult film shoot in 2011. According to Lux, Deen took advantage of her after she filmed a shoot. Lux never reported the incident or spoke out about it because of the misconception about sex workers.
“The reason for that is because people — including the police — tend to believe that sex workers have placed themselves in harm’s way, and therefore can’t be assaulted. Of course, this claim couldn’t be further from the truth, as being involved in sex work does not equate to being harmed.”
Adult film star also revealed to the Daily Beast that James Deen is one of the many performers she refuses to work with. But unfortunately, female adult film stars are often seen as “difficult” to work with if they refuse to work with certain male performers.
“The reason I put him on my ‘no list’ was because he almost raped me. The only time I’d ever seen this guy, he walked into the green room at Kink [studios], picks up Jessie Cox like a caveman, grabs her by the hair, and takes her off somewhere… and I can only imagine.”
Even standup comedian and writer Jenn Tisdale has since changed her views on James Deen. She updated her article “This One Time: My Amateur Porn Date With James Deen” to share that she stands by Stoya . It’s likely that more victims will come out, especially since Deen has slept with hundreds of women due to his line of work.
[Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images for Maserati]