On October 22, 2016, I became the 11th woman to accuse President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct.
The Trump campaign publicly stated that not only did he not know me, he “would have no interest in ever knowing” me. Two days later, during an interview with New Hampshire radio station WGIR where he was directly questioned about me, he said:
“These stories that are made up, these are total fiction. You’ll find out that, in the years to come, these women that stood up, it was all fiction. They were made up. I don’t know these women, it’s not my thing to do what they say. You know I don’t do that. I don’t grab them, as they say, on the arm. One said, ‘he grabbed me on the arm.’ And she’s a porn star. You know, this one that came out recently, ‘he grabbed me and he grabbed me on the arm.’ Oh, I’m sure she’s never been grabbed before.”
This, from the same person who was caught on the Access Hollywood tapes saying he grabs women “by the pussy.”
To have my accusations dismissed due to my occupation was infuriating, but it was nothing new in this day of rampant rape culture and victim blaming. Victims of sexual misconduct, assault, and rape are often subject to a litany of questions about what they were wearing, whether they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, how many people they previously had sex with, why did they put themselves in such a predicament and more. This means many are forced to relive their trauma again and again when testifying in courtrooms. It’s no wonder so many assaults go unreported. This is why abusers go unpunished.
Trump lawyer and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani picked up that torch and ran with it at the Globes Capital Market conference last week in Tel Aviv, Israel, attacking Stormy Daniels.
“…I’m sorry, I don’t respect a porn star the way I respect a career woman or a woman of substance or a woman who has great respect for herself as a woman and as a person and isn’t going to sell her body for sexual exploitation. So Stormy, you want to bring a case, let me cross examine you. Because the business you’re in entitles you to no degree of giving your credibility any weight. And secondly, explain to me how she could be damaged. I mean, she has no reputation. If you’re going to sell your body for money, you just don’t have a reputation. Maybe old fashioned, I don’t know.”
I, along with many other folks within our industry, am very much a career woman. Not only am I a performer, I’m also a writer, director, producer, and sex educator. I’m still contracted to Wicked Pictures, the company that I was working for years ago, in Lake Tahoe, where this saga began. I own my name and trademark, which I license to other companies to receive residuals and royalties. I have traveled the world for my career that has so far, spanned more than 17 years.
Am I not a woman of substance? I have worked with Habitat for Humanity for almost a decade. I volunteered on The Jimmy Carter Work Project in Haiti after the earthquake, not once but twice. I have climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. I formed TEAM WICKED for AIDS Walk LA, and so far, we have raised $100,000 for HIV/AIDS research.
I am an intersectional feminist. I’m an advocate for PrEP. I am an activist. And I am not the only one. Sex workers have substance.
Sell my body? Never. No more than any other laborer sells you theirs. Is a surgeon selling you their hands? No. They are selling their time. I am selling my time. They sell their services, I sell mine. I am selling a fantasy. I retain control over my body and what happens to it. And by the way, many porn stars and sex workers understand bodily autonomy, boundaries and consent better than the general public.
And even the president.
That said, the real danger here is the perpetuating of this archaic misogynistic ideology. We cannot dismiss a woman because she is a sex worker. You cannot say that because we receive money in exchange for sex in some way, we are less entitled to rights afforded to all human beings. And when you do it to sex workers, not only is it insulting, it is also life-threatening. The lives at stake here exist in an already marginalized community, but it goes deeper than that. Within this group are folks at risk who are ever more marginalized. People of color, trans folk, outdoor sex workers, immigrant workers, even women who may be victims of trafficking and others who do not have the platform or support that I have. That Daniels has.
They will suffer. Some may die.
Should they be dismissed based on the fact that they are sex workers? Does this, as you say, ruin their reputation? Should they not be heard or believed?
Giuliani, your harsh words about sex workers and the rights that you strip them of are unacceptable. Do not make excuses for your hateful behavior by saying you’re “old-fashioned.”
Call it what it is: this is unchecked white male privilege that feeds off misogyny and lives to undermine women.
We see you. Time’s up.
Jessica Drake is an adult film superstar, global humanitarian, political activist, and sexual health advocate