We Live Public Lives–Even In Death

Deaths in porn are as tragic as deaths that happen to anyone else.

But whenever someone dies of an overdose, or from suicide or from any other cause other than natural, there's inevitably whispers of "I told you so," or, "You know it was porn that killed him/her."

There's no denying that there are people in this business who have died very sordid deaths. But I don't believe this business kills anyone — if people in this business have problems, they're problems that they had long before they decided to make a living in the porn industry.

When I was researching the list for the porn stars from the "Refractory Period" (that era between the Golden Age and the current Gonzo Age) the suicide of Savannah was big news in the industry. Though porn's not known for having a long memory, her death is still resonant among people who were in the business at the time. Much coverage was given to her parents, who blamed porn for Savannah's drug addiction and untimely death.

I don't blame anyone for saying what they say when they're in mourning, but from what I've read, whatever problems she had were problems she entered the business with.

But that's not an isolated incident. Whenever there's an overdose, a suicide or practically any kind of death in the industry, someone inevitably scapegoats porn. It rarely comes from within the industry, it usually comes from the family or, sometimes, fans (though I wonder how they can be fans of the adult industry if they're blaming it for someone's demise).

Everyone knows someone who isn't right. They drink too much, they get high at work, or they have some kind of real emotional problem. Maybe you know more than just "someone" and you know several people like this.

If these people hold down regular jobs, they very well might spiral out of control like people have in this industry. The difference is that no one's going to say writing TPS reports killed them.

But if you spiral out of control in porn, it's public. People talk. Rumors get posted on websites. If you die, everyone eventually finds out.

Porn is a curious industry in that people project what they want to believe on it. Some women think it's nothing but victimization, religious groups think it's a sinful and blasphemous enterprise and to others, it's some kind of idealized sexual promised land.

For those of us who work in this business, that's what it is at the end of the day. A business. It's sad that there are damaged people who work with us, but there are damaged people no matter what sort of business you work in.

I think what's even uglier than the blanket assumptions people make about the industry whenever someone dies — that there are people who need help no matter where you are, but the only time someone says something is when it's a dead porn star they can make snide remarks about.

This post is a part of Fleshbot's Bobbi Starr Week. Photo of Savannah via Ideal Babe.