It was an abrupt and unambiguous declaration to her 226,000 Twitter followers — and her countless more fans. On Saturday, adult actress, writer and entrepreneur Stoya announced on Twitter, “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.” And then, just to be very clear who she was talking about, she added, “James Deen held me down and f__ked me while I said no, stop, used my safeword. I just can’t nod and smile when people bring him up anymore.”
It was a shocking allegation, by one of the most powerful and respected women in the adult industry, against one of its most popular male stars — and a former costar and boyfriend. And the response was immediate. Supporters declared their #solidaritywithstoya, with adult star Joanna Angel saying, “He’s dead on the inside and dead to me. He’s literally the worst person I’ve ever met. That’s all I’ll say for now.” And in a Sunday letter on The Frisky, Amelia McDonell-Parry announced “Why The Frisky Will No Longer Be Publishing James Deen’s Sex Advice Column.” In it, she explained, “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. That he has been accused of violating Stoya’s consent, that women I respect have since contacted me directly to say that they know of others to whom he has done the same thing? Well, I’m f__king heartsick over it. This makes it impossible for me to work with him any further, to give him a forum for giving advice that he is accused of not following himself. No amount of good rapport between us or traffic to his columns would EVER supersede the fact that I BELIEVE WOMEN.”