Tasha Reign Completes UCLA Degree

LOS ANGELES—Adult star Tasha Reign attends commencement ceremonies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) this Saturday to receive her degree in Gender Studies. “Studying at UCLA and cultivating my humanist viewpoint, particularly in the field of feminism, has allowed my adult performance work to shine with a very personal touch,” Reign said. “I’m looking forward to now concentrating on producing, directing and performance work, as well as continuing to use the education I received at UCLA to share my experiences and perspective with the public. I’m proud to be a Bruin and even more proud to be a part of the feminist porn movement!” The ceremonies for UCLA’s Class of 2014 take place Saturday at 10 a.m., and are restricted to graduates, faculty, staff and invited guests. Reign’s prominence as an adult entertainer and popular blogger/columnist has provided her a high-profile platform to speak out about sexual empowerment and feminism. In addition to being published in such notable outlets as Huffington Post, Al Jazeera America, BroBible.com and OC Weekly, she recently shared her expertise on a panel at UCLA titled “Porn, Prostitution, and Censorship: The Politics of Empowerment.” "Heartfelt congratulations to Tasha, a thoughtful and inquisitive student who brought a unique perspective to the classroom as an adult actress and filmmaker,” offered Jen Moorman, Ph.D., lecturer in Gender Studies and Cinema and Media Studies at UCLA. “She is already an outspoken advocate for the adult video industry, and I have no doubt that she will bring the insights she has gained as a student at UCLA to her work in new and interesting ways." UCLA’s Gender Studies department emphasizes analytic and writing skills, qualitative research methods, and a historical and transnational understanding of social inequalities. Its faculty integrates feminist pedagogical approaches and their own research into their teaching. The department’s core courses address the concepts of gender and the body, gender and power, and gender and knowledge through a range of topics such as freedom and liberty, social movements, masculinities, work and leisure, politics of social justice, colonial and sexual violence, and visual culture and citizenship—topics Reign has incorporated into her editorials, interviews and analysis on the adult entertainment industry. Earlier this year, Reign detailed her university experience as a porn star in an open letter on HuffingtonPost.com to Belle Knox, the Duke student outed as an adult performer. Reign’s time at UCLA has also been profiled in the school’s paper, The Daily Bruin, as well as LA Weekly.