Phyllisha Anne Addresses Leaked Phone Recordings With AHF Rep

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—Muckraking adult news site TheRealPornwikileaks.com (TRPWL) late Friday posted a pair of seemingly incriminating recordings of a phone conversation between two people the site identifies as International Adult Entertainment Union (IEAU) founder Phyllisha Anne and AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) director of policy Adam Cohen in which Cohen explicitly offers financial assistance to the IEAU from AHF and later solicits the IEAU's support for AHF initiatives including Proposition 60, the bill going before California voters in November that would mandate the use of condoms in adult productions statewide.Anne, aka Amanda Gullesserian, signed her name on behalf of the IEAU to the Rebuttal to Argument Against Prop 60 slated to appear in the California voter guide being mailed to every voting household in the state prior to the November 8 general election, even though members of the union's Adult Performers Actor's Guild (APAG) and Local 424 crew chapters have since stated that they do not support Prop 60 and have voted to have Gullesserian's signature redacted from the Rebuttal.AVN reached out to both TRPWL owner/moderator Sean Tompkins and Gullesserian for confirmation of the recordings' legitimacy and comment on the propriety of their public release. While neither confirmed nor denied that Gullesserian and Cohen were aware the call was being recorded, Tompkins stated to AVN, "I've been told Adam knew and that the recordings would be shared with union members for informational purposes. I didn't make the recordings and legal told me that I'm good. But they also told me AHF could try and cause an issue if in fact Cohen didn't know he was being recorded."For her part, Gullesserian told AVN, "I have not listened to [the recordings]. But I can assure you AHF was not bribing us to do anything. They were offering to help us get started, and I personal, Phyllisha Anne, am the one that brought the conversation of money up, because I asked them for an endorsement. My decision was based on my decision."In the second recording released by TRPWL, at about the 6:15 mark, the person identified as Cohen says, "If you need some startup money or something like that, and it wouldn't be able to be under the table, but we'd be happy to help you in any way that we can. We would be happy to help you guys financially in some way. ... I don't want you to think that we're trying to manipulate you guys or cause trouble, but you will, if you work with us in any way—accepting money, time, anything—you're gonna get shit from some of the industry. They're not going to be happy. Because they see us as this enemy who's trying to completely ruin the industry."Further on, at about the 18:40 mark of the same recording, the same person reiterates, "However AHF can help you guys, please let me know—above the table kind of stuff—but just know that the catch is of course that you will be somehow associated with us, and the industry may not be so happy about that. I don't care, AHF doesn't care, but if you guys care, that's just, that's something to be aware of." He goes on to add, "I would love to somehow get you guys involved in our proposition, because to have your kind of support would be so valuable. And again, this is not a pressure, this is not like we're going to suddenly stop talking to you as a result if you guys say no or something like that, but we hope that, you know, that you understand what we're trying to do."Closing out the recording, the person identified as Anne/Gullesserian responds, "OK, I'll run all that with our board members and everything."Apparently acknowledging that she did exactly that, Gullesserian told AVN, "They were offered but the APAG decided to vote no on receiving any funding. [They] did not want their decision to be based on money, it would of made them just as crocked as everyone else."She also commented, "For a performer to 'have a right of choice' we're going to have enforce the law then perhaps amend it. But the fact is right now performers don't have a choice, they either don't work or they don't wear a condom. And that's not right. Don't you think that should be the other way around? Whether or not they have offered their assistance to get us going or not, I am though very grateful. Because the FSC sure the hell did not."Hear both recordings here.