Performers Guild Responds to Trump Claims About Jessica Drake

LOS ANGELES—The Officers and Board of the Adult Performers Actors Guild, the union representing performers in the adult industry, would like address comments made Monday, October 24, 2016, by Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump. Over the weekend, adult actress Jessica Drake released a statement making allegations against Mr. Trump, including sexual assault and solicitation. These serious allegations are of concern to members of the Guild and we offer our full support to all performers who deal with the misconceptions displayed by Donald Trump. Responsive statements made by Mr. Trump are just as concerning as the allegations themselves. Monday, Mr. Trump did a live radio interview for radio station WGIR on “New Hampshire Today,” and was asked about these latest allegations. He replied: "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." Mr. Trump’s ignorant comments unfortunately echo sentiments that are made far too often when it comes to adult actresses being victims of a sex crime. The idea that a woman or man who is a sex worker cannot have a crime committed against them due to their profession is not only barbaric, it justifies the rape culture we live in today. With the Republican Party recently stating in their 2016 GOP platform that the adult film industry is a public health crisis, it is no surprise that Mr. Trump feels no regard to the rights of adult film actresses. While we feel that the following statement should not have to be made, it has become clear to the performers in this industry, that sometimes common sense needs to be restated: The Adult Performers Actors Guild would like to make it known that adult performers are not to be regarded differently than any other working professional, nor set apart from the consciousness of human decency. Being a porn performer does not give the public the right to violate our rights, at any time. Whether we are on set or off, we reserve the right to say "NO" to any unwanted advances, be it sexual or physical, as it is our civil right.