The adult industry is constantly evolving thanks to advancements in technology, social trends and the ever-changing talent population. As we all know, technology has given many the opportunity to become creators within the adult world without having to film with traditional porn companies. This has given many creators the ability to grow their brands and support their families.
For performers of the past, like myself, our careers were built on porn sets, working for companies like Elegant Angel, Anabolic and Evil Angel. It was standard practice to complete your model releases, show your tests and provide identification that was valid at the time of production. We would often joke that we were truly being paid just to fill out the mountain of paperwork required by the federal government.
As a performer with content that spans over decades, I immediately recognized the damage my career would take.
As a performer, it was my responsibility to maintain current identification so that I could continue filming. When I opened my own production studio, the pressure of maintaining proper paperwork for my films, while following proper 2257 requirements, was quite stressful. Not only was I required to have two forms of identification for each worker, but it was also my job as a producer to make sure each document was completed properly, or the entire scene would be unusable. We even created a checklist I used to help verify that our documents were completed correctly.
Now, the requirement and use of 2257 documents can affect all sexually explicit content involving performers that was filmed prior to July 3, 1995. Traditionally, scenes filmed prior to this date did not require the paperwork, because the law did not exist. Scenes featuring legends like Amber Lynn from the ’80s or John Holmes from the ’70s were not required to have these documents, and the law recognized this. Golden Age films were converted to VHS and sold, allowing their producers to continue to profit off of their investments.
Today’s industry centers around content platforms such as OnlyFans, Pornhub and others, allowing performers to control their brand, their marketing and their income. As more and more performers move into individual content creation, as opposed to mainstream porn, retired performers have found new avenues to release their treasure trove of scenes from potentially decades of performing. Industry icons like Chloe, Jewel Denyle and Ruby opened new channels of passive income uploading images and videos covering the span of a career. Fans were so excited to have the chance to reignite their love for their favorite stars of the past.
At some point, things changed. In one day, numerous performers found their OnlyFans pages had been locked, with images and videos removed, while receiving a notice that they needed to provide current releases for their decades-old content. In a frustrated panic, many performers opted to delete the content as opposed to fighting through OnlyFans’s grueling support process. Some performers weren’t so lucky. Instead of being given a warning, they found their entire accounts closed, with all of their funds absorbed.
These changes and requests became a more public concern for performers after Mastercard recently released a blog post addressing future changes to adult content. These changes mention consent forms that affect the ability to upload content, marketing language requirements and a complaint process for appeals to remove content. Platform owners will have to provide monthly reports that include all complaints received, as well as the URLs and videos the complaints were made about.
When I contacted an OnlyFans representative directly to help with the paperwork issue and asked if current IDs and paperwork for “classic” scenes were required, I was told “no.” However, as time passed, more and more performers were having content flagged or removed, or their accounts frozen, and in the end all funds were seized from the closed accounts.
When Mastercard introduced its new merchant requirements that will go into effect on October 15, 2021, we began to investigate how these changes would affect our community. Subsequently, the concerns over OnlyFans requests painted a very clear picture. As content was removed from performers’ pages due to expired identification, many grew concerned that Mastercard’s new requirements would have the same effect on every adult site. While I could not find language that specifically required current identification for old content, adult companies are already beginning the purge in preparation.
As a performer with content that spans decades, I immediately recognized the damage my career would take. The potential of having every scene I’ve ever filmed wiped from the internet because of unrealistic changes required by Mastercard is shattering. If the concern proves true, and Mastercard begins requiring current identification for all content, we would see the largest purge of adult imagery, including thousands of consensual scenes. For performers like myself, my entire career could be removed. The financial devastation workers would face would be crippling. Performers who have passed would be completely removed from existence, their memory and legacies wiped away.
John Verdeschi, senior vice president of franchise customer engagement and performance for Mastercard, stated: “We’re committed to doing everything in our power to ensure only lawful activity takes place on our network. In the process, we also hope to improve content controls to benefit people with the greatest need for these protections.”
As we work to navigate through these changes, we are looking for resolutions to protect our content. While we may not be able to change Mastercard’s outlook towards our workers, many recognize the disadvantage being imposed upon our community, creating a new group of victims abused by a banking system that discriminates against us. Moving forward, we will work together with our community and members to create a system that allows for our workers to update their identification with companies they’ve filmed with in the past to keep their scenes active, and their hard work intact. With change, we evolve.
