Selling sex is the oldest form of trade and yet it is still taboo. But imagine getting into the industry and then having to explain to your parents how you earn all that cash dollar. How would you go about it? Well, Jiz Lee’s new book can help you with that. An anthology, Coming Out Like A Porn Star features over 50 stories from some of the biggest names in the porn industry telling their experience with coming out to family and friends.

Jiz Lee is a genderqueer porn legend (which means the pronouns used are their, they etc). Having starred in over 200 porn films, Jiz Lee is adamant that porn is one of the best things they have done. But coming out to their parents was something they weren’t quite sure how to do, so they started asking others about it.

While there have been articles on porn performers telling their parents, or being outed at their vanilla job, the mainstream media usually sensationalises stories that only further stigmatise.

If we are to overcome these cultural roadblocks and gain rights for sex workers, it is precedent that we create a dialogue that stands firmly on the fact that people who chose to perform in porn are no different than anyone else.

Not only is the cover great, but the book has been praised by its contributors as liberating, sharing an honest portrait of porn.

Vice reporter, Elyssa Goodman, spoke to some of the porn stars featured in the book about coming out and their association with the book. Milcah Halili said the following:

Coming out can be a terrifying and alienating experience. I want people to know it’s OK to have those hard experiences and that they’re not alone.

Read more of the interviews here.

[source: vice]