UPDATE, Nov. 30, 3:50 p.m. ET: James Deen has resigned from his role as chairperson of the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee's board of directors. The decision was made "in light of public statements made over the weekend on Twitter."
“APAC recognizes the seriousness of the statements made by performers in the community and that they indicate a major conflict between a board member and other members of the organization,” the organization said in a statement.
Accusations of sexual assault have been building up against adult film actor James Deen.
Adult film actresses Tori Lux and Ashley Fires have both spoken out against the porn star, sharing troubling stories about working with him.
Fires told the Daily Beast that she refuses to work with Deen because he "almost raped" her one night at Kink studios.
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“I was getting out of the shower of the communal bathroom at Kink, I reach for my towel to dry off, and he comes up from behind me and pushes himself and his erection into my butt,” she says. “He pushes me against the sink and starts grabbing on me and I was like, ‘No, no, no James, no,’ and he released me from his grasp, and says, ‘You know, later if you want to f*ck around I’m in room whatever-it-was. I was like, ‘F*ck you.’ I didn’t even know this guy, he was so out of line and entitled with my body.”
Tori Lux also came forward, writing a first person essay for the Daily Beast about how Deen "ruthlessly attacked and degraded" her during a shoot at a "major porn studio" in June of 2011.
Deen repeatedly asked Lux if he wanted to "sniff" his testicles, then assaulted her when she refused, grabbing her by the throat and shoving her on the floor, she says.
"He proceeded to straddle my chest, pinning down my arms with his knees," she writes. "Then, he raised his hand high above his head, swinging it down and hitting me in the face and head with an open palm. He did this five or six times -- hard -- before finally getting off of me."
Ultimately, Lux says she was "afraid" to step forward and share her story earlier, partially because the police and the general public "believe that sex workers have placed themselves in harm’s way, and therefore can’t be assaulted."
Fires says she repeatedly told her story, though Deen has allegedly asked her to "stop telling people about it."
Both Fires and Lux came forward soon after Stoya, an actress and ex-girlfriend of Deen, tweeted about how he allegedly assaulted her.
James Deen held me down and fucked me while I said no, stop, used my safeword. I just can't nod and smile when people bring him up anymore.— Stoya (@stoya) November 28, 2015
Deen, for his part, has defended himself against the allegations on his Twitter account.
There have been some egregious claims made against me on social media— James Deen (@JamesDeen) November 30, 2015
I want to assure my friends, fans and colleagues that these allegations are both false and defamatory— James Deen (@JamesDeen) November 30, 2015
I respect women and I know and respect limits both professionally and privately— James Deen (@JamesDeen) November 30, 2015