Paying for porn should be the post-pandemic 'new normal'

The coronavirus pandemic has seemingly put the world on hold — including porn productions. While the Free Speech Coalition has released preliminary safety guidelines for shoots to restart, they said in their blog post it still may not be safe.

Conversely, while producers can't make porn, viewers are watching it in droves: Pornhub's traffic has spiked throughout the pandemic, for example. The demand for porn is, if not at an all-time high, then at least higher than at this point last year.

In many cases, though, that demand doesn't translate into actual dollars for sex workers. Just as millions of people are out of work, so too have porn performers and other sex workers seen income reductions.

What's more is that many sex workers are ineligible for unemployment benefits to help stay afloat. Sites like OnlyFans (which has seen a 75 percent increase in users since the pandemic began, according to spokesperson, as well as a recent shout-out from Beyoncé) can provide revenue — but these income streams essentially render sex workers gig economy workers, who also miss out on benefits. Sex worker relief funds are trying to bridge the gap, but performers are undeniably taking a hit due to the pandemic.

"While porn viewings may increase with people stuck at home, sex workers are suffering in times of social distancing as they don’t rely on a fixed income and are less likely to reap unemployment benefits when out of job," said pornographer Erika Lust in an interview with Mashable.

This is why Lust calls for a new normal: paying for your porn.

Lust and her team are on a mission to change how society consumes porn. The reliance on digital entertainment due to the pandemic has highlighted the importance of sex workers' content, according to Lust. "This period of isolation has got all of us thinking about how the world will be once back to normal," she said in an interview with Mashable. "For my part, as a porn director and producer I wish the work of sex workers and the importance to pay for porn to be highlighted more within the public in the new normal."

Lust's company has taken measures to help the industry, including donating to relief organizations and emergency funds. She also said sites like OnlyFans are essential to support independent cam girls, performers, and directors as well due to the loss of pre-pandemic income sources.

By paying for porn, Lust said, you're not only helping independent productions to continue creating the movies you watch, but you're also ensuring fair working conditions for everyone involved. "Money is needed to pay performers, crew, post-production, and all freelance collaborators fairly, and to ensure that sex work is done in a safe environment," she explained. "I believe we should be responsible consumers and support the people that create the entertainment we enjoy."

Just like U.S. production companies, Lust's has had to stop shoots and rely on performers filming themselves. Lust's lockdown projects include a quarantine-themed film called Sex and Love in the Time of Quarantine and an intimate solo film called Rituals, with more on the way according to Lust.

Performers King Noire and Jetsetting Jasmine in 'Sex and Love in the Time of Quarantine.' Credit: erika lust

While production lays dormant, tube sites benefit from traffic bumps. Pornhub, said Lust, exists because of piracy. "The free tube sites are a very controversial business model that has been profiting from other people’s work, image, bodies, creativity, and talent for the last decade," she said. Her own films have been stolen and uploaded onto tubes, often with sexist or racist titles with her name nowhere to be seen.

"Clearly tube sites are not a vehicle of promotion for me," said Lust. "Most importantly, neither I nor my guest directors or performers have given consent for having our material there. Whether they know the content they have in their platforms is stolen, we cannot be sure, but it’s happening all the time."

Lust's company plans to begin shooting in the summer, once the Spanish government allows them to do so. The Spanish government allowed mainstream shoots from May 11 on, though it's unclear how adult productions fit in. The same goes for shooting in Germany, where Lust said things are gradually returning to normal but where filmmakers are unsure how to proceed given social distancing. Lust's team has built a new safety protocol based on European Film Commission guidelines, adjusted for pornographic shoots.

Lust said this protocol was built in accordance with recommendations from government agencies and health authorities around the world in order to protect cast and crew. She's also selecting cast and crew with location in mind, as she doesn't want to encourage travel.

Post-pandemic, Lust believes it's crucial that production companies take care about performers' health and provide transparency about the health of everyone involved. "I hope an open conversation will be encouraged between sex performers, directors, and producers before and during shootings, in order to create a trusted sex environment on set, in which performers can feel that their safety and agency are a priority," she said.

Beyond production companies, Lust hopes that people come out of the pandemic smarter and more responsible. She wants the work of sex workers to be valued and appreciated — and not just as sex workers, but as human beings. This, of course, includes them getting paid.

Now is the time to forge a new normal, said Lust. "We pay Netflix for the series. We pay Spotify for music. We should also pay for the porn we enjoy," she said. "Do you want to support the big monopoly of porn that is only interested in algorithms and traffic, or do you want to help the adult industry — the performers, the crew, and the craft?"