September 28, 2020 |
Panelists Agree Sex Industry Is A Haven for the Neurodivergent |
LOS ANGELESââIâm desperately aware Iâm not like the other kiddos,â said Amberly Rothfield, moderator of the âNeurodiversity in Pornâ forum sponsored by the Free Speech Coalition this weekend. â(In porn), you put yourself out there (when) youâve stood out your entire life.â The webcast panel, which touched on the autism spectrum, Aspergerâs Syndrome, ADHD, depression, and PTSD, was filled with coping strategies, recognition, and a lot of laughs about the advantages and challenges the porn industry holds for neurodivergent individuals. On the plus side, said Daisy Ducati, who was joined in adjacent Crowdcast windows by Hektek Desires, Cleo Clementine, and Febby Twigs, âsex work has been easier for me than the vanilla jobs Iâve had; I can make time for things that Iâm hyperfixating on, or incorporating my weird hobbies into my work.â Ducati has been diagnosed with ADHD, which she laments is denigrated as âa condition a child might haveâ and, with the other members of the panel, spoke about how coping with fans, clients, colleagues on porn sets, and the business structures of the industry affect neurodiverse people differently. âThe exhaustion of mentally trying to chase this goal that other people live at is so difficult,â said Cleo Clementine. âThatâs why Iâm the nap queen on set.â Commenters in the webcast chimed in with support. One, Tori, wrote that (she) was âliterally at the mercy of (her) mental illness.â The porn industry has often been compared to a large, dysfunctional familyâbut a family nonethelessâand its lack of structure, its fluid concept of time, and its acceptance of misfits has attracted the neurodiverse long before the popularity of that term. But that doesnât mean anything goes. âIf it seems like Iâm ignoring you, itâs just that my brain isnât functioning right,â said Febby Twigs, getting robust nods from other panelists. She has been accused of being rude and, echoing Rothfield, tries to mimic correct responses to social cues. But sometimes it still doesnât work. âI eat chocolate and almonds and walnuts all the time because my brain doesnât produce dopamine,â she said. âPeople ask, âWhy are you always snacking?â Iâm just trying to stay happy.â To a person, the panelists agreed that the sex industry accommodates the neurodivergent more than their previous jobs, and say that its heightened awareness of consent is instrumental in that. Singling out Kink.com and Girlfriends Films for being porn environments especially sensitive to performersâ needs, Twigs says good companies âask people on set if thereâs things to help you be more comfortable, (and) ask if thereâs things you need to keep your eye out for.â Rothfield cautions that, as adaptable to neurodivergent performers as the porn industry may be, that isnât an excuse âfor falling off the face of the earthâ when one is depressed. Panelists stressed being aware of cycles of depression and perhaps keeping a journal to document them, maintaining schedules and setting clear boundaries, following through as often as possible, and being accountable despite the fact that, as Clementine says, âconsistency is very tough for me.â Some panelists admitted feeling reluctant about opening up to their fans about mental illness, separating their âcharacterâ from themselves for their own emotional and financial safety. Twigs said it would be impossible not to be herself. âI try to be as me as possible,â she says, âbecause thatâs how I best operate.â Regardless of the divergence in how they handle their own neurodiversity, the panelists were united that doing porn is better than working at a big-box retailer. âIf I was working at Wal-Mart it wouldnât matter if I was neurodivergent,â Rothfield said. âNeurodiversity in Pornâ is available to view here.
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