I’m a Porn Star, and This Anti-Pornhub Crusader Is Completely Wrong

Laila Mickelwait’s intense aversion to pornography is at the center of her new book, Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking. In it, she exposes what she perceives as the exploitation within the adult entertainment industry, specifically targeting Pornhub.

Years before she launched her #Traffickinghub campaign against Pornhub, Mickelwait led a very different life. She partied with celebrities like Bill Maher and Andy Dick at the Playboy Mansion, took part in Jimmy Kimmel’s The Man Show, and even appeared on MTV’s Pimp My Ride. However, her life took a dramatic turn when she started hearing allegations about Pornhub’s role in facilitating and streaming videos related to rape, child pornography, and other illegal content.

In Takedown, Mickelwait chronicles her journey with Exodus Cry, an anti-porn organization that started under the guise of anti-trafficking initiatives. The book reveals surprising details, such as Exodus Cry’s operations within the International House of Prayer (IHOP) and their controversial campaigns against homosexuality in Uganda. Backed by Exodus Cry, Mickelwait initiated the #Traffickinghub campaign, which gained significant media attention in outlets like The New York Times and influenced major financial institutions like MasterCard to halt payments on Pornhub.

Mickelwait posits that her primary aim is to combat child exploitation and sexual abuse. Yet, critics suggest her campaign might be a covert effort to undermine the legitimate adult entertainment industry. They point out that despite her frequent use of the term “victim” in her book—194 times, to be exact—much of the coverage surrounding #Traffickinghub centers on Mickelwait herself rather than the victims.

Her narrative is compelling when she treats it as a larger-than-life struggle similar to the plot of Sound of Freedom. Unfortunately, the book sometimes loses focus, immersing readers in tedious details about her press appearances and Zoom meetings. Claiming to support legal pornography, Mickelwait insists her real target is online predators. She refers to anonymous calls with porn stars who supposedly back her mission but remains vague about these conversations.

Throughout the book, Mickelwait selectively quotes adult entertainers to paint a grim picture of the industry. She highlights the statements of performers like Asa Akira and Jenna Jameson, although the latter hasn’t been active since the era of VHS tapes. This is akin to seeking insights on Netflix’s strategies from Blockbuster’s founder.

Mickelwait frequently misinterprets how the porn industry’s business model operates. For instance, she describes seeing child-themed videos on her Pornhub homepage without acknowledging these results come from her own search history. She also criticizes Pornhub’s handling of legal grievances but omits crucial details, such as the reputable lawyers the company has hired for their defense.

Notably, Mickelwait denies any homophobia associated with her allies, yet uses questionable examples to attack Pornhub, indirectly suggesting harmful stereotypes about the LGBTQ+ community. This inconsistency undermines her credibility and raises questions about her true intentions.

While she portrays her campaign as a significant success, its impact is debatable. Although Pornhub’s ownership has changed, the platform still operates. Now, it mandates ID verification for all content uploads, a demand from the adult industry for years.

However, Mickelwait’s efforts seem myopic as she focuses on Pornhub and neglects larger platforms like Facebook, which purportedly host more illegal content. This narrow focus puts legal porn actors’ livelihoods at risk. She proudly recounts how Pornhub executives faced financial constraints but overlooks how her campaign led to banks closing accounts of legitimate performers and OnlyFans almost banning adult content, affecting thousands of performers’ incomes.

Ultimately, Takedown presents Mickelwait’s campaign as a self-centered crusade rather than a genuine effort to protect victims. Her narrative suggests she is more concerned with her own fame than the broader consequences of her actions on the adult entertainment community.

Source: The Daily Beast