Given that I have thrown a lot at you lately concerning Shelley Lubben and her Pink Cross Foundation, a little more wouldn’t hurt too much.
Although much of the criticism of Lubben has been focused on the legitimacy of her criticism of the profession that she left, along with some of her most outlandish claims about what frmale porn performers are forced to endure, there is beginning to emerge a clearer picture of the actual scope of her organization, The Pink Cross Foundation, and their crusade against women within porn. And, that picture is beginning to bring up even more fundamental questions about whether or not the actual aims of PCF are in tune with the professed goals thereof…or, whether or not this is simply a scam designed to exploit former porn performers in order to enrich Ms. Lubben’s back pockets.
Once again, I will mostly use as my base for this analysis the evidence mounted by Julie Meadows and her colleagues over at her blog , since she has been the most active in publically investigating and exposing Lubben and the PCF to scrutiny and accountablilty. An additional assist goes to Violet Blue and the Our Porn, Ourselves blog , for they have also been on the case of Lubben for quite a while as well.
First issue: How PCF recruits and “helps” women wanting out of porn.
It’s been well documented how Lubben and her organization has been trolling porn conventions searching for new recruits and harassing porn performers and producers to promote her mission. She has also boasted about how many ex-performers have “seen the light” and not only left, but converted to her fundamentalist religion.
Problem is, there may be a much more sinister and obtuse objective in mind in Shelley’s efforts.
Julie Meadows happened to discover what she alleges to be the official application that PCF gives to all former porn performers seeking their financial support to help get out of the industry, and if it’s the truth, it says a hell of a lot about Lubben’s hypocrisy in slamming porn as being exploitive of the women. Apparently, there are conditions attached to receiving PCF’s help, conditions that would make workfare proponents envious.
Here is Page 1 of the supposed application, originally posted at Julie’s blog (click on image for larger view):
Notice that the “short term” assistance requirements only goes up to $500 per year , although the only requirement that remains significant is that the applicant leave the industry. All well and good…but if you want the REAL assistance (up to $5,000 per year), you have to not only leave the industry, but also be fully employed, be “accountable to the Pink Cross Foundation membership team” (which I assume means totally adopt fundamentalist Christianity and “get saved”), abandon any employment, funds, royalties, or any other means of financial assistance from “the sex industry” even if rightfully earned, and stay away from drugs or excessive alcohol usage.
That’s right, Clones…they require you to be both abjectly poor AND gainfully employed AT THE SAME TIME in order to get their assistance. Not to mention, you must give up any income received from porn AND convert to their religion to boot.
I’ll just let Julie supply the answer to that nonsense:
As Cocaine Incorporated points out, there is a sincere problem with two of these requirements.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF NEEDING HELP IF AN ACTOR OR ACTRESS CAN GO OUT AND GET A FULL TIME JOB? THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT, AFTER BEING IN THE ADULT INDUSTRY, TO GET A FULL TIME JOB THAT IS NOT ADULT INDUSTRY-RELATED. If this really is an application The Pink Cross gives to performers who want/need their help, how does this help someone trying to get out of the industry? The fact is, without financial assistance and help finding the job, there is no help to be gained because that’s the first concern. Income. So, “if funds are available” and you need help, but don’t have a job, you can quit the industry and get $500.00 in the interim (again, maybe )… except how do you know you’re going to get $500 help until you fill out the application and someone reviews it first? How long is the review process? “All applications must be submitted to Pink Cross Foundation for review and approval. Applicants must meet requirements for approval.” How is any part of this supposed to ease the mind of one of these women who have been harassed by this organization at trade shows (might explain why they don’t have the funds to help these women, Shelley allegedly eludes to this in emails I was sent from an anonymous source that I will post later)? How is this supposed to make a performer feel like they will actually get help? And if you sign up for short term help and get approved, does that mean you have forfeited your opportunity for long term help? Just because you couldn’t get a “full time” job first? What if you can get a part time job? All this looks like is a reason to not help, and in the event that they can help, to not help very much. $5000.00 is just a drop in the pond for an organization that sweeps in over six figures annually.
The next big problem in this list is “stop receiving all funds, royalties, and gifts from prior industry and sex work.” So the performer already did the work and is due whatever money they worked for, regardless of whether or not it’s a payroll check for a scene that’s already a few months in coming, royalties for a photo shoot executed to promote a toy line, website money based on fan memberships, etc… Even though this is the kind of money that can help them, and compensate for the possible lack of funds available from the organization, THE MODEL IS SUPPOSED TO DECLINE ALL MONEY FOR WORK IN THE INDUSTRY THEY’VE ALREADY EARNED. IF THIS IS REALLY AN APPLICATION THE PINK CROSS GIVES TO PERFORMERS WHO WANT/NEED THEIR HELP, DO THEY KNOW THAT YOU CAN’T JUST REFUSE YOUR MONEY? EVEN IF THE STATE HOLDS ONTO IT AS UNCLAIMED FUNDS, NO ONE CAN SPEND IT BUT THE PERSON IT BELONGS TO, AND THAT PERSON STILL HAS TO CLAIM IT ON THEIR TAX RETURN AND PAY TAXES FOR IT. Unless… The Pink Cross asks the performer to turn the funds over to their organization. Is that part of the “willing to be accountable to Pink Cross Foundation mentorship team,” line of “requirements?” And if they’re providing financial aid anyway, what does it matter if the performer keeps money they’ve already earned or hand it over to The Pink Cross and then The Pink Cross compensates them? I think it’s a very good question considering the application requires the performer disclose their Social Security number. And then what of the line “willing not to promote the sex industry?” Is this a vague agreement to publicly speak out against the adult industry? It doesn’t clarify.
So, let me get this straight, if I need to get out of the industry, I have to quit completely and cut myself off financially, fill out an application with no guarantee on how long it takes to get “approved”, turn all my information over to the organization and hope they approve me and then hope they have the funds, after all the traveling and lobbying and booths rented at industry events, to actually help me. Where is the help during the frantic nail biting period of, “Will they help me or not?” Why the booths at events to pull American Porn Stars in if she spent and could be spending more donation money to travel to Canada for a speech ? So she can maybe help women in Canada, too?
Which begs Burning Question #1 for this ‘Dog: Maybe the PFC’s really requiring full employment and refusal of “sex industry” funds as a shakedown tactic to wring more cash from potential converts?? Or…are they basically telling their potential clients to simply transfer all of their “unGodly” assets over to PCF in exchange for the pittance of “assistance” and absolute dependency (albeit, with the full time employment requirement)? How in the HELL is that not exploitating the performers far, far WORSE than anything that porn imposed on them in the first place?? But hey, it’s all in the name of Jesus, so that’s OK…right?? Right???
Perhaps that explains the basic fact of why at last count, the PCF could claim only six active full-time members. (In an industry that brings in 300 new girls each month. ) Or, it may explain why Lubben has to resort to tactics like blackmail to force unwilling performers to join PCF (ask Taryn Thomas about that).
But that’s only part of the story…just wait until we get to the actual financial records of PCF, and the real fun begins…that’ next on the queue.
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