I Interview Nica Noelle About the APA

I had a pretty interesting chat with Nica Noelle, adult director and head of Sweet Sinner films and a porn industry staple for years. She, along with Madison Young, January Seraph, Maggie Mayhem, and others, are at the helm of the brand-spanking-new Adult Performers Association out in Lalaland. Some have claimed that the APA is a personal politics vehicle for Nica and her friends, who have quite publicly complained about the Free Speech Coalition's new attempt at a centralized testing agency for the porn industry, Adult Production Health & Safety Services, while others are hailing the APA as a long-overdue resource for porn stars. I wasn't sure what to think, and I had a lot of questions about this "organization of adult performers and our supporters who are passionate about improving health, safety and quality of life for adult film entertainers." So I asked Nica all of them.

I was very impressed with her articulate answers and am verrrry interested to see how things shape up for the APA. A snippet from the interview, the rest of which you can read (and PLEASE comment on!) over at WHACK! Magazine:


The organization plans to facilitate dialogue and understanding between the gay and straight porn industries. What steps would the association like to take?
 
There’s a lot of tension between the gay the straight porn communities, and a lot of fear, hostility and misinformation. Obviously both sides would benefit from increased understanding and cooperation as well as unified safety and testing standards.  We plan to facilitate some much needed dialogue so we can move forward as a group.


Another goal is to be a group health plan for performers. Is health insurance a major issue in the industry?
 
It’s beyond major. It’s at a crisis level. Performers should and must have access to health insurance, and there is no item of higher importance on our agenda than this one.  It’s untenable that any adult performer should go without basic medical care. We work with our bodies, and we kiss and touch each other on a daily basis. It is absolutely necessary that we get our physicals, mammograms, and wellness appointments as needed, and investigate and treat symptoms in a timely manner.

If you're interested in the welfare of porn performers, this is a must-read. Not to toot my own horn (toot-toot!), but this is big stuff. Tell me what you think, here or over on WHACK!