august_ames

August Ames was labeled “homophobic” for choosing not to work with men who do gay scenes.

On Tuesday morning, 23-year-old porn star August Ames was found dead from an apparent suicide after she was bullied and branded a homophobe for refusing to shoot with a man who has sex with men on camera. Ames made it clear that she was, of course, refusing to do such work for safety reasons and was not homophobic.

According to The Blast, “Law enforcement sources tell us Ames was found early Tuesday morning in Camarillo. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and we’re told there is no indication of foul play or any other crime occurring. We’re told toxicology tests are also being conducted while the death is investigated.”

The report added, “Close friends of Ames tell us she had suffered from long term depression, and believe a recent incident with online harassment may have contributed to her death.”

The backlash was fierce when Ames took to Twitter on Sunday to warn the woman who had been tapped to replace her at EroticaX that the man she’d be working with has filmed with other men, thus potentially putting her at high risk of contracting a disease.

After being ridiculed as homophobic, the porn star explained that she was merely looking out for her safety by refusing to do work with men who do gay scenes.

“NOT homophobic,” she wrote. “Most girls don’t shoot with guys who have shot gay porn, for safety. That’s just how it is with me. I’m not putting my body at risk, [I] don’t know what they do in their private lives.”

“How am I homophobic if I myself am attracted to women?” she responded to another Twitter user’s attacks. “Not wanting to have sex with gay men is not homophobic; they don’t want to have sex with me either so byeeeee.”

Many women who’ve made it out of the porn industry, such as former porn star Shelley Lubben, are actively highlighting the damage the industry does to young women, who are typically suffering mentally and emotionally before they enter the line of work.

Lubben runs a site called “The Truth Behind the Fantasy of Porn,” which exposes the industry’s dark underbelly through the eyes of actors and actresses tangled in drug abuse, depression, and disease.

“I hung out with a lot of people in the Adult industry,” writes former porn star Becca Brat. “Everybody has the same problems. Everybody is on drugs. It’s an empty lifestyle trying to fill up a void.”

“The truth is I let my lifestyle get the best of me. I hate life. I’m a mess. A disaster. I’ve attempted suicide many times,” said Neesa, another former porn actress. “No one cares about a dead porn star or stripper.”

“I’m not happy,” said porn star Belladonna. “I don’t like myself at all. My whole entire body feels it when I’m doing it and… I feel so — so gross.”

As noted by LifeSite News, Belladonna broke down during a 2003 interview with Diane Sawyer regarding the industry.

“You keep describing these awful things that happened to you. Yet, you keep smiling. Why?” asked Sawyer.

“It’s so I don’t start crying,” she replied, as her eyes filled with tears.

Readers' Choice