Porn stars are no strangers to fans who don’t understand boundaries. From casually disrespectful comments on social media posts to outright creepy individuals who linger too long at industry conventions, porn fans can sometimes feel far too entitled to their favorite performers. “Controversial celebrities, like porn stars, make particularly easy targets within a sex-obsessed culture that promotes shame in desire’s stead, vilifying what it cannot possess or police,” wrote Aurora Snow in a recent article for The Daily Beast. 

Unfortunately, love can easily turn into obsession and even hate in the minds of some—and unstable fans all too often turn to stalking and threatening the objects of their obsessions. Stars from Jenna Jameson to Mia Khalifa to Christy Mack to Belle Knox have all gone public about death threats, and, sadly, they’re not alone. 

In her interview with popular BBW performer Sofia Rose, Aurora Snow detailed the many death threats Rose has received. In the wake of over a dozen industry awards and growing popularity, Rose told Snow, “I used to get them every so often, a handful of times a year, but now I’m getting them on a weekly basis.” The threats now come in so frequently, said Rose, “I’ve stopped posting about it publicly. I stopped giving them any kind of attention because I thought that was encouraging the behavior…I don’t want to give them any power.”

Whether or not she gives these so-called fans any space on her social media, their power is nevertheless real. Recalling chilling instances in which “fans” have used her legal name and personal information obtained from public voting records, sent her photos of firearms, counted down the days she had left to live, and refusing to leave her alone at a signing event, Rose told The Daily Beast that the threats are getting worse as she becomes more successful.

It’s a sad and infuriating truth that sex workers often suffer stigma not just from the jerks who stalk and threaten them, but also from law enforcement who look down on their careers. Though she’s considered going to the police for help, Rose said, “Reporting it falls on deaf ears because I’m a sex worker.” Still, she keeps track of the threats, just in case. “I take every threat seriously because I don’t know. I save them, I don’t delete them, so if something happens there’s a record.”

Rose hires bodyguards for public appearances now, she told The Daily Beast. But, still, the threats are so constant that, she said, “I’m really uncomfortable going to events…You’re always looking over your shoulder, wondering if someone is following you. There’s no way to know who’s posing a threat.”

So, let me take this moment to give our dear readers a brief but serious PSA. Porn fans, please consider the following: Porn stars are not your property. They don’t owe you anything. Watching their exploits on your screen may give you the impression that you know them well, but the truth is that they’re human beings with private lives that you know nothing about. And which you are not entitled to know anything. Just because you see them having sex on camera doesn’t give you any claim to their time, energy, or body. So back off, enjoy the work they make, and respect them—from afar.

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