We’ve previously discussed the freshman pornstar from Duke University that recently caused a stir in the media. Her identity was revealed after one of her class mates followed her adult Twitter account, leading to a series of accusations and bullying on campus. She tried to hide from the scandal for a while, but eventually decided to confront the media.

After the Duke Chronicle wrote a patronizing piece about her story, calling her “Lauren”, she adopted the name. However, after being confronted countless times regarding why she would hide her true identity if she truly is proud to be a live performer, Lauren finally decided to confront her bullies by revealing her face and performer name – Belle Knox.

Many adult workers face the same stigmas as Belle has, ironically so since the adult industry makes over $10 billion in the US alone. It is surprising therefore that such a highly-consumed product as pornography is cannot be treated as a legitimate business. The same holds true for the escort industry, where many girls hide their job from friends, parents and even partners in order to avoid double standards.

Belle urges the people who would judge her to “Look at the hate you are so comfortable inflicting upon the performers but not on the consumers who drive the industry's success and profitability.” The double standard appears when individuals tell women to embrace their sexuality and then condemn them as a society for doing so.

Belle ends her testimonial with the following message:

The truth of the matter is this: I am one identity when I am a student. I'm another when I do porn. And no one controls either -- but me.

Today, I am choosing to reveal my porn identity to the world.

My name is Belle Knox, and I wear my Scarlet Letter with pride.