Pornstar Sasha Grey reads to primary school children.

Oh yes, because feminism is about keeping a woman down because of her past, is that it?

I'll leave you to it. Fortunately most of the feminists in this thread aren't as eager to judge as you.

Haroldsbishop GTF with that shit. Feminism isn't a cheerleading group for every woman everywhere doing everything. You may be confusing feminism with a shampoo advert.

Harold I think from reading the thread that this actresses films were particularly extreme and so googling her might result in exposure to things that would not be presented on googling "porn" or "naked women" or whatever young children put into search engines.

Ok let's assume this is true - by that logic you are saying anyone with her name, or anything close to it (thanks to google's algorithms), should be excluded from doing anything where there name would be read/heard by children, lest they google it and see some porn that SOMEHOW they can't reach by googling any other term.

Are you familiar with her work?

I must admit I'm not and am going by what has been posted here.

What you seem to know about misogyny is this:

Maybe, but you're sure teaching me a lot about it in this thread

Harold I think from reading the thread that this actresses films were particularly extreme and so googling her might result in exposure to things that would not be presented on googling "porn" or "naked women" or whatever young children put into search engines.

Oh really

Must go and check what demonisation and misogynistic really means

What you seem to know about misogyny is this:

.

Not that you'll care, but I find your demonisation of this woman vile and misogynistic.

Because as we all know, it's impossible to google anything vaguely pornographic unless you've had children's stories read to you by an ex-actress, right

Totally agree Seven great post from Flora

Has Mary Whitehouse been mentioned yet

FloraFox I enjoyed this tremendously

"Phrases like that, "pearl-clutching", "fallen from grace" etc have been co-opted by liberal men and "sex positive feminists" to shame women into ignoring their boundaries and to normalise unacceptable sexual behaviour. By using words associated with religious or cultural suppression of women against women with a feminist analysis of the commodification and objectification of women and the violence against women inherent in filmed prostitution, they try to categorise feminist criticism together with oppressive religious or cultural forces with a view to minimising it. It's easier than actually engaging with the issues."

Very nicely put, agree with every word.

The school in question did have a voiceover actor read who did Spongebob, as well as child actors, so the person reading's background is going to be relevant to the children. For that reason SG isn't appropriate for this role IMO, not this time.

Though I fully concur she shouldn't be excluded from charity/community work. I reckon having a background of making unspeakably abusive porn is enough of a curse for anybody to carry around.

Preferring a rapist who is also a sporting hero or women hating where do you get these idea from

The children SG read to then talked about on twitter (well very little it was more about her but that is celeb culture) are not falling over famous people as soon as they walk out of the door (while there are many actors many out of work in LA there are not everywhere it's a huge very diverse city) they come from a very deprived area one that is changing and they desperately need good role models.

At the time SG was fully promoting the porn industry how it was not harmful to her now I understand her stance has changed this was also a nice bit of celeb work for her that is why she posted on twitter

I have no issue saying I would prefer Jessica Ennis to come and read to ds at school than anyone from towie and yes he would be asking questions about them

Can not really understand why Maya Angelou was dragged into this debate

I agree seven if she was just introduced as Sasha from the community. The article linked in the OP said this school previously had a child actor and voice actors from Sponge Bob as readers, which suggests it wasn't just a random parent type read. I also agree that there are a lot of people I wouldn't want to see reading in school and I'd be quite happy if no famous people read to them. Our kids are inundated in fame-obsessed culture as it is. Also agree re an inappropriate place for validation and tweeting pictures of the kids she read to is also inappropriate.

Tondelay "scarlet letter" is another lazy trope to deflect feminist criticism. Phrases like that, "pearl-clutching", "fallen from grace" etc have been co-opted co-opted by liberal men and "sex positive feminists" to shame women into ignoring their boundaries and to normalise unacceptable sexual behaviour. By using words associated with religious or cultural suppression of women against women with a feminist analysis of the commodification and objectification of women and the violence against women inherent in filmed prostitution, they try to categorise feminist criticism together with oppressive religious or cultural forces with a view to minimising it. It's easier than actually engaging with the issues.

Maya Angelou "should definitely attend the next presidential inauguration"? Why would you even say that?

Ah OK looking at the article:

"I am an actor. I am an artist. I am a daughter. I am a sister. I am a partner. I have a past that some people may not agree with, but it does not define who I am."

She seems to be saying that her "right" to join in with this is one that she will exercise even if it has negative consequences for the organisation/initiaitive itself.

I am not sure that using a charity to assist with children's literacy in order to validate yourself in this way is something I feel great about.

I am also unsure as to her drivers in doing this.

She would have known that it would garner a huge amount of publicity and debate, none of which does anything to help children.

Maybe a less visible role in an organisation that assists with children/reading would have been a better choice?

I can imagine that people/parents would remove their support for this initiative because of this - not saying I agree with that - but clearly it might well have that effect.

I'm not sure that the word "punished" is quite the right one when people are questioning whether someone is appropriate to go and read to primary school children or not

Punishment implies a huge loss and to not be allowed to spend 30 mins going to talking to some kids on a voluntary basis is more of an annoyance surely than a punishment?!

Wow - this is the last place I expected to come across woman hating...

So what IS and EX adult film actress allowed to do?

I meant 'more' media celebrities etc could do likewise?

Yes but AliceDoesnt Some of SG's oeuvre goes a tad beyond taking your clothes off and doing some sexy poses, as those you mention did. Some of it is beyond description actually. I Just googled her up and am trying to erase it from my mind. I know how OP feels.

That said, I agree SG shouldn't be punished forever for what she was. As much as I'm disgusted by what she did, It seems to me that she's driven by a desire to help and care for underprivileged kids. Maybe some mainstream media celebrities etc could do likewise?

Sorry you said 'equating' them.

No clearly I'm not 'equating' them but I don't agree with respectability politics. Sasha Grey is just as much a victim of sexism and patriarchy and while we may strongly disagree with her - I also think putting a scarlet letter on her and excluding her from community participation is wrong.

Yes, I am comparing them in the sense of 'this woman has worked in the sex industry and so has this woman. If either of them came to my child's school and read an age appropriate book to them, while making no mention of the sex industry, then it would not bother me.' (though, were it possible, I would prefer Maya Angelou)

I am not comparing them in the sense that I think Sasha Grey is an iconic civils rights advocate, brilliant memoirist and slightly over-rated poet who should definitely attend the next presidential inauguration.

Flora I do see where you're coming from, totally.

From my perspective if she was introduced as sacha who's come to read to you as she's a member of the community then that's fine.

I agree that introducing her as an actress is going to lead to googling and while it's probably nothing that children of, what, 9 or so haven't been exposed to before unfortunately, her presence in the schoolroom would clearly been seen as approving her choices.

I just think that there's an awful lot of people I wouldn't want in classrooms TBH - I wasn't joking earlier about Gove! So that's the perspective I'm coming from.

Also I don't know much about this woman, maybe my POV would change if I did.

Certainly when people are saying "oh well if you're going to exclude x y and z then there'll hardly be anyone left" then that's fine by me Children don't actually need famous people reading to them. They just need people reading to them and better Bob from the shop down the road than any number of slebs. Of course Bob from down the road might have made dubious chioces in his past and have all sorts of weird views BUT the children aren't going to find out about them via google the way they will with almost anyone famous.

It was Compton, not Beverly Hills. Anyway I've lived in several celebrity infested neighbourhoods and my DCs and the kids in their schools are very curious about "famous" people they encounter.

Equating Maya Angelou to Sasha Grey is repulsive. If you've read her books you'll know how she talks of the circumstances that lead her into the sex industry (including poverty, racism, sexism and childhood abuse). Did she become the poster girl for how wonderful and empowering it all is so long as you don't see yourself as a victim?

I think it's appalling that other women would exclude women from participating in public service because of their past.

Or their present, I wanted to add.