Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
James Deen Addresses the Havoc Wreaked by his Pasadena City College Appearance
Photo courtesy of James Deen
()
Last week, porn star James Deen headed over to his alma mater, Pasadena City College, to be a guest lecturer in a class called "Navigating Pornography." Before his appearance, we talked to Deen about the need to educate students about healthy sexuality and provide a forum for them to ask questions and share ideas.
But once word got out that he'd be showing up at the university, the public began to get its panties in a wad, and the class -- which had originally been open to one and to all -- was closed to the public. Deen hit Twitter to alert his followers of the havoc he was inadvertently wreaking:
Well, now the class is over, and no one died, and indeed, it appears as though no minds were permanently ruined by the adult film actor showing up. (Besides, youth is resilient.) Anyway, Deen talked to us following the class about what went down before, during and after his talk with students, and whether he'd do it again.
Support for LAist comes from
LAist: They wound up closing your class to the public -- how do you feel about that?
James Deen: I was a little taken back and confused. I heard rumors it was due to improper permits, but I also heard it was from the threats of "hundreds of protesters." The protester reason makes little sense to me as college is about the free expression of ideas. Everyone should have the right to their own opinion and be able to safely express it. Freedom of speech is amazing and protecting our rights to this First Amendment is very important to me. However, it isn't about protecting your rights to say and express yourself how you want, it is about protecting the rights of the person who is saying or expressing the most offensive thing to you. Everyone should be able to have their opinions respected whether you agree with them or not.
What topics did you discuss?
We discussed human sexuality. This spanned over many different questions and specifics, but all in all, we spoke for a hour regarding advancement to our human sexuality.
How did the students react to you being there?
Everyone I met seemed very nice and excited. I felt very welcomed.
What was the most surprising question or comment that you got?
I was not really surprised by any. People consistently are interested in the same few things. When they try to shock for the sake of shock value is when I get bored.
What do you think about the fact that your presence caused such an uproar on campus and in the media?
I am pretty impressed and flattered that I can still cause such an uproar in Pasadena.
Would you do it again?
I would absolutely love to come do it again at PCC or any school as long as every participant wanted to be there and listen to the subject matter. I would never want to forcefully subject anyone to listen or view anything they did not have the desire to be a part of.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach. -
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility.
Best of LAist