Originally Posted By: Jerkules
Didn't the broad who sued IMDB for posting her real age lose miserably in court? I forget, it was a while ago.

Yes, she did. Again, publishing true information about public figures is 100% legal. Another recent example, Sheriff Joe Arpaio arresting journalists who posted his home address: Arizona is now paying out $3.75 MILLION in court settlements.

Here is my advice to porn stars: first think about why it is you want to hide your "real name":

If it is a question of hometown relatives, schoolmates, etc. finding out who you are, being that you look nothing like the mousy frump you were in high school so they wouldn't know from your pictures and videos all over the internet: change your name legally to your stage name.

If you are a retired porn star and want to hide from your porn past: first truly quit the industry - transitioning from in front to behind the camera is not very helpful. Second don't keep running your old MyPornNamexxx.com website, especially with your real name all over the DNS records. Third, change your hair color/style, wear glasses instead of contacts, and don't take a job as a schoolteacher or something else that will cause people to witch hunt you for moral turpitude.

If you are in the industry, want to stay in the industry and are dealing with a serious stalker problem, you are faced with exactly the same dilemma mainstream actors are faced with. Few of them can afford Tom Cruise level private security and fewer still wish to be trailed by bodyguards anywhere they go or turn their homes into high security prisons. It is a tradeoff -- want to be a public figure? Well, you gotta live with the public. On the bright side, stalkers physically harming either porners or mainstream actors are very rare. But if even the prospect of the less harmful forms of stalking horrifies you than maybe a public figure type profession is not for you.

And lastly, think about the now rapid acceptance of gay people into mainstream life: before gays were if anything more vulnerable to harassment, discrimination and persecution than porn stars. Now they are winning the right to marry and ending various forms of discrimination against them. The key: they had to come out of the closet. You can't hide while campaigning/suing for the right to marry.

Be out, be proud! Stop using stage names, unless it is for the same reason mainstream actors do.
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"Is the snake OK?"