“Bimbo Idiots Fighting Against Their Own Best Interests”: Epistemic Injustice and Occupational Health in Porn Production

Abstract

Introduction: From 2004 to 2020, there were multiple attempts to enforce mandatory condom use in adult film production in California, USA. The nonprofit and government figures pushing these occupational health policies did not adequately consult the perspectives of porn workers. Methods: This study collected data between 2016 and 2020, using fieldwork at porn events and film sets in Canada, Germany, and the USA; interviews with 36 adult industry workers including performers, producers, and lawyers; and critical textual analysis of policy documents, meeting transcripts, and media related to occupational health in porn production. Results: Throughout the occupational health policy process, porn performer testimony was discounted. The discrediting of porn worker expertise about their own working conditions was fueled by several pervasive and interrelated assumptions: that sex work is exceptional compared to other forms of labor under capitalism, that sex workers—especially women—cannot truly consent to their work, and therefore that sex workers need to be rescued by “experts.” Conclusions: The case of occupational health in porn production demonstrates the dual consequences of epistemic injustice: ignoring marginalized voices leads to the creation of problematic policy, and society does not reap the benefits of this situated knowledge. Policy Implications. When policy is grounded in paternalist rescue efforts, it fails to address the actual needs of sex workers and often exacerbates those concerns. Occupational health policy should be designed with extensive participation from the workers who perform the labor in question.