Lorelei Lee (performer)

Lorelei Lee
Lee in 2006
Born1981 or 1982 (age 44–45)
EducationSan Francisco State University
New York University (MFA)
Cornell University Law School (JD)

Lorelei Lee (born 1981 or 1982[1]) is an American pornographic film performer, writer, and sex workers' rights activist.[2] They[a] hold a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University and a juris doctor from Cornell Law School.

Early life

A native of Buffalo, New York, Lee graduated from San Francisco State University in 2008.[4] They later obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University.[5] Lee has been awarded a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts "youngARTS Scholarship".[6][7]

Pornographic film career

Lee appeared in their first pornographic film at the age of 19, inspired by their boyfriend's suggestion that people would pay to see Lee naked.[8] Lee chose their stage name based on Marilyn Monroe's character in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.[9]

Lee starred in John Stagliano's enema-focused film Milk Nymphos, which in 2008 became the subject of a federal obscenity trial.[10][11][12] The case reached federal court in Washington, D.C., and, on July 16, 2010, Lee was expected to testify as a witness on behalf of the defense.[13] Citing concerns of personal safety, Lee requested to testify under their stage name; the prosecution objected, arguing that allowing them to do so "gives some air of legitimacy to the porn star" (which Lee later called "incredibly insulting") and that "they shouldn't be treated any differently than anyone else in this case".[14] The case was ultimately dismissed on July 16, 2010,[15] before Lee was scheduled to testify.[16]

Hustler Magazine ranked Lee at eight on their 2011 list of the Top 10 Smartest Porn Stars.[17]

Mainstream media

In 2006, Lee wrote the centerfold text for the Sara Thrustra's Ten Pictures and Two Pin-Ups calendar.[18] Along with fellow Kink model and director Princess Donna, Lee was the subject of Brian Lilla's 2007 independent film Tale of Two Bondage Models, which appeared at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.[19][20] In 2008, they appeared in the documentary 9to5 – Days in Porn[21] and also toured nationally as part of the "Sex Workers' Art Show" with other prominent members of the kink and sex-positivity community.[1][22][23] In 2009, Lee appeared in Graphic Sexual Horror, a documentary about Insex, a now-defunct bondage website.[6][24]

Later that year, they were the subject and lead actress of the short movie Lorelei Lee, which was directed by Simon Grudzen and Jesse Kerman and shown at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival;[25] the film received multiple awards at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, including Best Directing, Best Original Score and Best Use of Social Issue/Political Genre.[26] In 2010, Lee published an essay, "I'm Leaving You" in Off the Set: Porn Stars and Their Partners, a book of documentary photography by Paul Sarkis that explores the off-screen romantic relationships of ten couples who perform in porn, and which features photos of Lorelei with their partner at the time.[27]

Lee co-wrote the 2012 drama film About Cherry alongside director Stephen Elliott. The film is a coming-of-age story about a young woman who flees her troubled home life for San Francisco, eventually becoming a star performer for a bondage-themed pornographic website.[5][28][29] The film premiered at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival.[30]

In 2012, Lee, along with adult performers Isis Love and Princess Donna, was the subject of a documentary film about the website Kink.com, Public Sex, Private Lives, which was, in part, funded by donations made to Kickstarter.[31][32]

Academic career and activism

As of 2016, Lee was teaching writing at New York University and at the San Francisco Center for Sex and Culture.[33] Lee has advocated for workers' health legislation and against FOSTA-SESTA and mandatory condom use in pornographic film productions. Researcher Heather Berg describes Lee as a leading voice in sex worker policy activism.[34]

In 2020, Lee graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. They also received the 2020 Stanley E. Gould Prize for Public Interest Law from the school. They became a Justice Catalyst Fellow at Cornell Law School's Gender Justice Clinic in 2021.[3]

Lee has been a cofounder or founding member of the Disabled Sex Workers Coalition, the Upstate New York Sex Workers' Coalition, Decrim MA, and Survivors Against SESTA.[3] Their memoir, Anything of Value: A Memoir of Sex, Work, and Survival, is pending publication by Simon & Schuster.[35]

Personal life

Lee identifies as queer[36][37] and non-binary.[38] They have been married to a trans man since 2012.[39]

Selected publications

  • Cash/Consent, The War on Sex Work (2019), an extensive essay reflecting their personal experience in the pornography industry[40]
  • Anything of Value: A Memoir of Sex, Work, and Survival (pending publication by Simon & Schuster)[35]

Awards and nominations

Year Ceremony Result Category Work
2015 AVN Award[41] Nominated Best Director – Parody Barbarella: A Kinky Parody
Nominated Best Screenplay – Parody
Nominated Most Outrageous Sex Scene (with Dylan Ryan)
Nominated Best Web Director N/a
FSC Award[42] Won Woman of the Year N/a

Notes

  1. ↑ Lee uses they/them pronouns.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Ramanathan, Lavanya (February 9, 2008). "'Sex Workers' Art': A Baring of Souls". The Washington Post. p. C8. ISSN 0190-8286. ProQuest 410233302. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  2. ↑
  3. 1 2 3 "Clinical Program Faculty Updates for Fall '21". Cornell Law School. November 11, 2021. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  4. ↑ Burke, Kerry; Schapiro, Rich (October 12, 2009). "Meet Lorelei Lee, queen of porn and NYU master's degree student (fine arts, of course)". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Dollar, Steve (September 22, 2012). "Stripping a Story to Its Very Core --- Writer Turned Director Gives Insider's View to Sex Industry". The Wall Street Journal. p. A20. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 1048976585.
  6. 1 2 "Graphic Sexual Horror Documentary | Characters". Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  7. ↑ Schlaefer, Malia (May 12, 2009). "Art of Restraint feat. Lorelei Lee, Fivestar, & surprise celebrity guest". Femina Potens. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2011 – via Tumblr.
  8. ↑ Freedenberg, Molly (November 26, 2008). "I want to be a porn star when I grow up: Meet Lorelei Lee". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ Nieratko, Chris (January 2008). "Sleaze: Interviews – Lorelei Lee". Bizarre. Archived from the original on February 4, 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  10. ↑ Javors, Steve (April 9, 2008). "John Stagliano, Evil Angel Charged With 7 Obscenity Violations". XBIZ. Archived from the original on May 6, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  11. ↑ Sullivan, David (April 8, 2008). "John Stagliano, Evil Angel Indicted On Federal Obscenity Charges". Adult Video News. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008.
  12. ↑ Poulsen, Kevin (April 10, 2008). "Feds Charge Porn Producer With Selling Adult Content to Adults". Wired. Archived from the original on July 25, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  13. ↑ Hess, Amanda (July 15, 2010). "Porn Star Lorelei Lee to Testify in Buttman Trial". Washington City Paper. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  14. ↑ Hess, Amanda (July 14, 2010). "Buttman Trial: Should Porn Star Testify Under Her Real Name?". Washington City Paper.
  15. ↑ Kernes, Mark (July 16, 2010). "All Charges Dismissed Against Stagliano and Companies". AVN. Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  16. ↑ Clark-Flory, Tracy (July 19, 2010). "Porn star Lorelei Lee talks obscenity". Salon. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  17. ↑ Graves, Richard (November 5, 2011). "Top 10 Smartest Porn Stars". Hustler. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  18. ↑ Chun, Kimberly (February 7, 2007). "Splendor in the ass". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Tribeca Film Festival Catalog", 2008.
  20. ↑ Taormino, Tristan (April 24, 2008). "The Princess and the Submissive". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  21. ↑ "9 to 5: Days in Porn". Filmkritik (in German). Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  22. ↑ Pascual, Oscar (January 21, 2008). "Concert Review: Sex Workers' Art Show at Victoria Theatre; "Anal Beads Made of Money"". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  23. ↑ Hess, Amanda (February 15, 2008). "The Money Shot". Washington City Paper. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  24. ↑ Byun, Bryan (August 20, 2010). "Graphic Sexual Horror: Special Edition". DVD Verdict. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2010: Lorelei Lee". BigSky. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  26. ↑ "2009 Doc Challenge Jury Winners Announced". Doc Challenge. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Off the Set: Porn Stars and Their Partners". Sundance Channel. February 16, 2010. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  28. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (May 18, 2011). "Franco, Graham, Patel board indie 'Cherry'". Variety. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  29. ↑ Warren, Peter (May 19, 2011). "Lorelei Lee: The Next Diablo Cody?". AVN. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  30. ↑ Minzesheimer, Bob (February 27, 2012). "You've got (real) mail: Letters from writers". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Public Sex, Private Lives – The New Documentary That Will Challenge Everything You Know About Porn". Intent Blog. May 2, 2013. Archived from the original on January 19, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Documentary on Kink.com Stars Seeks Kickstarter Crowdfunding". XBIZ Newswire. March 29, 2012. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  33. ↑ Tarrant, Shira (March 2016). The Pornography Industry: What Everyone Needs to Know. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 61–2. doi:10.1093/9780190205119.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-020513-3 – via Google Books.
  34. ↑ Berg, Heather (2021). Porn Work: Sex, Labor, and Late Capitalism. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-4696-6193-3. JSTOR 10.5149/9781469661940_berg – via Google Books.
  35. 1 2 "Anything of Value" – via Simonandschuster.com.
  36. ↑ Lee, Lorelei (Fall 2019). "Cash/Consent: The War on Sex Work". N+1. No. 35. ISSN 1549-0033. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  37. ↑ Lee, Lorelei (October 14, 2015). "How I Earned My Porn Star Name". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  38. ↑ Lee, Lorelei [@MissLoreleiLee] (June 29, 2021). "Just came out as non-binary to my family and they are being so supportive 😭😭😭" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. ↑ Arnold, Eric K (June 9, 2013). "Interview with a Porn Star: Lorelei Lee on sex, gender, and 'Public Sex, Private Lives.'". Oakland Local. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  40. ↑ Lee, Lorelei (October 1, 2019). "Cash/Consent". N+1 Foundation. Retrieved August 29, 2023 – via search.esbcohost.com.
  41. ↑ "2015 AVN Award Nominees". AVN Awards. Archived from the original on November 25, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  42. ↑ Gray, Lila (January 9, 2015). "2015 FSC Award Recipients Announced". XBIZ. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
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