For porn stars, “coming out” is a process that never ends.

To the uninitiated, the idea of a career in the adult film industry may come with stigma that porn performers and sex workers have long fought to shake off. For many, that fight begins with one awkward conversation. 

When Coming Out Like a Porn Star was first published in 2015, it garnered cult status as an anthology of candidly intimate essays by diverse adult industry professionals and icons, relating the pain, pride, and surprises that accompanied their experiences coming out about their work. This updated edition includes new essays that explore issues transforming the modern porn field: deepfakes, AI, and OnlyFans; the inequity and fetishization faced by Black, Muslim, queer, disabled, and other marginalized performers; and the everyday, ever-evolving legal injustices compromising sex workers’ rights to live, earn, and bank.

Edited by veteran industry professional Jiz Lee, and featuring a new foreword by Samantha Cole, the second edition of Coming Out Like a Porn Star continues to celebrate the rich and varied voices of the adult industry, offering a panoramic view of the world of sex work that has been described in recent years by Melissa Febos, Margo Steines, Charlotte Shane, and Michelle Tea. Contributors include Joanna Angel, Siri Dahl, Sinnamon Love, Andre Shakti, Nikki Silver, Jessica Stoya, Kitty Stryker, Bella Vendetta, Denali Winter, and more.