Counter Human Trafficking Organization Speaks out Against Netflix’s Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On

Jamie Walton, a counter-human trafficking advocate and sex trafficking survivor has collaborated with the Free Speech Coalition, the trade association of the adult industry, to speak directly to the creators of the Netflix docu-series Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On about the realities of exploitation, and how seemingly small privacy violations can have huge consequences.

Despite months of outrage from the adult film performer community, Netflix, Rashida Jones, and the producers of the series have refused to engage with performers who were featured in the documentary non-consensually. Some performers who had their images and information disclosed against their will by the documentary, have been the targets of harassment and have faced severe threats. Hundreds of performers, academics, doctors, and other advocates have spoken out against the series and the privacy violations that occurred during its production.

“No one wants the documentary removed,” says Walton, who co-founded The Wayne Foundation with Hollywood film director Kevin Smith, “We just want the performers who appeared in the film to feel safe.”

The two organizations have collaborated with Penthouse Studios to produce public service announcements and ask, again, that those who did not consent to being involved have their images and private information obscured. The first PSA, starring adult film performer Anikka Albrite, has already received over twenty-seven thousand views. Eric Paul Leue, Executive Director of the trade association says he hopes the PSAs will help raise awareness about the moral and ethical obligations that documentary filmmakers and journalists face when writing or producing material about sex workers. “This is already a community that faces rampant stigmatization — in housing, banking and employment outside the industry — when their personal information is disclosed. We hope that Jamie’s perspective will help communicate why performers are so upset with Netflix, and hopefully inform others about the dangers of working with Hot Girls Wanted in the future.”