Mixed Messages: The Communities That Both Celebrate and Condemn
In the vast landscape of the internet, communities form around shared interests and desires. Among these are spaces dedicated to specific adult content and fetishes, where like-minded individuals gather to share and discuss their preferences. However, within these communities, particularly those centered around the "goon" fetish on Discord servers, a troubling contradiction has emerged: while these spaces thrive on consuming adult content, they often stigmatize and reject the very people who create it.
From Accepted Member to Outsider
Recently, I encountered this paradox firsthand. As someone who participates in these communities on my free time, while also working in the adult industry in my personal life, I was asked to remove my own personal domain from my Discord profile. The reasoning provided was supposedly about spam prevention and community guidelines—but the underlying truth is far more uncomfortable.
The moderators hide behind excuses about preventing scammers and AI-generated content, but when you analyze the situation more deeply, the message becomes painfully clear: sex workers aren't welcome to identify themselves as such, even in subtle ways like having a personal website linked in a bio. A small hint, a rumor, or simply admitting your profession during casual conversation with other members is enough to mark you as an outsider.
What's particularly striking is how irrelevant this aspect of my life should be. Members who work as store sellers, veterinarians, teachers, or in any other profession aren't subjected to the same scrutiny or exclusion. Yet somehow, my chosen work—something I do in my personal life and not during my community participation—becomes grounds for persecution.
The doors close for people like me, while inside these same communities, porn streams continue to play 24/7. The hypocrisy and prejudice couldn't be more evident.
To be fair: let's see the full picture
It's important to acknowledge that these communities do face legitimate challenges, I could never deny this fact. The rise of scam accounts, bots, and unsolicited promotional content has created frustration and I completely understand why. Being a moderator is not easy, they try to maintain spaces where members can engage without being constantly marketed to, between many other usual problematics.
However, there's a significant difference between protecting a community from spam and implementing blanket policies that silence and exclude real people who happen to work in the adult industry. Or is the illusion of power some people can get when they get a special role on Discord doing its known trick, turning people against each other separating like minded people who are supposed to share a moment of pleasure and fun?
Love porn, ignore creators rights.
The most striking aspect of this situation is the contradiction: these are communities built around consuming and enjoying adult content while simultaneously rejecting the humanity of those who create it. Members spend countless hours enjoying content but are personally offended at the idea of supporting creators financially or even acknowledging them as real people with legitimate careers.
This disconnect reveals deeper societal issues around how we view sex work. Consuming the product while stigmatizing the producer.
Building bridges
- For community moderators: Consider more nuanced policies that distinguish between spam/scams and genuine community members who happen to work in adult industries. Judge members by their behavior in the community, not by their profession.
- For community members: Reflect on the disconnect between enjoying content while stigmatizing its creators. The people who make the content you enjoy deserve respect and recognition for their work.
- For sex workers: Continue advocating for recognition while understanding the legitimate concerns communities have about spam and unsolicited promotion.
What Real Connection Could Look Like
Adult content communities and sex workers should be natural allies, not adversaries. Both groups face stigma from mainstream society, and both benefit from open, honest discussions about sexuality.
What if, instead of zero-tolerance policies, communities developed more thoughtful approaches? What if they created spaces where adult content creators could participate as full community members, sharing their expertise and experiences without constant promotion?
Imagine the rich discussions that could emerge if the walls between consumers and creators were lowered—conversations about consent, fantasy, production ethics, and the realities of the industry.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The current situation—where adult content is consumed voraciously while its creators are silenced and stigmatized—isn't sustainable or ethical. It perpetuates harmful stereotypes and prevents meaningful connection.
I'm not asking for special treatment or unlimited promotional opportunities. I'm simply advocating for recognition that sex workers are legitimate community members with valuable perspectives to share.
By bridging this divide, we can create healthier, more honest spaces for discussing adult content—spaces that respect both the consumers and creators of the material that brings the community together in the first place.
The choice to support sex workers doesn't require consuming their paid content—it simply means acknowledging their humanity and right to exist in spaces relevant to their work and interests.
What kind of community do you want to be part of? One that divides and stigmatizes, or one that recognizes our shared humanity despite different roles in the adult content ecosystem?
