Debate pits porn addict against Ron Jeremy

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Porn star Ron Jeremy squared off against recovering porn addict Michael Leahy last night in the “Great Porn Debate” at Washburn University in Topeka.

Jeremy, who has starred in more than 1,800 adult films in his 29-year career, defended the porn industry against accusations that the industry uses the Internet to market to children.

Jeremy said that he does not represent all adult films, only the films done under unions, which are careful to not hire people who are under the age of 18 participate in films. He also said that the porn industry does not target children.

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“Sexual addiction is really an intimacy problem,” Leahy said. “A big part of this recovery is just being honest to myself and others.

“I’d be the first person to prosecute it,” Jeremy said. “We’re against that. We want consenting adults having consensual sex. We’re not advertising on billboards outside elementary schools.”

Leahy said that the porn industry allows minors to view Web sites with easy loops to get through, such as the ability to easily lie about age in order to view the site.

Leahy spoke about what he called his “sexual addiction,” which he said is the largest addiction in the country and cost him his 15-year marriage, his relationship with his children and a business partnership with his brother.

“Sexual addiction is really an intimacy problem,” Leahy said. “A big part of this recovery is just being honest to myself and others.

“My problem is not so much with the porn industry but with the fortune 500 companies who use sex to promote products,” Leahy said.

He said that he has to censor what he watches on mainstream television, and he cut himself off entirely from cable television and the Internet for his first year of recovery.

Jeremy, who said that he respects Leahy’s addiction and realizes that he cannot view pornography, said that he does not agree with Leahy’s view that the industry fosters addictions such as his.

“You don’t take an entire industry and blame it as a whole because a few people had problems with it,” Jeremy said. “To me, porn is just this simple: if you want to laugh, watch Monty Python. If you want to get a little excited, watch a late night film on HBO or Cinemax.”

Mike Ditch, Washburn senior and executive director of Campus Activities, said that Washburn paid $14,000 for Jeremy and Leahy to speak. He said that Washburn decided to bring the pair in for a discussion because Internet porn is a relevant issue for college students right now.

“We figured we could use this as a stepping stone to get a debate started,” Ditch said. “We knew it would reach a wide range of students.”

Shane Turben, Topeka resident and Washburn alum,

said that he attended the debate because he is a fan of Ron Jeremy and wanted to see him in-person.

“The debate interested me of what the opponent’s view would be,” Turben said. “I’m more of a believer that any addiction is more from your own personal patterns.”

Jeremy and Leahy have gone to several institutions throughout the country to discuss the porn industry. They are scheduled to speak Central Washington University on October 18 and Southern Illinois University on January 28, 2008.

Leahy is speaking Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the University in Budig 120 to give a presentation title “Porn Nation.”

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