Yesterday, AVN published a short article about George Floyd's connection to our industry. It was not only wrong to post this, it was a mistake. I had rejected the story, rightly, before it was accidentally published by an editor. This was never something that should have happened, and we are all embarrassed and ashamed. The editors involved have been suspended indefinitely.
Let there be no mistake: AVN stands with the Black community in its fight against racial injustice and discrimination. Black Lives Matter.
As a publication and as an industry, we need to do better — and we can.
Here's a start:
•Effective immediately, AVN will be eliminating the terms “IR” and “Interracial” from its news coverage online and in its print publications. These are terms that should have been jettisoned long ago.
•Effective immediately, AVN will be eliminating all “interracial” and “ethnic” categories from the AVN Awards.
Those are the simple solutions, but we can and must do better, both as a publication and as an industry. We call for an end to disparate scene rates, racist marketing practices and films that rely on stereotypes and ignorance. For too long, we've heard the same excuses for these: it's what the market demands. But we choose whether or not to serve that market. As an industry, we can no longer deny that these films amplify racism and discrimination.
To that end:
•The entire AVN staff will undergo racial sensitivity training. Not only should the article never have been published, it shouldn't have been drafted.
•We are forming an advisory board on race, made up of people of color, to help address our own shortcomings, and address the larger issues in the industry.
•We are actively soliciting editorial contributions from adult talent, businesspeople and other industry members of color in order to amplify their voices and illuminate their perspectives.
•We will be donating to Campaign Zero.
We have taken the message to heart of those in our industry—and across the country—who have spoken out about the Black Lives Matter movement. Your voices have been heard and we stand in solidarity with you in continuing to make them so.
AVN has been the voice of the industry since 1983. It's time for us to use that voice to advocate for long-overdue change.
Sincerely,
Tony Rios
Chief Executive Officer
AVN Media Network
