CHATSWORTH, Calif.—Retired adult performer Melissa Hill, who spent plenty of time in front of the XXX cameras in the mid-'90s, has resigned her position as Second Vice President of the Adult Performers Actors Guild. She did so in a letter delivered to the APAG board on December 19. The resignation was effective on that date.
"It is my opinion that the actions of the Guild officers and board members seem to be going in a direction that I no longer wish to stand by and be a witness to," Hill said in the letter. "My resignation is not due to the actions of one person, or one particular idea, but rather the group's mentality as a whole."
Hill became involved with the union organizing effort in February 2016 and volunteered to take charge of the social media accounts in March, "which eventually led to my appointment as the first official officer of APAG in May 2016." The office of Second Vice President was created in order not to interfere with the election of officers, which was accomplished through mail-in balloting.
"On June 6, 2016, myself, along with the elected officers, were all officially sworn in as officers of the very first federally recognized adult film union in the United States," Hill stated.
Hill said she will continue to advocate for performers' rights.
"My main purpose was to launch a much needed support group for the adult industry. I launched the Adult Industry Support Group (AISG) in September 2016, with the assistance of [Penthouse Global Media owner] Kelly Holland, as well as an internationally renowned organization that provides a variety of support and recovery options. They, without hesitation, were eager to provide the adult industry with a safe and secure location for those whose privacy and confidentiality is a major concern. To their knowledge, there has not been a support group of its kind specifically created for the adult industry by a member of the adult industry. It's peer-led, with the assistance of clinical psychologist Talia Witkowski. Information is available at [email protected]."
Melissa Hill's active performing career started in 1993 and comprises more than 250 titles. She won two AVN Awards and has been inducted into the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame, and is numbered among the Legends of Erotica in Las Vegas. She currently hosts a weekly Internet talk radio show, RAWTALK, heard Tuesday nights on the LA Talk Radio website. Hill discussed how and why she got involved with the "porn union" in detail during her December 19 broadcast, which available at this link.
