by Christopher Paslay
Sasha Grey, ‘retired’ porn star, reads to first and third grade students in Compton, California, as part of Read Across America program.
For the record, I’m not a porn star. I’ve never taken-off my clothes in front of video cameras and had sex with one or more partners in multiple positions for money. I’m a married man and care for my wife deeply. I’m also a coach and dedicated schoolteacher who wants to set a good example for his athletes and students. If these two reasons aren’t good enough, there is the matter of performance: I get stage fright.
Sasha Grey, on the other hand, is a porn star. She’s done all kinds of kinky stuff on camera for money (she won a Best Oral Sex award for her role in “Throat: A Cautionary Tale” and was a winner of the 2010 AVN award for best anal sex scene) but this hasn’t stopped her from reading to first and third graders in Emerson Elementary School in Compton, California, as part of Read Across America, an event sponsored by the National Education Association (click here to see the pictures).
Needless to say, there was some serious backlash when word broke of Grey’s appearance in the elementary school. After parents formally complained to the principal for letting the porn actress near their children, Grey released a formal statement about her commitment to the Read Across America program:
“I am proud to have participated in the ‘Read Across America’ program at Emerson Elementary School in Compton, CA. I read ‘Dog Breath’ by Dav Pilkey to the sweetest 1st and 3rd grade children.
‘Read Across America’ is a program that was designed to promote literacy and instill a lifelong love of reading in elementary school students. Promoting education is an effort that is close to my heart. Illiteracy contributes to poverty; encouraging children to pick up a book is fundamental.
I believe education is a universal right. I committed to this program with the understanding that people would have their own opinions about what I have done, who I am and what I represent.
I am an actor. I am an artist. I am a daughter. I am a sister. I am a partner. I have a past that some people may not agree with, but it does not define who I am.
I will not live in fear of it. To challenge non-profit education programs is an exercise in futility, counter-productive and anti-educational.
I cannot thank my fans and ‘Read Across America’ enough for supporting my decision. Your support and kind words continue to inspire me. I believe in the future of our children, and I will remain an active supporter and participant in education-focused initiatives.”
Should Sasha Grey, who’s been officially “retired” from making adult films for two years now, be permitted to read to elementary school students?
Take the poll below:
Chalk and Talk 
Look, unless she’s performing porn for the children, or reading porn to the children, who cares? She made a legal living making those movies; why should she be prevented from reading a picture book to children?