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"Myth: Women in porn have unhappy childhoods... "Reality: I come from a loving [Catholic] family. That core of love has always been my strength. "Myth: Porn women are all bodies and no brains." Reality: Vera was always a good student and boasts a degree in English. Myth: Women in porn don't know how to do anything else. Reality: Vera sold stocks on Wall Street. Veronica unintentionally illustrates the male - female macro vs. micro dichotomy described by Jewish commentator Dennis Prager. Because her life supposedly contradicted these "myths", they are invalid, she claims. But the truth of generalities is not refuted by one example. Even if Vera earned a degree in English, it says nothing about whether women in porn tend to be intelligent and educated. Veronica's testimony was classic in another sense - she lied. Vera told the commissioners she had a happy loving childhood free from abuse while in an article in Puritan, "Beyond Kink", she revealed a history a sexual abuse. Vera also describes how, in 1980, "Mistress Antoinette" placed her "in beautiful bondage" on a tree from which she was "bound and suspended" while "her [Australian] husband silently took pictures." During the 1990s, Veronica started "Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls" for aspiring transvestites. "It's the world's first cross-dressing academy," a 200 pound Vera told me 8/98. "We get students from all over the world who want to dress like ladies. My book provides all the details… Most of the students are married and 95% identify themselves as straight, though they learn that it is a blurry line between straight, gay, and bisexual. They can study with us for several hours or several days. We have a whole faculty… A dean of high heels… Sex ed courses… Make up. We take students out on field trips. "Most of the children have been dressing as girls since they were children…but they have never seen themselves totally transformed. "There's nothing that I said [in 1985] to Senator Arlen Spector that I wouldn't say today, though that exploration of bondage and submission is not something that I am into today. But modeling for those photos was right for me at the time, when I was repressed Catholic school. Today I'm much into acknowledging personal responsibility for sex. So I'm not into anything that requires that someone else give permission. That is also the philosophy of my school. There's no domination. "I don't watch many porn movies. It's more fun to be in them than to watch them. But I do watch the work of my friends. I just watched Candida's One Size Is Enough which I liked. I'm curious to see Debbie Sundials Female Ejaculation series. My lover and I began to watch a porn movie a couple of weeks ago, then we made love, so I guess it worked. "I'm mostly heterosexual. I've had bisexual experiences as opposed to bisexual relationships. Bisexuality is coming more into public awareness. "My favorite video that I made is [the documentary] Portrait of a Sexual Evolutionary [about Vera's life as a sex worker]. It has clips from movies, and the testimony [before Specter] and still photos by Robert Maplethorpe and Annie Sprinkle. The other favorite would be my first [porno], Consenting Adults. "Religion represses sexuality, which inspires exhibitionism. So you have a lot of people in porn from strong religious backgrounds. It's less so now." Luke: "Is it tougher for a beautiful woman to grow old?" Vera: "It depends. If you get caught up in wanting your body to be the same as it was when you were younger… I was never satisfied with my body. Once I learned to accept it, I became happier. So many great things have happened through maturing that the trade-off is well worth it. Life is easier now. I have everything I want now. I have a great lover and fulfillment in my work."
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