I get a call New Year’s Eve from the ex-porn star. I was acquainted with her for several years when I covered that industry.
Christian evangelist Shelley Lubben writes in late August 2007:
As most of you know Julie, formerly known as Porn Star Sierra Sinn, left porn on June 20, 2007 and in just two months she has been able to walk away from the enslavement of the porn industry, stop smoking pot, she found a new place to live and went out and got a great job at a prominent Food Store that offers full benefits!!!
That took HUGE amounts of courage not to mention she is willing to her use her life story to help others. Most girls want to hide when they leave the sex industry but not Julie. She is determined to help others learn the truth about porn and God is blessing her BIG TIME for it!
Julie is so thankful to all of us who offered her support through their encouragement, prayers and donations. She says our support gave her the strength she needed to take the steps necessary to rebuild her life. She also wants to thank the Esther Fund set up by xxxchurch for donating a large amount toward her living expenses.
She is especially thankful to God because she KNOWS God is the one who faithfully stood by her and opened doors for her as she took her first courageous steps to rebuild her life.
Truly with God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! I hope all of you reading will be inspired to trust in God and lean on Him to help you take the steps necessary to live the life you were created for!
You were meant for greater things than porn! Whether porn star or porn addict, God has more for you than a life enslaved to porn.
If you would like to learn more about how you can help Julie and other girls like her, you can visit my web site at www.shelleylubben.com
Julie, formerly Sierra Sinn, phones at 10 p.m.: "Even though I quit porn, I am doing way better than ever. I just wanted to report that."
Luke: "Hey. What are you doing these days?"
Julie: "I’m doing what I need to be doing to take care of myself and my family."
Luke: "Are you working? Are you going to school?"
Julie: "I’m working. I’m working very hard in every sense of the world. I’m staying out of porn. I’ll never go back.
"I don’t hate porn the way people think I do. I believe in God and I believe in Christ and everything, but I’m not like a Jesus freak. I don’t condone anyone for what they do. I don’t hate anyone for what they do. I don’t hate anyone for what they’ve done to me. So what I’m saying is that I’m having a great year and I’ll continue to and I’d really appreciate it if you’d report that."
Luke: "I will. Hang on a second. What have been the best things and what have been the toughest things for you in making a new life?"
Julie: "The money. I haven’t had nearly as much money as I had before. I feel really good that I have a job. I feel responsible. I have something that I can do every day. I don’t feel like a scumbag for just taking what I can get. Before I’d just take paychecks but it was never steady. Now I feel responsible for something. I’m doing something good."
Luke: "So the toughest part of leaving the industry was leaving the money?"
Julie: "Definitely. I’m a strong enough person that I can get past that. I can live humbly for a little while until I can get promoted.
"If you stick by a job, they’re going to promote you and give you what you need. I have health insurance now. That’s one thing I’m really happy about. When I was in porn, I never went to the doctor except for AIM. Now I can go and get my entire body checked out, not just my vagina."
We laugh.
Luke: "How does your soul feel?"
Julie: "I don’t feel any different. I feel better about myself as far as I’m not a whore. I’m with one guy. I love him very much and that’s it. I feel a lot better about myself now. Other than that, I don’t feel any different. I’m the same person I’ve always been.
"I was never the person that some people portrayed me to be. I was never a crack head. I was never a meth head. I was never a tweaker like they tried to say I was. I went out and I partied. I’m sorry. Excuse me for having a good time. I’m a DJ. That’s what I do. That’s going very well. I’ve spun three parties in the past year. For someone who’s not really trying to pursue it, I think that’s pretty good."
Luke: "So what kind of person is Shelley Lubben?"
Julie: "She’s awesome. She’s intense and some people may confuse that for something that it’s not. She’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. She doesn’t judge you for things you’ve done in your past but helps you get to where you want to be in your future. People can say what they want about her. Yes, she’s radical, but she has her heart in the right place. Shelley Lubben is my hero."
Luke: "How did you get in contact with her?"
Julie: "She hit me up on MySpace. She was at the right place at the right time. It was very fateful. I hate to sound like a Jesus freak, but I feel like I was put in touch with her through God. I was going through a downfall and she hit me up and I was like wow. It’s crazy. Everything she said made sense. I love Shelley."
Luke: "How many friends did you keep from the porn industry?"
Julie: "One and a half."
Luke: "What do you think we as individuals can do about the porn industry?"
Julie: "I just don’t want to see children being exploited. I wish there was more security. I wish it wasn’t as extreme. I wish girls didn’t have to go as far as they did. But honestly, that’s a personal decision. I made it and a lot of girls will make it. I pray to God for their souls that they don’t, but if they do, I hope they find the right side.
"I really wish that like children weren’t being exploited. People under 21. Between the ages of 18 and 21, you’re not an adult. I made a lot of mistakes between the ages of 18 and 21, note even porn, that maybe you should not be accounted for but you are because you are over 18."
Luke: "Do you find people still holding your porn background against you?"
Julie: "Not really. Too many people know that I did it in the past."
Luke: "Have you been able to get closer to people now that you’ve left the industry?"
Julie: "I’ve been able to have a boyfriend now that I’ve left the industry. My family was never not supportive but they were never like fully gung-ho on it. Now that I’m not doing it, they’re a lot happier. I find that I’m able to have more real friends, actual friends, rather than just people who are using me for status, money or whatever reason… I have real friends rather than just people in my life."
Luke: "How is your sex life different now that you’re out of porn?"
Julie: "How did I know that was coming up? It’s different. It’s not as frequent but it’s very satisfactory. It means a lot more. Before I just felt that I was f—ing to reach a high because I would get high from certain orgasms. You know what I mean?"
Luke: "Yeah."
Julie: "Sometimes you’d get like this f—ing like f— buzz. But now I don’t just f— to get like that f— buzz. I f— because I love my boyfriend and I want to make him happy. I mean it when I f— now."
"I just want everyone to know that I’m not just some f—ed up bitch who left the industry and like started doing drugs and all that s—. Yeah, I did a few drugs, but I was never strung out like people wanted to believe that I was. Yeah, I had my share of partying but I was never like some f—ing cracked out bitch. People think that just because I left the industry that it was because I was all f—ed up. But in actuality I left the industry because I was all f—ed up but that was mentally not on drugs. And now I’m not. And I just want to say that."
Luke: "Right. How long have you been clean and sober for?"
Julie: "Does pot count? Because I still smoke pot."
Luke: "Aside from pot."
Julie: "Other than pot, since July."
Luke: "Cool."
"How long have you been with your boyfriend?"
Julie: "Since July."