Sex workers’ opinions and experiences are not only being shared widely on large platforms, but are actually being heard and understood by wide audiences, regardless of gender.

Sasha Grey, former pornography star and current human being, will no longer be part of a Sex Week panel. According to the Student Health Advisory Committee, the student group hosting the panel, Grey is wary of continuing to be associated with the porn industry, even in the context of a speaking engagement. As disappointed as I am, I can’t really blame her.

A few weeks ago, Sasha Grey took part in Read Across America. She read a book to a group of underprivileged first graders at Emerson Elementary School in Los Angeles. The story should have ended there. Sasha Gray used to be a porn star, however, and that changes everything. When the story came out, the students’ parents reacted with outrage.