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from www.sfweekly.com – Hollie Stevens was and still is the Queen of Clown Porn. She was a writer, model, video manipulator, dancer, kickboxer, an artist, and a clown.

Hollie was empowered, even when facing a terminal illness; in fact she wrote her own obituary. And a signed note from her in her memorial handout bore her signature sense of humor, where she claimed she would “only haunt people in San Francisco.”

She also requested for all of us to take care of ourselves and to be charitable. If that wasn’t enough, there was something else that Hollie started before she passed away.

The AVN Awards (the adult industry’s version of the Oscars) was always very special to Hollie and not simply because she was an AVN Award winner.

Each year, she would travel to Las Vegas with the added bonus of knowing the AVNs took place close to her birthday. Since she couldn’t participate in 2012 due to her health, but she still silently began to plan for 2013. Hollie made the trip to Las Vegas, but spent her time in bed resting, unable to visit with her peers.

In the last 16 months of Hollie’s life, volunteers from Solace SF helped Hollie navigate a number of day-to-day tasks, with an emphasis on her medical care. Solace SF is an organization which serves and offers resources to sex workers. Laura Lasky, the executive director of Solace SF, was one of the people who helped Hollie, and in doing so, they also became good friends.

“During one of our conversations, I asked her what she wished she could do for those she worked with and looked forward to seeing at AVN. Hollie was very clear that she wanted the talent to feel loved, cared for, and pampered. We’ve partnered with an organization in Las Vegas very similar to Solace SF, The Cupcake Girls, to offer free hair and make up services, healthy snacks, nonalcoholic beverages, mini massages and most importantly, free breast exams.

“Referrals for those who may need to see a doctor when they return home from AVN will be available on site. The element of having free breast exams by a medical team, along with a suite designed with the needs of performers in mind mattered to Hollie and matters to everyone involved,” says Lasky.

Many adult entertainment-based performers are independent contractors, and many do not have adequate medical coverage; like any other person, they often have to pay for most or all medical costs out of pocket. The first time I spoke to Hollie about her cancer, she expressed how much she encouraged women especially to have regular checkups and mammograms.

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Solace SF and The Cupcake Girls, The Hollie Stevens Suite is indeed going to happen. The Cupcake Girls offer nonjudgmental support and resources, hope and love to women working in the adult entertainment industry. Based out of Las Vegas, they work with many strip clubs in Las Vegas and Portland, as well as brothels in Nevada.

Beyond that, GameLink, a San Francisco-based adult company, decided to help by doing something rather unique. Through mid-January, GameLink will be donating proceeds from Hollie’s work to The Hollie Stevens Suite. I asked Jeff Dillon, vice president of business development, (and a friend of Hollie’s), why GameLink wanted to get involved with this project:

“I’d known Hollie for about four years before she passed. She was a wonderful person. Professionally, we liked the same movies; we’d done some editorial articles on her. It matters to us because I don’t think people see all of the adult business.

“I think they see the glamour on camera but that is not the whole picture. All of us need help sometimes. Unfortunately, the adult performer community does not [always] have things like medical benefits and we feel like this project is a chance for people who are brought joy by the performers, to give back to them by donating to this and to bring awareness to this issue.”

I have found in my coverage of the porn community, that many people assume adult performers make a large amount of money. The truth is, most do not fall into the higher earning levels, due to competition and consumers who take their work free of charge from illegal sources online.

Hollie Stevens’ illness has shown us that it can strike anyone at anytime. The amenities offered in the suite which will honor Hollie is something a performer can utilize free of charge and without judgment, while at the same time feel relaxed, appreciated, and cared for.

While her life was cut tragically short, Hollie’s life and fight are still inspiring.

The Hollie Stevens Suite will be located at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in the Penthouse Infinity Suite on January 18-20.