#1189 Nina Hartley: Pornography, Sex Education, and Feminism

Dec 15, 2025

Nina Hartley, a veteran pornographic actress and sex educator, delves into the cultural significance of sex and its impacts on health and society. She explores the evolution of the porn industry since the 1980s and critiques sex-negative attitudes driven by religion and misogyny. Hartley champions sex-positive feminism and discusses the importance of sex education, consent, and empowerment in both the adult industry and personal relationships. She argues for the radical potential of porn to celebrate female desire without shame.

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ANECDOTE

Early Discovery Of Sexual Identity

Nina Hartley discovered written porn and her sexual identity in her early teens and snuck into an adult movie at 17.
That first screening made her certain she wanted to perform sexually on camera rather than follow a conventional life.

INSIGHT

Roots Of Sex Negativity In Control And Misogyny

Hartley locates conservative anti-sex attitudes in religion and long histories of state control and misogyny.
She recommends reading Kate Manne and Manon Garcia to understand misogyny's logic and female mistrust.

INSIGHT

Internet Nichified Porn And Removed Context

The internet transformed porn from broad movies into hyper-niche compilations and lowered barriers for creators and consumers.
That digitization increased access but removed context and made revenge porn and fetish siloing more prevalent.

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Nina Hartley is a legendary pornographic film actress and sex educator. She has been described by Las Vegas Weekly as an "outspoken feminist" and "advocate for sexual freedom".

In this episode, we talk about Nina’s career in the porn industry. We talk about where people’s attitudes toward sex stem from, and how the porn industry has changed since the 1980s. We also discuss the feminist sexual revolution, the importance of sex education, sex-positive feminism, issues with feminists who are sex-negative, and whether sex should be part of healthcare.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, 航豊川, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, HUGO B., JAMES, JORDAN MANSFIELD, CHARLOTTE ALLEN, PETER STOYKO, DAVID TONNER, LEE BECK, PATRICK DALTON-HOLMES, NICK KRASNEY, RACHEL ZAK, DENNIS XAVIER, CHINMAYA BHAT, AND RHYS!

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