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Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
I went to the porn awards and spent a night with the UK's naughtiest performers
I recently descended on the SNAP Awards — an annual glitter-strewn, latex-sheathed gathering for the great and good (and gloriously bad) of adult entertainment. SNAP, for the uninitiated, stands for Support Network of Adult Performers , but for one glorious, throbbing evening it might as well have meant Sequins, Nylon And Pheromones. It felt like every model I'd ever spanked — and about a thousand more I hadn't yet, but wouldn't mind having a go on — turned up in their finest fetishwear. Corsets you could cut diamonds on, seven-inch heels, clouds of hair and perfume. All of them ready to party like tomorrow might require arnica. I'd been nominated for Niche Performer of the Year , which delighted me far more than it probably should have. I'd never been nominated before, in fact I've never won any type of porn award. I didn't expect to win, of course — I was up against a young woman with 300,000 followers on X — but what a delight to hear my name mentioned. Knowing I wouldn't be ending the night clutching a statuette actually made it all the more restful. I didn't even hover near the stage when my category was announced, I just carried on chatting to a photographer from the Midlands about the pros and cons of oiled latex versus PVC. The gender ratio was about eight women to every man, which meant the men in attendance wore identical expressions: well-groomed, mildly panicked, and faintly hopeful. One and all they sported clipped haircuts, goatees and nervous grins. The women, by contrast, were majestic: statuesque dominatrices, goddess-like pole artists, glittering glamour models. My dear friend Alora, up for two awards, had swathed herself in head-to-toe gold in an inspired bid to resemble an actual Oscar statuette. The men could only squirm and stare fixedly at their feet. Safer that way. Now, full disclosure: I'd never been to a club before, like the one where these awards were hosted. Not a real club, anyway. My ears rang. My shoes stuck to the floor. The smell was equal parts sweat, lube, and ambition. A DJ barked 'Make some ******* noise!' every six minutes. There was a trapeze artist pirouetting overhead — suspended by her hair —while beside me a charming man explained how he'd given up his job in the city to make auditory porn: whispering naughty bedtime stories to a mostly gay fanbase who adored his nerdy alter ego. All these years I've gone around claiming men can't make money in porn. What do I know? It wasn't just glamour and mayhem, either. Around the bar were stalls offering everything from STI checks to help navigating the new laws around online age verification. One table belonged to National Ugly Mugs (NUM), a brilliant organisation dedicated to ending violence against sex workers. They help us report dangerous clients anonymously, share alerts across the country, and even offer a tool — 'NUMChecker'— where you can run phone numbers or email addresses before agreeing to a booking. They support survivors through trained advisers, work with the police (with consent), and literally save lives. I thanked them profusely and joined on the spot. Then, something unexpected and lovely happened. A young woman approached and said, 'You're a legend '. I blinked. She introduced herself as Lola Rae and asked for a photo. She told me her mum had watched a documentary about me — Fifty Shades of Fetish Model — and, thanks to that, had grown to accept her daughter's career in adult work. 'You've changed my life,' she said. 'Mum and I even read your books.' I felt my head swell to a dangerously unflattering size. Honestly, just as well I didn't win anything: I'd have floated off into the sultry night like a smug helium balloon. Not ten minutes later, another beautiful young woman — encased head to toe in latex despite the thirty-degree heat — said, 'I googled to see if any sex workers were in Mensa, and your face popped up'. I nearly died on the spot. She was referring to the high IQ society dedicated to creating a space for smart people. 'That was thirty-five years ago!' I stammered. 'I've drunk most of my brain cells away since then!' More Trending When, exactly, did I become a feminist icon, worshipped by younger performers? I'm not sure, but I like it. By 10:30, I was flagging. I'm ancient, and Question Time was on. But I left clutching a goody bag stuffed with unexpectedly useful gadgets and emblazoned with the phrase Kink to Cash. Outside, I found a red carpet and a queue of photographers, so I posed and pouted like a woman half my age and with twice my energy. View More » I'd also promised more shoots with more artists than I'll likely live long enough to fulfil. What an absolute joy to be wanted still. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: Amber warning for torrential rain and thunder issued as UK hit by downpours MORE: Banksy's former manager reveals central London building hiding his 'unseen' artwork MORE: Coward who murdered ex's 'gentle' dad in 'revenge' for break-up jailed for life
Scotsman
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Prostitution Scotland: MSPs told to 'pull the plug' on Ash Regan proposals over 'significant concerns'
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... MSPs are being told to 'pull the plug' on proposals to overhaul prostitution law as it will have a 'limited effect' on trafficking and human exploitation. Alba MSP Ash Regan is hoping to introduce what is known as the Nordic model to Scotland. This would legalise the selling of sex while criminalising the buying of sex. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, civil servants who have spent the past few months trawling international evidence on tackling trafficking and sexual exploitation have questioned how effective this model would be. Ash Regan MSP. | Getty Images Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown has also written to Holyrood's criminal justice committee saying she has 'significant questions and concerns' about Ms Regan's Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill. The Scottish Government research says: 'Much of the literature reviewed focuses on criminal justice interventions. This tends to focus on the effectiveness of preventative measures, which aim to reduce demand for prostitution (e.g. via deterrence). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The evidence reviewed suggests that such measures may have limited impact on preventing trafficking and sexual exploitation.' In her letter to the Holyrood committee, Ms Brown said she noted the 'challenges experienced internationally' in implementing the Nordic model. She said she had 'concerns about the accuracy' of the Bill's cost estimates. 'There remain significant questions and concerns regarding the measures within the Bill and how they would work in practice, the extent to which they would deliver on the policy intent, and the associated financial implications,' she said. National Ugly Mugs, which is described as a sex worker safety charity, is now urging the criminal justice committee and others to throw the bill in the bin. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lynsey Walton, chief executive of the charity, said: 'Sex worker groups, alongside leading non-government organisations like Amnesty and the World Health Organisation, have long warned that criminalising the purchase of sex only serves to make life more difficult and dangerous for sex workers, while having no impact on trafficking and exploitation. "We are pleased that the Scottish Government has now accepted that the international evidence backs this up. 'MSPs now need to pull the plug on Ms Regan's misguided and dangerous legislation, and focus on supporting sex workers' rights to work safely and free from stigma.' Ms Regan said: 'The Scottish Government that looks to our Nordic nations for inspiration on baby boxes and oil funds must not have a blind spot on following their lead on tackling the commercial sexual exploitation, including sex trafficking, of women and girls. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It is unusual for the Government to not have shared with me, at our meetings, that they were publishing a report two days before I presented my Bill to the criminal justice committee last Wednesday.' She criticised the Government report for 'not evaluating legal models such as the Nordic model' and for not assessing how the Nordic model compares to full decriminalisation of prostitution.
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Prostitution Scotland: Just 25 men a year to be prosecuted under £2.6m Ash Regan proposals
Ash Regan MSP has published proposals to criminalise the buying of sex in Scotland. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Just 25 men a year are predicted to be prosecuted each year under £2.6 million proposals to overhaul prostitution laws in Scotland. Alba MSP Ash Regan wants to introduce what is known as the Nordic model to Scotland, which would legalise the selling of sex and criminalise the buying of sex. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She launched her Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill last week, and said there is an 'epidemic of violence against women' and a national 'system of exploitation' which needs to be tackled. Ministry of Justice figures show 138 inmates, or 23.3 per cent of all prisoners at Hindley Prison, were living in crowded cells as of March. However, campaigners who oppose her proposals dispute her claims of an 'epidemic' as her bill predicts as few as 45 new crimes will be recorded annually each year under the Nordic model. Ms Regan suggests 25 people are likely to be prosecuted each year with 'two cases at most' leading to prison sentences under her proposals. Under the current legislations, an average of 50 charges and 40 convictions are made annually. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad National Ugly Mugs, which works with those involved in what they describe as sex work, say those involved already face high levels of violence, stigma and exploitation, but criminalising those who buy sex from them will not remove these harms. Instead, the group fears it will push the industry underground, making it harder to report abuse and easier to target those already at risk. They also dispute how much the bill will cost to implement. In a financial memorandum on her bill, Ms Regan claims it will cost up to £2.6m in its first year to enforce, falling to £2.2m annually thereafter. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, National Ugly Mugs says the documents contain 'a number of mathematical and factual errors' meaning the true cost will actually be much higher. The group, which supports the full decriminalisation of prostitution, says it will cost closer to £2.7m to train Police Scotland officers to enforce the new law, rather than the £17,000 Ms Regan has quoted. National Ugly Mugs also disputes Ms Regan's claims that each case will cost £477 once a person is arrested as it will take six hours to complete - the group says the UK Home Office's independent policing productivity review from 2024 suggests it takes on average 63 hours to complete a case. Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Regan's Bill would criminalise the purchase of sexual acts. Picture: Getty Images. | Getty Images Lynsey Walton, chief executive of National Ugly Mugs, said: 'Ash Regan is trying to have it both ways. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'In public she claims that the Nordic model is needed to stop a national epidemic of abuse, but privately she admits that changing the law would lead to only a handful of cases a year - on par with littering. 'As the UK's national sex worker safety charity, National Ugly Mugs works with police forces across the country to support sex workers during investigations. 'This means we know that Ms Regan's estimates of police time needed to enforce her proposed legislation are laughably false, just like her ludicrous claims that it cost just 50p an hour to train officers. 'Sex worker groups, alongside non-government organisations like Amnesty and the World Health Organisation, oppose the new law on the grounds that it will make life more difficult and dangerous for sex workers, while costing taxpayers millions of pounds a year to enforce. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'If we truly want to address systemic violence against sex workers, we need full decriminalisation, not another expensive, performative policy that protects no-one.'
The National
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Ash Regan faces questions over 'ludicrous' costs of prostitution bill
Regan is seeking to criminalise the purchase of sex, something opposed by the sex worker pressure group National Ugly Mugs (NUM) which claims she has significantly underestimated the associated costs. In a financial memorandum submitted to the Scottish Parliament for her Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill, the Alba MSP claimed that it would cost as little as 50p to train 17,000 police officers in the new laws if the bill was passed. The memo said: 'There will also be one-off training costs for Police Scotland to prepare for the introduction of the new offence. READ MORE: 'Multiple serving MSPs have paid me for sex', former sex worker tells Ash Regan 'The estimated cost of delivering a two-hour training session to all approximately 17,000 Police Scotland officers, assuming the training is conducted in-house during normal working hours, is approximately £17,000 to £85,000.' At the higher end of the scale, Regan estimates that it would cost £2.50 to train every officer per hour. But the same document states that Police Scotland estimates the hourly rate of officers at £79.50. The total cost of enforcing the new laws would be £2.6 million, falling to £2.2m annually thereafter. Regan estimates that securing charges in a case would take 'on average an additional six hours of police work' and that this would amount to each case costing £477. NUM said her figures were 'laughably false'. READ MORE: Former sex worker supports Ash Regan bid to criminalise buying sex Lynsey Walton, chief executive of NUM, said: 'As the UK's national sex worker safety charity, NUM works with police forces across the country to support sex workers during investigations. This means we know that Regan's estimates of police time needed to enforce her proposed legislation are laughably false, just like her ludicrous claims that it costs just 50p an hour to train officers. 'Sex worker groups, alongside NGOs like Amnesty and the World Health Organisation, oppose the new law on the grounds that it will make life more difficult and dangerous for sex workers, while costing taxpayers millions of pounds a year to enforce.' Regan was approached for comment.
