“Pornstars for Preservation”

“The RCMP arrested 16 people, and we need to find out where they’re taking them… Get in your car and follow the second paddywagon!”

We jumped into the car, flinging granola bar wrappers and water bottles full of electrolytes to the side as we hastily clipped in our seatbelts and raced after the two large white vans disappearing into the distance. We sped onto the road after them, racing to keep up – all the while my puppy snoozed peacefully and undisturbed in the back seat.

We tore over bridges and winding roads lined with thick trees and brush, speeding in silence while Bo Burnam’s ‘goodbye’ crooned ironically over the car stereo. We screeched to a halt as we arrived behind the police vans at the Fire Station. We watched a tall man wearing riot gear exit the drivers side and angrily begin throwing arrestee personal belongings onto the road. He yelled something indiscernible and unlocked the back of the van. We were quick to pull out our phones and record because we know what happens to Indigenous women (and any individuals in police custody) when the RCMP aren’t being filmed.

We greeted the arrestees and packed my car full of as many as we could safely fit before returning to the peaceful protest we had just been removed from. Thankfully, this was merely a ‘catch and release’ arrest. All 16 arrested protesters¹ were dropped off without paperwork. Only one person was handcuffed – I’ll let you guess who.

I recently left behind my workload to undertake a day’s travel to Fairy Creek – home of one of the last remaining old growth forests on Vancouver Island, BC. I was accompanied by fellow adult performers Margo Bones and Natie Del.
As a self proclaimed workaholic I rarely travel without my laptop. Regardless of my whereabouts you can generally find me glued to my phone and working at all hours of the day and night. It’s difficult for me to even consider leaving cell range, or heaven forbid, being unable to access wifi to communicate with my fanbase – but this was a different type of trip altogether.

For those who may not be aware, the Fairy Creek Blockade is (to date) an 11 month long peaceful protest to protect old-growth forests on the traditional lands of the Pacheedaht and Ditidaht peoples. The Fairy Creek Blockade is soon to be the longest (and largest) act of civil disobedience in Canadian History. The unprotected and at-risk ancient forests of Fairy Creek Valley are located near Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada. This valley is the last remaining unlogged, intact valley outside of federal/provincial parks on Southern Vancouver Island.⁶

Mega-Corporation Teal Jones is fighting for the right to destroy these thousand year old trees for immediate financial gain – but Logging the last unprotected old-growth is arguably not sustainable, nor financially smart in the long haul. Once cut it will only be more difficult to create a diverse economy in BC including sectors like tourism and recreation. Sustainable forestry jobs mean having a forest to return to. As the age old saying goes – economy doesn’t matter without air to breathe.

One of the greatest benefits of working for yourself is setting your own schedule. As business owners, we dictate when and where we work. Together myself, Natie, and Margo, decided to align our schedules and took several days off of our relentless work regime to participate in collective civil disobedience.

During our time at Fairy Creek Blockade we witnessed many wonderful things: Happy dogs playing in the dirt, hugs between old friends and new, colourful chefs, medics, elders, children, and families² – and more blueberry pancakes than any one person could comfortably eat on their own (I had six, but we donated the blueberries so I hardly felt guilty!).
Unfortunately during our time at the peaceful blockade we also witnessed harassment and violence – but not from the protesters.
The RCMP in Canada have a long history of violence, particularly towards Indigenous people³. Canada is a country founded on Colonial Violence and genocide, but assimilation is something that Native Communities in Canada are still experiencing today⁴. This violence manifests in many ways⁵ (missing and murdered indigenous women, disproportionate amounts of homeless and incarcerated native people), including the destruction of culturally significant land and ancient forests.

As both an Indigenous person and a settler, I aim to use my privilege and platform to bring awareness to this movement. With such a long sustained occupation of this land, and with over 400 arrests to date during the duration of the blockade, why isn’t there more media coverage?

While I am planning my upcoming return to the Fairy Creek Blockade Headquarters, I will leave you these quotes from conversations I shared with my travel companions:

“Losing a few days of work means nothing when compared to the potential of making real change for our climate. Fairy Creek is the last unlogged and intact valley outside of parks on Southern Vancouver Island. Protecting old growth forests should be a top priority for all of us.”

“These forests have been alive longer than our grandparents, and their grandparents, and so on and so forth. Is it really worth it to destroy our ancestors and our histories for financial gain?”

¹https://globalnews.ca/news/8059065/16-more-arrested-at-fairy-creek-anti-logging-protests/

²https://ricochet.media/en/3703/fighting-for-the-future-the-faces-of-fairy-creek

³https://ricochet.media/en/3707/fairy-creek-midnight-raids-and-police-aggression-stoke-tensions

⁴https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/3/24/the-indigenous-people-killed-by-canadas-police
⁵https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/class-action-rcmp-abuse-indigenous-people-certified-1.6076962
https://www.ancientforestalliance.org/photos/fairy-creek-headwaters/

I would like to acknowledge that the land on which this post was published is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.