Ex-stripper Kimberly Drake was scheduled to bare her soul today as one of those spotlighted by Victims of Pornography Month. The former exotic dancer, who left the stage after becoming a Christian, now leads a community-values group in Spokane, Wash., and was one of the featured speakers slated for the launch of the monthlong awareness campaign in Washington, D.C.
"Dancers are victims of an industry that exploits them and holds them in bondage," she said. "Yes, they are making money, but they are losing a part of their souls. They are losing a piece of who they are every single time they bare themselves naked onstage."
Drake said that drug and alcohol abuse is rampant among dancers at adult clubs, which she dubbed "live pornography." A mother of three, she was a regular performer at Spokane's Deju Vu club for almost three years before she and her husband became Christians. "There was pain being deposited in my pain bank virtually on a daily basis," she said. "I was loved for my body parts and not my character." Victims of Pornography has produced a 30-second TV commercial to be aired in major cities across the country during May. Campaign founder Vickie Burress said that pornography's producers and consumers alike are victims, as are their families and friends. The campaign also has a website that posts other victims' stories and offers counseling referrals for people who want help in beating their addiction.
