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Death of August Ames

Death of August Ames

Part of a series on Cyberbullying. [View Related Entries]

Updated Dec 12, 2017 at 03:25AM EST by Y F.

Added Dec 11, 2017 at 02:03PM EST by Matt.

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Overview

Death of August Ames refers to the suicide of adult film actress August Ames,[24] following a controversy regarding a tweet that some perceived as homophobic. Following the tweet, Ames was said to have been cyberbullied by some Twitter users, which some claim to have driven the actress to suicide.

Background

On December 3rd, 2017, August Ames[1] tweeted, "whichever (lady) performer is replacing me tomorrow for @EroticaXNews , you’re shooting with a guy who has shot gay porn, just to let cha know. BS is all I can say🤷🏽‍♀️ Do agents really not care about who they’re representing? #ladirect I do my homework for my body🤓✏️🔍" The post (shown below) received more tahn 320 retweets and 1,400 likes in eight days.


Tweet by August Ames warning whomever was replacing her in the scene for an adult shoot that the guy she is doing the scene with has shot gay porn

Following the tweet, people began accusing Ames of homophobia. Twitter[2] use @AlexisAmeesxxx tweeted, "I think it’s hilarious that your discriminating against a man who does/did gay porn when half of this industry has performed with such performers.
ALLLLLLL performers must subject to the SAME testing in order to work." The post (shown below, left) received more than 30 retweets and 450 likes in eight days. Twitter[3] user @MJg0at23 tweeted (shown below, center), "So youre homophobic?" Twitter[4] user @Boomer_Banks tweeted (shown below, right), "are u fucking kidding me!? Stigma at its finest bye 🖕🏽."


Tweet by angry user who claims that the same testing applies to all adult performers Tweet asking point blank if August Ames is homophobic Angry tweet chastising August for her stigma of a male performer who has done gay scenes

Following the post, Ames attempted to clarify that she was talking about what she perceived as lax safety precautions on homosexual adult film sets. On December 4th, she tweeted, "I don’t have anything to apologize for! Apologizing for taking extra steps to ensue that my body stays safe? Fuck you guys attacking me when none of my intentions were malicious. I fucking love the gay community! What the fuck ever! I CHOOSE who I have inside my body. No hate." The post (shown below) received more than 860 retweets and 3,600 likes in one week.


August lashes out on twitter to her haters that she is homophobic for worrying about her body

After a continued negative response online that day, Ames tweeted,[6] "fuck y'all." The tweet (shown below) received more than 15,000 retweets and 25,000 likes in one week.


August Ames last tweet that simply said Fuck y'all which she wrote prior to commiting suicide by hanging herself

On December 5th, Ames' body was found in Camarillo, California. According to the Ventura County Medical Examiner, Ames died of asphyxiation due to hanging.[7]

Development

Following her death, some online said that the reaction to her tweets led to her suicide. Adult film star Jenna Jameson said,[8] "I am so disappointed in some of the people in the adult industry. I am also shocked and dismayed at a few FEMALES that attacked and helped fan the fire against my friend August. Her blood is on their hands."

Ames's brother also claimed that cyberbullying was to blame for his sister's death.[11] He said, "I want my sister’s death to be recognised as a serious issue – bullying is not OK. It cost me my baby sister’s life. I will do what I can be a voice for Mercedes but right now my family and I need to be left alone to grieve – we have lost a loved one."

However, according to the Medical Examiner, Ames' suicide note did not mention harassment or cyberbully.[9] She was also said to have suffered from depression.[10]

Online Reaction

Online people within the adult film industry reacted with sorrow to the news of Ames' passing. Actress Nikki Dalno tweeted, "Such a sad day in our industry!!! RIP baby girl August Ames you surely will be missed! Her presence lit up any room, that laugh was contagious you truly were and will always be a superstar. My heart goes out to her husband Kevin and her family❤️" The post (shown below, left) received more than 200 retweets and 2,000 likes in less than one week.


Such a sad day in our industry!! RIP baby girl August Ames you surely will be missed! Her presence lit up any room, that laugh was contagious you truly were and will always be a superstar. My heart goes out to her husband Kevin and her family

On Reddit, the news of and reaction to Ames' death made the front page of several subreddits, including /r/uncensorednews,[13] /r/The_Donald] /r/CringeAnerchy,[17]

On Twitter, author Jon Ronson, author of the book So You've Been Publicly Shamed, posted several tweets in response to Ames' suicide, describing how psychologically harmful shaming can be (shown below).


jon ronson @jonronson Dec 8 Replying to @jonronson 2. People who have experienced a pile-on know something that people who haven't don't know. Unless you're a person who has a weird shame deficiency, and there aren't many of those people about, it can be terrifying. It feels like an earthquake. 10 t29 127 jon ronson @jonronson Dec 8 Especially if you're a vulnerable person to begin with. My biggest memory of when people were relentlessly going after me when Shamed came out. I mentioned how it was playing havoc with my anxiety disorder and someone tweeted: "Stop whining." 7 13 102 jon ronson @jonronson That was very telling. We can't handle thinking of ourselves as bad people and so we have to think of the people we're hurting as having no feelings.

He later added in two more tweets (shown below, left and right), "There have been many suicides and there will be more, because on twitter we are still babies with guns. I can’t overstate the agony of being on the end of a shaming. Unless you’re impervious – and not many people are – it is highly traumatizing. Being told to get out, that you’re garbage and you’ll be brought down…"


jon ronson @jonronson There have been many suicides and there will be more, because on twitter we are still babies with guns. jon ronson @jonronson I can't overstate the agony of being on the end of a shaming. Unless you're impervious and not many people are - it is highly traumatizing. Being told to get out, that you're garbage and you'll be brought down...

Media Coverage

Several media outlets covered Ames' death and the controversy surrounding it, including The New York Daily News,[21] Uproxx,[22] Evening Standard[23] and more.

Search Interest

External References

[1] Twitter – @AugustAmesxxx's Tweet

[2] Twitter – @AlexisMonroexxx's Tweet

[3] Twitter – @MJg0at23's Tweet

[4] Twitter – @Boomer_Banks' Tweet

[5] Twitter – @AugustAmesxxx's Tweet

[6] Twitter – @AugustAmesxxx's Tweet

[7] The Blast – Pornstar August Ames Dies at 23, Suicide By Hanging

[8] The Blast – Jenna Jameson Rips Pornstars for ‘Bullying’ August Ames: ‘Her Blood Is On Their Hands’

[9] The Blast – Pornstar August Ames Apologized to Family In Suicide Note, Did Not Mention Cyberbullying

[10] Jezebel – "After Being Cyberbullied, Adult Film Star August Ames Was Found Dead By Suspected Suicide ":https://jezebel.com/after-being-cyberbullied-adult-film-star-august-ames-w-1821148084

[11] The Sun – HOUNDED BY BULhttps://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/comments/7i6jva/jenna_jameson_now_says_lgbtxyz_are_becoming_a/LIES August Ames dead at 23 – porn star’s heartbroken brother blames online trolls for her death

[12] Twitter – @NikkiDelano's Tweet

[13] Reddit – Social Justice Warriors Bully Porn Star August Ames To Suicide

[14] Reddit – JENNA JAMESON now says LGBTXYZ are becoming a lynch mob after the bully August Ames to death

[15] Reddit – Twitter will suspend you for calling someone fat but won't do shit about the SJWs who bullied August Ames to suicide.

[16] Reddit – This is a discussion on a predominately liberal subreddit about the horrible passing away of August Ames. Maybe now they'll take a step back and realize that the SJW lifestyle is destructive and evil (usually). So sad to see.

[17] Reddit – Social Justice Warriors Bully Porn Star August Ames To Suicide

[18] @jonronson's Tweet

[19] @jonronson's Tweet

[20] @jonronson's Tweet

[21] New York Daily News – Gay porn actor accused of cyberbullying August Ames responds following her death

[22] Uproxx – Author Jon Ronson Highlights The ‘Agony’ Of Shaming And Cyberbullying After The Tragic Death Of August Ames

[23] Eveningt Standard – August Ames death: Porn star's heartbroken brother says cyber bullying 'cost my baby sister's life'

[24] IMDB – August Ames Biography

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Top Comments

-Kanrabat-
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-Kanrabat-

>SJWs push "consent" hardcore.
>Porn actress refuse to give consent.
>SJW mob justice so she have sex against her will.

Wow. I mean, wow. Look like being gay, bi, trans, or whatever special label give you a free pass to fuck everything that move, consent or not. If one does not want to have sex with you, shout "BIGOTS" and release the SJW hounds!

Is it just me, or the world is going insane?

+74
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Nedhitis
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Nedhitis

I see nothing intentionally homophobic on her first tweet. I am no expert on the industry, but I do know that porn actors and actresses have to be very careful of who they have sex with, so as to not contract any HIVs, and it so just happens that, in fact, gay and bisexual men have a higher chance of having that. This is a scientifically researched, peer-reviewed and medically and governmentally accepted fact in USA, studied for years at university level and constantly addressed to prevent issues.

Source.

Moverover, 5 out of 6 gay/bisexual men are actually aware of this, so this is hardly "homophobic" to say, since most of them already know it and would probably not lie about it.

Maybe August could have prevented this if she was more specific and less aggressive about it, though people should not be afraid to speak their mind in fear of suicide, of course…

All in all, everyone did something wrong in this process, but I still think Twitter is more to blame here for not caring to think about consequences and not bothering to research what August meant by googling something that is literally the first Google result for a "gay people hiv" search.

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