LOS ANGELES — Traci Lords, the ex-porn star known for performing while underage during the '80s, is speaking out on the high school rape case stirring up outrage in her hometown of Steubenville, Ohio.
"It takes me right back there. It's not a fun thing to talk about," Lords tells DailyBeast.com. "Women are considered second-class citizens in that part of the world."
Lords was 10-years-old when she was raped by a 14-year-old boy in Steubenville. The assault, Lord said, "shattered" her self esteem and put into motion the events that would lead to her career in porn at the age of 15.
"There’s no doubt in my mind that that experience really set the stage for me to go into porn and do all those things,” Lords said. “These are not things you start doing because everything is OK."
The Steubenville rape case involves the alleged sexual assault of an inebriated 16-year-old girl by two Steubenville High School football players, who carried her unconscious body to three parties in August.
According to witness accounts cited on NYTimes.com, the victim was urinated on, mocked, stripped and sexually violated, while others watched, by members of Steubenville High's Big Red football team.
The assault was not reported until several days later when the girl and her parents discovered images and videos of the incident posted online. As a result, police have no evidence as to whether she was raped and/or drugged. The two 16-year-old males charged with the crime remain under house arrest, awaiting trial.
The case has garnered national attention and drawn the ire of those who believe the small industrial town is protecting its star football players.
"We need to shine the brightest light on this,” Lords urged. “The daylight is really the best disinfectant.”
