LOS ANGELES — The National Education Association (NEA), the country's largest teachers union, told TheHuffingtonPost.com Monday that it would not accept any donations from Assence Films based on the sales of its new title "Anal Artists" that features one of Sasha Grey's final scenes.
The newly launched Assence Films, which is distributed by Exile Distribution, had indicated plans to donate a portion of the movie's proceeds to the NEA's Read Across America program upon announcing the movie's release last week.
The offer came on the heels of Grey making national news in November when she was a guest reader at an elementary school in Compton, Calif., prompting public outrage that led to Grey responding with a statement. Assence's decision to donate proceeds in support of Grey was made without her knowledge, the report said.
According to The Huffington Post, the NEA statement read: "Sasha Grey is not affiliated with the National Education Association’s Read Across America program nor has she been invited or endorsed by NEA to read at any of the association’s Read Across America Day events, and NEA will not accept any proceeds from her latest, or any of her films."
Howard Levine of Exile Distribution told the Post that the NEA's position is discriminatory.
"Anyone that's supporting reading and helping kids and donating money to their cause should be accepted," Levine said in the report. "I understand their position — they don't want to be associated with any adult film stars. I think that everybody has a slanted opinion on what the adult film community is so I know that they're trying to be politically correct."
