We recently told you about a young woman at Duke University who is financing her education by working in porn.

She has now taken to the pages of XOJane to defend her decision.

I’m The Duke University Freshman Porn Star And For The First Time I’m Telling The Story In My Words

“But why would you do porn?”

People often ask me this question. They know I am a freshman at Duke University, and their shock and incredulity are apparent when the rumor they’ve heard whispered or read on a chat board turns out to be true.

However, the answer is actually quite simple. I couldn’t afford $60,000 in tuition, my family has undergone significant financial burden, and I saw a way to graduate from my dream school free of debt, doing something I absolutely love. Because to be clear: My experience in porn has been nothing but supportive, exciting, thrilling and empowering.

The next question is always: “But when you graduate, you won’t be able to get a job, will you? I mean, who would hire you?”

I simply shrug and say, “I wouldn’t want to work for someone who discriminates against sex workers.”

I am not ashamed of porn. On the contrary, doing pornography fulfills me. That said, I vehemently want to have my privacy respected — and I ask that anyone who knows my real name respect the fact that I am only discussing this publicly because it was made a public matter when I was confronted by a fraternity member who chose to tell hundreds of other men in the Greek scene.

That’s why I am writing this. That’s why I gave an interview to the student newspaper at Duke. Because if people are going to talk about you, you might as well control the conversation and use it to start a dialogue, which in this case is about the abuses we inflict on sex workers.