Lorelei Lee
Lorelei Lee (born) is an American pornographic film performer, writer, and sex workers' rights activist. They hold a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University and a juris doctor from Cornell Law School.
Also recorded as Lorelei Le · Loreilee Lee · Lee Lorelei
Lorelei Lee

Rick Hall · originally posted to Flickr as Lorelei Bobbi · CC BY 2.0
- Name
- Lorelei Lee
- Education
- San Francisco State University New York University (MFA) Cornell University Law School (JD)
- Born
- 1981 · upstate New York.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- film director · actor · screenwriter · model
- Fields
- pornographic film
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Lorelei Lee (born) is an American pornographic film performer, writer, and sex workers' rights activist. They hold a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University and a juris doctor from Cornell Law School.
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Note VALÉORINE
Lorelei Lee (born 1981) is an actor, erotic photography model and film actor, among other activities, of American nationality. The actor was born in upstate New York. Lorelei Lee was educated at New York University and San Francisco State University.
The work spans pornographic film. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Lorelei Lee • Education — San Francisco State University New York University (MFA) Cornell University Law School (JD)
Early life
Early life
A native of Buffalo, New York, Lee graduated from San Francisco State University in 2008. They later obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University. Lee has been awarded a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts "youngARTS Scholarship".
Pornographic film career
Pornographic film career
Lee appeared in their first pornographic film at the age of 19, inspired by their boyfriend's suggestion that people would pay to see Lee naked. Lee chose their stage name based on Marilyn Monroe's character in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Lee starred in John Stagliano's enema-focused film Milk Nymphos, which in 2008 became the subject of a federal obscenity trial. The case reached federal court in Washington, D.C., and, on July 16, 2010, Lee was expected to testify as a witness on behalf of the defense. Citing concerns of personal safety, Lee requested to testify under their stage name; the prosecution objected, arguing that allowing them to do so "gives some air of legitimacy to the porn star" (which Lee later called "incredibly insulting") and that "they shouldn't be treated any differently than anyone else in this case". The case was ultimately dismissed on July 16, 2010, before Lee was scheduled to testify. Hustler Magazine ranked Lee at eight on their 2011 list of the Top 10 Smartest Porn Stars.
Mainstream media
Mainstream media
In 2006, Lee wrote the centerfold text for the Sara Thrustra's Ten Pictures and Two Pin-Ups calendar. Along with fellow Kink model and director Princess Donna, Lee was the subject of Brian Lilla's 2007 independent film Tale of Two Bondage Models, which appeared at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. In 2008, they appeared in the documentary 9to5 – Days in Porn and also toured nationally as part of the "Sex Workers' Art Show" with other prominent members of the kink and sex-positivity community. In 2009, Lee appeared in Graphic Sexual Horror, a documentary about Insex, a now-defunct bondage website. Later that year, they were the subject and lead actress of the short movie Lorelei Lee, which was directed by Simon Grudzen and Jesse Kerman and shown at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival; the film received multiple awards at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, including Best Directing, Best Original Score and Best Use of Social Issue/Political Genre. In 2010, Lee published an essay, "I'm Leaving You" in Off the Set: Porn Stars and Their Partners, a book of documentary photography by Paul Sarkis that explores the off-screen romantic relationships of ten couples who perform in porn, and which features photos of Lorelei with their partner at the time. Lee co-wrote the 2012 drama film About Cherry alongside director Stephen Elliott. The film is a coming-of-age story about a young woman who flees her troubled home life for San Francisco, eventually becoming a star performer for a bondage-themed pornographic website. The film premiered at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival. In 2012, Lee, along with adult performers Isis Love and Princess Donna, was the subject of a documentary film about the website Kink.com, Public Sex, Private Lives, which was, in part, funded by donations made to Kickstarter.
Academic career and activism
Academic career and activism
As of 2016, Lee was teaching writing at New York University and at the San Francisco Center for Sex and Culture. Lee has advocated for workers' health legislation and against FOSTA-SESTA and mandatory condom use in pornographic film productions. Researcher Heather Berg describes Lee as a leading voice in sex worker policy activism. In 2020, Lee graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. They also received the 2020 Stanley E. Gould Prize for Public Interest Law from the school. They became a Justice Catalyst Fellow at Cornell Law School's Gender Justice Clinic in 2021. Lee has been a cofounder or founding member of the Disabled Sex Workers Coalition, the Upstate New York Sex Workers' Coalition, Decrim MA, and Survivors Against SESTA. Their memoir, Anything of Value: A Memoir of Sex, Work, and Survival, is pending publication by Simon & Schuster.
Personal life
Personal life
Lee identifies as queer and non-binary. They have been married to a trans man since 2012.
Identity
Identity
Lorelei Lee is recorded with the occupation erotic photography model. Recorded with the occupation pornographic film actor. Recorded with the occupation screenwriter. Classed in the genre pornographic film. Recorded as film director, actor, screenwriter and model.
Selected publications
• Cash/Consent, The War on Sex Work (2019), an extensive essay reflecting their personal experience in the pornography industry • Anything of Value: A Memoir of Sex, Work, and Survival (pending publication by Simon & Schuster)
Awards and nominations
• Year — Ceremony — Result — Category — Work • 2015 — AVN Award — Best Director – Parody — Barbarella: A Kinky Parody • Best Screenplay – Parody • Most Outrageous Sex Scene (with Dylan Ryan) • Best Web Director • FSC Award — Woman of the Year
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Ramanathan, Lavanya. 'Sex Workers' Art': A Baring of Souls. The Washington Post. Duke University Press. 239–260. February 9, 2008. 9781478060048.
- 2.Burke, Kerry. Meet Lorelei Lee, queen of porn and NYU master's degree student (fine arts, of course). New York Daily News. October 12, 2009.
- 3.Dollar, Steve. Stripping a Story to Its Very Core --- Writer Turned Director Gives Insider's View to Sex Industry. The Wall Street Journal. A20. September 22, 2012. 0099-9660.
- 4.Graphic Sexual Horror Documentary Characters. August 2026.
- 5.Schlaefer, Malia. Art of Restraint feat. Lorelei Lee, Fivestar, & surprise celebrity guest. Femina Potens. August 2026.
- 6.Freedenberg, Molly. I want to be a porn star when I grow up: Meet Lorelei Lee. San Francisco Bay Guardian. November 26, 2008.
- 7.Nieratko, Chris. Sleaze: Interviews – Lorelei Lee. Bizarre. January 2008.
- 8.Javors, Steve. John Stagliano, Evil Angel Charged With 7 Obscenity Violations. XBIZ. April 9, 2008.
- 9.Sullivan, David. John Stagliano, Evil Angel Indicted On Federal Obscenity Charges. Adult Video News. April 8, 2008.
- 10.Poulsen, Kevin. Feds Charge Porn Producer With Selling Adult Content to Adults. Wired. April 10, 2008.
- 11.Hess, Amanda. Porn Star Lorelei Lee to Testify in Buttman Trial. Washington City Paper. July 15, 2010.
- 12.Hess, Amanda. Buttman Trial: Should Porn Star Testify Under Her Real Name?. Washington City Paper. July 14, 2010.
- 13.Kernes, Mark. All Charges Dismissed Against Stagliano and Companies. AVN. July 16, 2010.
- 14.Clark-Flory, Tracy. Porn star Lorelei Lee talks obscenity. Salon. July 19, 2010.
- 15.Graves, Richard. Top 10 Smartest Porn Stars. Hustler. November 5, 2011.
- 16.Chun, Kimberly. Splendor in the ass. San Francisco Bay Guardian. February 7, 2007.
- 17."Tribeca Film Festival Catalog" , 2008.
- 18.Taormino, Tristan. The Princess and the Submissive. OC Weekly. April 24, 2008.
- 19.9 to 5: Days in Porn. Filmkritik.
- 20.Ramanathan, Lavanya. 'Sex Workers' Art': A Baring of Souls. The Washington Post. C8. February 9, 2008. 0190-8286.
- 21.Pascual, Oscar. Concert Review: Sex Workers' Art Show at Victoria Theatre; "Anal Beads Made of Money". SF Weekly. January 21, 2008.
- 22.Hess, Amanda. The Money Shot. Washington City Paper. February 15, 2008.
- 23.Byun, Bryan. Graphic Sexual Horror: Special Edition. DVD Verdict. August 20, 2010.
- 24.BigSky. Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2010: Lorelei Lee.
- 25.Doc Challenge. 2009 Doc Challenge Jury Winners Announced.
- 26.Sundance Channel. Off the Set: Porn Stars and Their Partners. February 16, 2010.
- 27.Sneider, Jeff. Franco, Graham, Patel board indie 'Cherry'. Variety. May 18, 2011.
- 28.Warren, Peter. Lorelei Lee: The Next Diablo Cody?. AVN. May 19, 2011.
- 29.Minzesheimer, Bob. You've got (real) mail: Letters from writers. USA Today. February 27, 2012.
- 30.Public Sex, Private Lives – The New Documentary That Will Challenge Everything You Know About Porn. Intent Blog. August 2026.
- 31.Documentary on Kink.com Stars Seeks Kickstarter Crowdfunding. XBIZ Newswire. March 29, 2012.
- 32.Tarrant, Shira. The Pornography Industry: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press. 61–2. March 2016. 978-0-19-020513-3.
- 33.Berg, Heather. Porn Work: Sex, Labor, and Late Capitalism. University of North Carolina Press. 176. 2021. 978-1-4696-6193-3.
- 34.Cornell Law School. Clinical Program Faculty Updates for Fall '21. November 11, 2021.
- 35.Lee, Lorelei. Cash/Consent: The War on Sex Work. N+1. 35. Fall 2019. 1549-0033.
- 36.Lee, Lorelei. How I Earned My Porn Star Name. BuzzFeed. October 14, 2015.
- 37.Lee, Lorelei. Just came out as non-binary to my family and they are being so supportive 😭😭😭. 1409875732961107978. June 29, 2021.
- 38.Arnold, Eric K. Interview with a Porn Star: Lorelei Lee on sex, gender, and 'Public Sex, Private Lives.'. Oakland Local. June 9, 2013.
- 39.Lee, Lorelei. Cash/Consent. N+1 Foundation. October 1, 2019.
- 40.Anything of Value.
- 41.2015 AVN Award Nominees. AVN Awards.
- 42.Gray, Lila. 2015 FSC Award Recipients Announced. XBIZ. January 9, 2015.
References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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