Here's an interview with a Jehovah's Witness pornstar that we were going to run in the Gangs vs. Cults issue but didn't. Kim Holland tells us how evangelism prepared her for a life in porn.
Vice: What was it like growing up as a Jehovah's Witness?
Kim: I was only ten when I joined. My mum had just died. My granny, who was a Witness in training, told me that I could see my mum again if I joined...
What do Jehovah’s Witnesses do?
You have to go door-to-door to convert people. They have meetings three times a week, which are kinds of services. There's always a Q&A section during which you have put your hand up to ask a question. I liked putting my hand up a lot. There are also role-playing games to train you how to react to people who say no when you knock on their door. There was also lots of talk about what it's like to be a Jehovah's Witness, how women should behave, etc. There are biblical guidelines for everything. Oh, and you can't have sex before marriage. That's why so many of them marry so young.
You too?
I just turned 18 when I got married. I had this really weird image of it in my head: a white dress, cooking and sewing for my family, that kind of thing. We did have sex, but that was because it was part of being married. Then one day my father died and then the whole religion became useless to me. I had outgrown it and I realised how screwed up it all was. I wanted out and eventually I got out. It was difficult though because you can't get divorced unless one of you commits adultery. You can live separately, but you are still tied to one another. I packed my things and soon after that I met Ruud, my current husband. Then the marriage was over. That was 14 years ago.
Does your past as a Jehovah's Witness come in handy in any way now that you're in porn?
As a Jehovah's Witness you learn to talk about difficult subjects as if it's the easiest thing in the world. It helped to be able to talk easily about sex on TV and in magazines. I just applied that skill to porn. I also like being obedient.
Ever had a sexual fanatasy about your time there?
No, not really. Good question though. Oh wait, although it's not really about Jehovah's Witnesses, I did do a scene once in which I played a naive girl going door-to-door selling cookies for charity.
Getting your foot in the door and all?
Something like that. Until a guy dragged me inside his garage and tore me apart.
Great.