Porn Star teacher set to give Oxford students a lesson in prostitution

Johnny Anglais, the former teacher-turned-stripper-and-porn-star, who hit the headlines last year after winning the right to return to teaching, will be speaking at an Oxford Union debate this Thursday where he will confess to being a prostitute and argue that the world’s oldest profession 'is a legitimate business'.

Since being outed by his pupils in 2010, Johnny Anglais (whose real name is 'Benedict Garrett') has spoken at no less than four university debates.  Last year he was the first ever porn performer to speak at the Cambridge Union, as well as Queen Mary College London and Trinity College Dublin twice, each time defending pornography and being on the winning team.

While performing in porn films on Television X and Playboy TV and stripping for the Dreamboys, Johnny also earns cash from working as a male escort or, as he is not ashamed to say, a ‘prostitute’.

“I am not ashamed of it.  I believe there is a distinction between porn performer and prostitute, but I have no problem with being called a ‘prostitute’. My main clients are either women or, more commonly, men who wish to hire me as a ‘gift’ for their wife or girlfriend.”

Johnny, who describes himself on his Twitter profile as a “sexual libertarian, perception challenger, 'norm' breaker and fighter for rationale”, aims to focus his argument on the idea that prostitution offers a useful service as an outlet to a human need; that our attitude and perception of prostitutes and those who use their services should change for the betterment of our society and that the contract between a prostitute and client is a far more honest and open arrangement than that between many men and women who go “on the pull” each weekend and become little more than, what Johnny calls, “prostitutes by proxy”.

Johnny will be part of a pro legalising prostitution team that will include Dr Fiona Godlee, editor-in-chief of the British Medical Journal and brothel owner and founder of Nevada’s Moonlite Bunny Ranch, Dennis Hof.

They will be arguing against Julie Bindel, author and co-founder of Justice for Women, feminist activist Julia Long and campaigner Ellie Levenson.

As well as universities, Johnny has been an invited speaker on BBC debate shows “Sunday Morning Live” and “The Big Questions” as well as guest on the “This Morning” couch:

“I love being part of debates and tackling controversial issues.  Of course, it is satisfying to win, but what is most important is that we are discussing these issues and that we, as a society, are no longer shying away from what some perceive to be taboo topics.”

“We all need to be far more open and honest about issues to do with sex and sexuality in this country, not just for our own sense of identity, but for the health and well-being of our young people.”

“Our traditional prudish attitude and lack of confidence by many parents and teachers to deal with the ‘birds and the bees’ at an appropriate and relevant level has proven to fail our young people.  We have the highest rates of STI and pregnancy amongst them in Europe: this needs to change." 

“Blaming it on such things as porn and prostitution is simply a scapegoat for our shameful national attitude to sex.”