Bauer and Gradus argue that because Elizabeth and Kay broadcast the footage on Periscope, fair-use doctrine and the apps terms of service protect its inclusion in a documentary. Nowhere in the episode are Elizabeth and Kay identified.
They saw themselves, and then on Twitter, as themselves, using their own handles, tweeted out, Oh my God, were on Netflix. Oh my God nobody told us. Oh my God, were sex workers and theyve just shown us on Netflix,' Gradus said. So the great irony here is that they identified themselves as sex workers. And really that is a key piece of information that has been lost in this story. She added, We didnt know who they were. We never would have known, the viewers never would have known, unless they themselves identified themselves.
Asked whether she felt that Elizabeth and Kay may be using their inclusion in the series to grow their profiles as performers, Gradus said, I dont think we can make a comment on their intentions. But thats a fair question that I think the public should think about.
After Elizabeth and Kay took to Twitter, other porn performers began to speak out against the series. One woman featured prominently in the series, performer Gia Paige, wrote on Twitter, HEY @hotgirlswanted REMEMBER WHEN YOU PROMISED TO CUT MY PART BC YOU WERE TRYING TO MAKE ME TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY AND I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE. She added in a follow-up tweet, BECAUSE I DO. THANKS FOR KEEPING YOUR WORD. SNAKES.
Other performers have complained that they would not have agreed to be filmed for the series had they known it was connected to the original Hot Girls Wanted.
Bauer rebutted those claims, saying that Paige, like all performers filmed for the series, signed a release form and that she never expressed to filmmakers a desire to be cut out of the final product. Nobody was coerced, Bauer said.
The bottom line is that everyone in the series was completely aware that this was a Hot Girls Wanted offshoot and that we were involved, she added. All of those allegations are false.
