I have a unisex first name. In other words, you can't tell if I'm male or female simply by seeing my name in print. I used to curse my parents because they didn't christen me with a more girlish name like Susan or Laura or even Debbie. I forgave them after I learned how advantageous my unisex name was for me.

I found that my personality (like my name) was neither terribly feminine nor masculine. I approached people as if I was their equal and while it was perfectly natural to me to do so, many never knew how to deal with me. My girl/boy name gave me a confidence that has sustained me through many a sexist encounter from both males and females.

"Of all the fields I've played upon, I have to say I have yet to find one that is more level than the adult Internet."

Back in my high school days, the US ARMY used to give us aptitude tests. Once in our sophomore year and once again in our senior year. The first year I took the test, I filled in the name field with my full name, which included my more feminine middle name. When I received the test results in the mail I was told that according to the US Army, I would make an excellent nurse, secretary or teacher.

The second time I took the test, I was a jaded and rebellious senior. I wrote my first name in the proper column but instead of writing my full middle name in it's specified slot, I put in an initial. I wasn't really trying to make a statement by doing it. I was mostly trying to see if I would get into trouble. Just the same, when I opened the aptitude test results this second time, I was saddened and sincerely suprised.

According to the US Army, my male persona had the potential to be an engineer, a pilot, an officer and a myriad of other lofty sounding careers. Now, don't get me wrong. I know that's what Army recruiters tell all the boys, but the fact was they thought I was a boy and they treated me differently because of it.

There was absolutely no way I had magically become a genius in the expanse of two lousy years. The truth was, the US Army didn't want any girls in 1978. This was fine with me. I didn't want to join the Army. I trashed the recruitment forms they sent along with my test results and went out in search of more level playing fields.

Of all the fields I've played upon, I have to say I have yet to find one that is more level than the adult Internet. I've been the only female in a club full of boys in more than one situation. I've worked with men who've made more money and gotten farther faster in careers that are normally considered women's jobs. I know that equal pay for equal work is still not the reality for women. What I find refreshing is how heavily populated the adult Internet is with women professionals, and I'm not just talking about the models.

Don't get me wrong. Female models are the heart and soul of porn. Sure, there are males who rise to star status and there's the gay male market that is primarily female free. But when it comes down to it, if there weren't women willing to take their clothes off and perform sexual acts in front of the camera, online porn would never have become the billion dollar industry it is today.

The drugged-up babe forced into spreading her legs for the camera by her cruel man is a thing of the past. The adult Internet has given women a way to make a living with their bodies free from disease and beatings. The adult model of the Internet is savvy and in control. She works when she wants to and chooses what she will reveal. No matter how demeaning the settings or language of her work, she knows it's all an illusion where she's the star.

Aside from the models there's a huge amount of women who are feeding their families and paying their way with the money they make from online smut. They own their own sites, build their own networks and play with the big boys. They shoot their own content, hire their own staffs and make their own rules. A woman in this profession has as much opportunity to be a success as any man.

Of course we gals will always encounter men who ignore us or refuse to take us seriously. Hell, we encounter other women in this field who consider us invisible when the men are around. They ignore us to their detriment because we are not going away and we will control our destinies. We will move on past the victim stage and will march forth into the positions of power.

In 1978, the US Army was a boys club. In 2002, women fill the ranks of the armed services and fight alongside the men. When an American woman soldier recently died, that societal uproar that the fundamentalists predicted never happened. She was memorialized and respected by her nation and her fellow soldiers. While death is never good, the fact that she was able to become a war hero bodes well for women everywhere.

Adult entertainment is by no means as important as the defense of one's country. Adult entertainment is a diversion for the masses. Whether it's the anonymity of it or the fact that online smut exploded so fast there was no time for the boys to set up road blocks, women matter in this world as much as the men. We are in it on it and behind it. We are part of the system and we are here to stay.