Blue Bailey Talks His Book, Podcast, Sex Work, and Being an Attorney

March 24, 2023
JORDAN JAYRO

Stephan Ferris, an LGBTQ attorney and scholar, is best known for his work in the adult entertainment industry as performer Blue Bailey. Ferris is part of an emerging generation of openly queer and sexually progressive activists who see the law as an opportunity to make social, civic, and cultural change. He currently operates a law office counseling LGBTQ business owners and content creators, while also producing and co-hosting a video podcast called Reading is Fundamental. His work has appeared in the educational YouTube channel Watts the Safeword, The Fight Magazine, Hastings Women's Law Journal, Harvard’s LGBTQ Policy Journal, and other publications. Ferris is licensed by the California State Bar Association and balances his professional life with active social and volunteer commitments, including service on the board of directors for Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (“BALIF”) and volunteering as faculty for the Practicing Law Institute ("PLI"). Ferris is a graduate of UC Hastings and published his first book, Blue Movie, in October 2022.

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Your book Blue Movie: Scenes from the Life of a Sexual Outlaw tells the story of a man who decides to reclaim his life for the better. What inspired you to tell this story?

I didn't initially set out to tell my story. When I first chatted with Unbound Edition Press about writing a book, we discussed publishing a collection of essays on various queer subjects including pornography, HIV, substance use, recovery, and the law. Given my experience as an attorney and previous academic publications, this approach made a lot of sense. The original manuscript was written like this and discussed each of these subjects through my own lived experiences. In the editing process, the decision was made to scrap the essay format, and instead provide commentary on these subjects through a collection of scenes mirroring my life and work in adult entertainment. At this point, Blue Movie was born with a strong focus on the recovery thread. No one likes to be preached at or told how to live their life. The goal of Blue Movie is to delve into the appeal of chemsex in the LGBTQ community, show how it can easily get out of hand, and provide a living example that there is a way out. I've experienced so many friends my age die of an overdose of fentanyl poisoning in the last six months, and our community needs to start talking more about it.

My https://t.co/he12Gsu9M2 page is where it's at, and I just got a new subscriber! https://t.co/gn0k6Fcd37 pic.twitter.com/TZYQkPXEAe

— Blue Bailey (@BlueBaileySF) March 10, 2023

Do you have plans to write another book? If so, do you know what it would be about?

I have two ideas brewing in my head for my next writing project. The first idea would be to explore what happens next in recovery. How does a gay man navigate being sober and a sexual outlaw in a queer society that is heavily interwoven with drugs and alcohol? The second idea would be fiction. I'm a huge fan of the horror genre, and I could see myself writing something in that space. It's a genre and voice that had a major influence on how I wrote Blue Movie.

What can you tell us about how your podcast, Reading Is Fundamental, came about?

My co-host, Dextra DeNovo, and I started a podcast as a passion project last year. We both met in law school, and Dextra introduced me to Drag Race. We were inspired to start our podcast after seeing a YouTube video by Bussy Queen that broke down the Drag Race Season 14 contract. We thought the idea of breaking down legal contracts for nonlegal audiences was a great concept, but a concept better broken down by actual attorneys. So we lean into our queerness and we break down topics and contracts in entertainment law as only a Leather Daddy and a Drag Queen attorney could. We're excited to elevate our content by joining the Fleshbot network.

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What made you want to study to become an attorney?

I studied Radio and Television at San Francisco State. I started playing around with some of the legal electives offered as part of my major, and I quickly grew to love the intersection of entertainment and the law. There are so many fun and unique legal issues to explore, and the entertainment world is always evolving. I got my BA with an emphasis in the law and regulation of media and then went to law school to study entertainment and intellectual property. I currently counsel clients in the entertainment arena through my law practice.

You attended the Cannabis Law Institute! What was the experience like?

I actually am a faculty member for the Cannabis Law Institute. I first got involved when I served on the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the International Cannabis Bar Association. The Cannabis Law Institute produced a panel on substance use and professional competency. Their initial speaker took a very binary approach to substance use, claiming that if you identify as an addict, the only viable recovery option is total abstinence through a 12-step program. This ideology seemed to be at odds coming from a cannabis-focused organization. As someone who has benefitted from a variety of different recovery strategies, including using cannabis as an exit drug, I wanted to step up to rewrite this course. This April will be my third year presenting at the Cannabis Law Institute, providing insight into my experience with 12-step recovery as well as highlighting and educating the legal professional community about other harm reduction models.

Are you subscribed to my https://t.co/he12Gsu9M2 page yet? Someone else just joined, and it should have been you! https://t.co/gn0k6Fcd37 pic.twitter.com/6LaUhSx9Jz

— Blue Bailey (@BlueBaileySF) February 19, 2023

What is Cannabis Law and why was it important for you to study?

I tend to gravitate and lend my legal skills to causes that combat bias and fight stigma. Cannabis and sex work are very similar. They're both criminalized, they're both stigmatized, and they both disproportionately have effects on marginalized communities. As a sex worker attorney, I see how stigma affecting one community mirrors stigma against another.

What’s your favorite part about living in San Francisco?

Rent control! I thought I was going to have to leave the city during the pandemic, but I was very fortunate to lock down a one-bedroom apartment for me and my dog. I'm just a few blocks away from the Castro Theatre and close enough to frequent Buena Vista park at night.

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You co-host the podcast Reading Is Fundamental along with Dextra DeNovo! Can you share a little about what the podcast is about?

We talk about contracts and hot topics in entertainment law, some of which may be a bit confusing if you're not an attorney. Our goal is to take these sometimes difficult legal concepts and break them down so that other content creators can understand how things like fair use, privacy, and copyright enforcement work. We've broken down the Drag Race contract, discussed SESTA/FOSTA's impact on Fans site, and are looking forward to having more conversations. Our primary goal is to entertain by fagging up the discussion of law, but we also hope that our audiences leave each episode a little more educated and informed.

Do you ever experience backlash as an attorney while also working in the adult industry? If so, how do you respond?

Being open about my porn career and recovery likely has closed some doors for me, but it's also opened other doors. Doors to less conservative and more Queer-friendly spaces that I thrive in.

Someone just subscribed to my https://t.co/he12Gsu9M2 page. You should too! https://t.co/gn0k6Fcd37 pic.twitter.com/Htrz0SLH3x

— Blue Bailey (@BlueBaileySF) January 30, 2023

You’ve gotten to work with the San Francisco Leather Cultural District. What about the leather community made you want to be a part of it?

The leather community, the LGBTQ community, and sex workers have always been at the forefront of significant cultural change and impact, especially in regard to legal activism and systematic change. I'm proud to be part of each of these communities, and I love that I can use my platform as an adult entertainer and my JD to elevate, legitimize and normalize causes affecting our community.