Hollie Stevens remembered on the first anniversary of her death

Hollie Stevens, the porn performer, artist, clown, and bon vivant who died of cancer a year ago today, has kept her promise to haunt her friends.

I talked with some people who knew her, who miss her, and who still smile when they think about her.

Eric Cash, Comedian, Hollie’s Widower

I’m such a massively different, better person now, because of Hollie. She was such a ridiculously unconditionally loving person in a way that would make you feel ridiculously stupid for not being that way yourself. I watched her make other people better people.

She approached things as if they were so easy, and then everything was—except for the deadly disease part.

Laura Lasky, Executive Director of SolaceSF, a support system for sex workers in the Bay Area

I miss my friend, like all of those who love her do. Something she gave me was this ridiculously wonderful Liberace stand up. Anytime I see it in my office, I can’t help but smile and think of her. She shows up in different ways and rumour has it, she made good on haunting locally in SF with a few exceptions.

 
Hollie was clear in wanting to love and support her peers during AVN and in January, we were glad to host The Hollie Stevens Suite. As a result of Hollie’s request for a team of medical professionals to offer breast exams, several women, many who had not met Hollie, were able to have professional, private exams and given information regarding their own concerns. The most moving thing we heard was when a performer told us that she had heard wonderful things about Hollie and was grateful to have an exam, offered free of charge and privately. She had discovered a small lump and felt she could now take the information she had been told and make an appointment with her Doctor when she returned home. That was what Hollie wanted and we as her friends, will continue to honor her wishes in the future however we can. 

Steven Leyba, artist

Hollie left her art supplies to Leyba, her best friend for several years.

I am planning on building an outdoor altar to Hollie called The Hollie Temple. I have made Hollie a Coyotel Backwards Saint in my art/[philosophy church The Coyotel Church.

She taught me to have fun and to be sacred in every situation.

Hollie is part of my life just about every day when I am multi-tasking, doing a billion things, and being a worrying Virgo and stressing and getting overwhelmed. I hear my internal Hollie say, “Sir Steven remember to have fun, always.”

Me

We were at this strip bar in Hollywood called Jumbo’s Clown Room. It’s different now—but not much—and at one time the strippers had to leave the stage, put a quarter in the jukebox, and return to the stage to dance to their song. Hollie and I went there a couple of times with friends, because the drinks were great for a strip club.

One night I drove her home, and I mentioned that, whenever I had to write a story about prostitution, I had to Google images of hookers, because I had plenty of pictures that I’d taken myself of women in all kinds of graphic positions, but I’d never gone out on the job with an escort.

“Oh,” Hollie said, “I’ll be your whore.” She got out of the car and leered into the window. All her darkness had kindness and silliness built in.

Scarlet Faux, fetish model, former sex worker

I went over to her house once, expecting it to be all laundry, heels, glitter, and dildos. But it was the most organized apartment I’d ever seen in my life; this tiny apartment. Her outward appearance was just the opposite.

She was so chaotic. We’d go to parties, we’d act like monsters, we’d laugh until they kicked us out. And yet this apartment…I always thought she was six feet tall because she wore these high heels all the time. She was so big in spirit; she was like ten people at the same time.

Previously on Porn Valley Observed: Remembering Hollie on her own terms; If you want to be Hollie Stevens, be Hollie Stevens