Still suffering from the twin impacts of the recession and piracy, 2012 was a year much of the adult industry will be pleased to see reach an end. And, it wasn’t just the economy; the courts and the voters gave Pornland fresh anxieties to carry into the New Year. Not that all was dour: from Broadway to Bollywood, porn stars have never been so visible in mainstream culture. This year, James Deen became the first male performer since Ron Jeremy that your mom can actually name, while porn veteran Sunny Leone achieved intercontinental celebrity. The Daily Beast looks back on the highlights and lowlights of the year in porn.
By Richard Abowitz
