The group was initially formed by the
pornographic actors
Anikka Albrite,
Mick Blue,
James Deen and
Stoya.
Nina Hartley said that similar organizations to APAC had failed "due to lack of organization or outright strangulation by... producers", and that APAC arose from the new forms of communication allowed by social media, both within the industry and in communicating with the public. David M. Kopp, in
Famous and (Infamous) Workplace and Community Training (2017), praised the video as "a well-done, first-rate piece of asynchronous training". After the 2014 Board of Directors election, Deen began serving as chair, with
Chanel Preston as president,
Conner Habib as vice president, Veruca James as treasurer and Ela Darling as secretary. In 2015, Deen was accused of sexual assault and rape by numerous women, including abuse in personal relationships and on pornographic sets. After the allegations were made public, first by Stoya, Deen stood down from his roles in APAC, who released a statement saying "we stand with performers and other sex workers who are victims of any sort of sexual assault". However, Preston—the president, who also assumed Deen's role as chairperson—was in a relationship with Deen.
Aurora Snow, writing in
The Daily Beast, commented: "It may prove difficult for women... to turn to an organization now headed by Deen's current partner, but Preston is not to blame for this. In an industry this small many—if not most—performers drift in and out of relationships with one another... Nonetheless, women who have felt victimized by Deen may feel like they have nowhere to turn but to the public". In early 2018, chairperson
Tasha Reign told
The Washington Post that she aimed for all pornographic workers to receive training, including directors and producers, and that the
Me Too movement made her "more empowered" in speaking freely. She advocated regulation and resources relating to health—including mental health—consent and harassment. Reign personally supported a raise in the minimum age of a pornographic performer in the United States from 18 to 21. resigned as chair of APAC in 2018. Later in 2018, the newly-elected chairperson
Ginger Banks filmed an
Evil Angel scene with Jenny Blighe. Both Banks and Blighe were webcam models and this was their first pornographic scene, a girl-girl scene directed by
John Stagliano. According to Banks and Blighe, Stagliano touched them without their consent during the filming. After Blighe made her experience public, Banks began experiencing online harassment due to her initial response. Prior to a vote over whether to remove Banks as chair, she made a video including details of her experience and Blighe's boyfriend. After the video, Blighe called for Banks's removal, and she voluntarily stood down. Banks later filed a report of sexual battery and apologized to Blighe both privately and publicly, saying in 2020, "I should be held accountable for my part in the gaslighting and denying her reality". On August 10th 2022, Adult Performer Advocacy Committee published a Performer Bill of Rights. This document details what performers have a right to when hired. Also indicates what performers are entitled to, to maintain a generally positive experience in their careers, as well as what conditions are conducive to mental, emotional, and physical health. ==Membership and activities==