Page 32 - AVN Intimate Summer 2018

FEATURE
By ShERRi L. ShAULis
A Stormy Day in WeHo
Daniels gets Key to the City at Chi Chi LaRue’s
“I would like to thank the mayor and the city council for this
honor,” Daniels said. “And I want to thank the one and only Chi Chi
LaRue for hosting this!
“Everyone in this community has a history of treating people with
dignity and fairness,” she added. “This community has a history of
standing up for people, so I am incredibly honored by all of this.”
Rob Novinger, CEO of Channel 1 Releasing, said the entire store
event and key ceremony were a whirlwind to plan, but that it was
well worth it.
She is fighting back for herself, and
she is fighting for the Resistance and
she is fighting back for all of us to get
our country back.
— West Hollywood Mayor John Duran
“The mayor and Chi Chi are close fiends, so when the mayor saw
Chi Chi’s tweet about the store event, he called,” Novinger said. “We
had some talks and we got it done. It all came together within the
last week. We knew it was going to be insane, but we didn’t know
it was going to be this insane. There are people from all over the
world here covering this, and for the City of West Hollywood, this is
probably the biggest press event they’ve ever had.”
But it wasn’t just reporters in attendance. Several fans were on
hand to show their support.
Saying that admiration for Stormy led to the trip, supporter
Sham Ibrahim drove all the way from Palm Springs, California, and
dressed in drag—a short blue dress with gold sequins, black fishnets
and matching metallic gold go-go boots.
“I’m a fan. Stormy for president!” Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim admitted not knowing much about Daniels before seeing
her name in the news, but is now a big supporter.
Stormy Daniels Day Above, the adult star gets the Key to the City from West Hollywood Mayor John Duran. Below, a fan
sports the #TeamStormy shirt.
In a back office at Chi Chi LaRue’s adult boutique in the Southern
California municipality of West Hollywood, Stormy Daniels freshened
up her hair and makeup before heading back out onto the floor to pose
for press and meet her fans. May 23 had already been a big day for her,
marking Stormy Daniels Day in West Hollywood by receiving the Key to
the City.
Long before she made her way to the store on Santa Monica Boulevard,
news crews and paparazzi crowded the sidewalk in front of the adult
boutique. After all, it’s not every day a porn star gets a Key to the City.
Daniels, who dressed for the occasion in a fashionable little black dress,
had showed no nervousness as she accepted the honors.
Daniels started making mainstream headlines at the beginning of 2018
when news broke of an alleged affair she had with Donald Trump in 2006.
Attention on the alleged affair grew when it was determined that Trump’s
personal attorney and “fixer” Michael Cohen paid $130,000 in hush money
to Daniels just days before the 2016 general election. At the story has just
gotten wilder since then.
With her attorney, Michael Avenatti, and close friends by her side, Daniels
was all smiles as Mayor John Duran and Mayor Pro Tem John D’Amico
made their announcements and presented her with the shiny gold key.
“She is fighting back for herself, and she is fighting for the Resistance and
she is fighting back for all of us to get our country back,” Duran said before
the crowd erupted into applause and cheers.
Avenatti, who is Daniels’ legal counsel for her lawsuits against Donald
Trump, told those gathered, “Stormy Daniels is one of the most intelligent,
self-aware and courageous people you will ever come to know in your life.
We are very, very happy and very, very blessed that she is at the forefront …
She is not backing down and she is in this for the long fight.”
While it was a festive scene to begin with, D’Amico couldn’t resist adding
a little more levity to the ceremony.
“What did the Mayor Pro Team say to the porn star?” he asked before
handing over the key. “Congratulations!”
32 | INTIMATE | SUMMER 2018