Men and women overflowed the chairs and sat in the aisles last night to hear the star of Deep Throat describe the physical, mental and sexual abuses that lurk behind the smiles in pornography.

Standing at a lectern in Keller Conference Center's auditorium, Linda Marchiano relived the experiences that took her from an innocent Catholic schoolgirl who didn't know what a prostitute was to porn queen Linda Lovelace.

"I was naive," Marchiano said. "I would never dream somebody would do that to another human being."

Her naivete and how she lost it -- at gunpoint, forced to have sex with six businessmen who had paid for her "services" -- is what has brought her to different universities to raise awareness of what goes on in the pornography industry.

Marchiano finally fled from that man about 20 years ago, after being imprisoned for 2 years. The man she first considered a confidant turned out to be someone who wouldn't let her go to the bathroom unattended, who took control of the money she brought in from unwillingly making Deep Throat and who beat her when she didn't meet his expectations.

"Pornography is pain. Someone's being defamed or degraded," Marchiano said. "It could happen to your mother, to your brother, to your young sister and to your child."

Patty Johnstone, assistant director of the Center for Women Students, said each year the center has a program to spotlight sexual assault issues. The center and Colloquy combined resources to bring Marchiano here as a different way to approach the problems, Johnstone said.

"Here's someone talking about her very own personal experiences," she said. "It makes you think, is this something we want around?"

Problems arise in the free speech arena. Johnstone said although she believes strongly in the First Amendment, there should be laws against pornography that is blatantly violent. She cited one of Marchiano's examples -- a naked woman hung on a meathook with a sign "Grade-A meat" -- as that type of pornography.

Jason Neely (junior-aerospace engineering) said laws won't matter. "The mind-set of society's got to change first."

But even at the University that one student called supposedly "so open about everything," some audience members' minds remained closed.

During the question-and-answer session which followed Marchiano's presentation, one student asked how Marchiano reacted to skeptics in the audience who were mumbling doubts.

Marchiano speaks out about her experiences to reach the disbeliever. She said when she first gets on stage, she looks out in the audience. Someone is always sitting there with a smirk. That's the person she aims to reach.

If people realize that pornography is abuse, Marchiano said, "Poof -- it'll disappear."

The realization that anyone is at risk of being abused in this way also hit home with some of the audience.

"You think about porn, you think about these nymphomaniacs," said Jennifer Haffner (sophomore-labor and industrial relations). "She could be you or me or anyone."

Marchiano was anyone. She was obviously a mother, speaking with pride about her outspoken daughter and sensitive son, and she related well with the primarily college age audience.

She spoke haltedly throughout her lecture, hands trembling even after she left the stage, and stopped to collect herself once when she was discussing the man who abused her.

"Just that name puts me through such changes," Marchiano said. "This was someone who really caused a lot of pain in my heart."

She still has flashbacks, but said her husband of 18 years understands.

"I know it'll never go away and all I can do is make people aware that it exists," Marchiano said.