18-year-old porn star Belle Knox not to return to Duke campus after death threats

Porn star Belle Knox, 18, will not be returning to campus at Duke University after receiving death threats.

The hostility, coming from both men and women, has made the adult film star fearful for her safety.

"I am still getting death threats," she told FOX News. "I've had people threaten to throw trash on me."

The self-described feminist and women's studies major says the death threats are not just from her academic peers.

"I have had a lot of critique come to me from the anti-porn feminists of Duke," she added. "There's a way to get your point out there. I totally appreciate opinions. I love when people can argue with me or whatever. But there's a way to do it without attacking my personal character."

Knox's real name, Miriam Weeks, was plastered on the Internet by fellow freshman Thomas Bagley, who has also gotten flack for his involvement in the controversy, although Weeks spoke on his behalf.

"It's not acceptable that he's being harassed. I've actually released kind of a plea for my fans to stop harassing him," she said. "He's a good person who made a mistake. He apologized for it, at the end of the day it's between me and him."

Weeks' racy extracurricular activities were in the name of her education. Her parents could not afford her college tuition, so the actress, who's already shot 25 scenes, says she participates in the films to afford the hefty $45,000 tuition.

After the revelation of her secret porn career, Weeks has gained significant media attention, and has made a round of public appearances in New York. She had her first foray onto a stripper pole Tuesday night at Midtown Manhattan jiggle joint Headquarters, rocking out to Warrant's 1990 arena rock anthem "Cherry Pie" while wearing a pink plaid skirt, which she eventually removed.

Weeks, originally from Spokane, Wash., and the daughter of a doctor, told the Daily News that she enjoys this line of work but one day hopes to be a lawyer.