You Need Help: The Quest For Awesome Queer Feminist Porn

I was recently asked “I’d like to see if porn does anything for me, would you have any (ethical, lesbian) recommendations for the first try of a young adult with an eye for the femmier?” and I thought this would be a great question to answer at length, and with help!

Huzzah for you for taking the plunge into the the wide world of ethical porn. And it is a wide world, believe it or not. Yes, there will always be the people who feel that all porn is wrong, unfeminist or unethical. Or, of course, a very inaccurate portrayal of lesbians and other queer-identified folks. A large portion of porn is all those things and even more horrible descriptors that I haven’t thought of yet, but the porn you’re looking for — ethical and with real queer folks — is out there! I have my personal favorites: just keep an eye on the Feminist Porn Awards, for instance. Good For Her, a Toronto sex toy shop, began running the FPAs in 2006 when they decided that “it’s not enough to criticize adult films for not adequately representing the diversity of women’s, trans folk’s- and in many cases, men’s – sexuality. So we decided to do something about it.” To be considered for an FPA, a series, scene or film must meet the following criteria:

1) Women and/or traditionally marginalized people were involved in the direction, production and/or conception of the work.

2) The work depicts genuine pleasure, agency and desire for all performers, especially women and traditionally marginalized people.

3) The work expands the boundaries of sexual representation on film, challenges stereotypes and presents a vision that sets the content apart from most mainstream pornography. This may include depicting a diversity of desires, types of people, bodies, sexual practices, and/or an anti-racist or anti-oppression framework throughout the production.

And of course it must be hot!

Here’s the list of Feminist Porn Nominees from 2012, and the 2013 FPAs take place in April. A ton of my favorites have been nominated for Feminist Porn Awards: Crash Pad, Jiz Lee, Meet the Mayhems, and Queer Porn TV. As for scenes for someone “with an eye to the femmier,” you might try this one with Madison Young, this one with Sydney Morgan and Summer Vega or this one with Kimberly Kills and Sparky Sin Claire. And that’s just the Crash Pad ones I can think of off the top of my head – there are so, so many more. In fact, there’s so much more on the subject that I needed to call in the experts (or should I say, x-perts).

I’ve reached out to some people making ethical, feminist porn: Hayley Fingersmith (a performer for Courtney Trouble’s Queer Porn TV), Pink and White Productions (the production company behind Crash Pad), Maggie Mayhem (a queer porn performer and guerrilla porn producer), J-Bird (a queer porn performer extraordinaire), Courtney Trouble (a self-proclaimed fat feminist queer pornographer whose works have been recognized by the mainstream AVN Awards as well as the indy, woman-run Feminist Porn Award) and Jiz Lee (a porn superhero who produces Karma Pervs, a super ethical way to get off, and who wants you to follow them on twitter) with three questions. And may I urge you, as Hayley Fingersmith says, to “Let go of preconceptions about what kind of porn is going to turn you on.”

Let’s go on an ethical porn adventure together!

Jiz Lee, Sine Louise, Courtney Trouble and Tina Horn at the AVN 2012.  photo: Jeff Koga. via Jiz Lee's website

Jiz Lee, Shine Louise, Courtney Trouble and Tina Horn at the AVN 2012. photo: Jeff Koga. via Jiz Lee’s website

What kinds of criteria do you consider when deciding if porn is ethical? Feminist? What are some examples of production companies or individuals who you think produce ethical, feminist porn?

Hayley Fingersmith:

I think porn is ethical when everybody involved in making it knows what they’re getting into, grasps the risks involved, isn’t pressured into doing anything they’re uncomfortable with, and is compensated fairly.

I try to avoid talking about feminism on the Internet because it means so many different things to different people. I don’t think there’s a hard line. Companies like Pink and White (who do Crashpad) and Queerporn.tv position their porn as “feminist” because they feature performers with a variety of genders and body types, try to engage viewers who aren’t straight men, and try to center the pleasure of people who you don’t see much of in mainstream porn, and generally present queer sex authentically. That’s all amazing, and I think they’re filling a real need, but I wouldn’t avoid mainstream porn producers if their scenes turn you on.

Courtney Trouble:

Courtney Trouble. Via Crash Pad

Courtney Trouble. Via Crash Pad

A feminist may perform in porn that doesn’t “look” feminist – but feminists these days (at least the ones I know) are pretty pro- or neutral regarding sex work – and that’s what porn essentially is. So if the performer’s feminist, then anything they do would probably be pretty fun or interesting to watch – to see how their feminism shines through in the performances. I would seek out performers like Jiz Lee, Dylan Ryan, April Flores, Bianca Stone, Papi Coxxx, Ela Darling, Lorelei Lee, or myself!

Feminist creators of porn will often use themes of gender equality, the female gaze, female empowerment, queer theory, female masculinity, body diversity, and any number of feminist issues in their work directly, be it through casting, script, content, or even direct political messages within the work itself. I consider any work that has a direct or implied message of feminism, gender equality, or female empowerment that ALSO has a absence of body shaming, stereotyping of female typecasts, or sex-negative or desire-shaming elements to fall under the guise of “feminist porn,” though not all of that work would include the themes that I find most important, such as size and racial diversity and the authentic, empowering inclusion of trans women in porn.

J-Bird:

My taste in porn leans always to queer porn and I’ve had the privilege/honor to perform in many local companies here in the Bay. The experiences I have had given me a new perspective on how ethical porn can be. It requires communication, consent, and respect. I love working with production companies where the performer has a lot of freedom to create their own scene, come as they are (ie: body hair, clothing (or not)) and there is a supporting environment around. That feels ethical and feminist to me. Some examples of production companies I have first hand experienced as ethical, feminist porn is Crash Pad Series (Shine Louise Houston) and Indie Porn Revolution/Queerporn.tv (Courtney Trouble). Two of my favorite production companies because they gave me the resources, comfort, and confidence to create the scenes I wanted to make.

Pink and White Productions:

For a company to be ethical, some criteria include company policies and the treatment of performers and crew. At Pink & White Productions, we are transparent about our policies and communicate with performers and crew to ensure informed decisions and consent. Part of this includes a substance-free work environment, performers’ contracts, providing resources for testing and safer sex supplies, communicating with crew and cast about scene ideas and limits, and presenting trigger warnings on scenes where consensual non-consent is chosen by performers. We hope our business practices create a safe environment where people can feel comfortable to have authentic pleasure, and fun!

Maggie Mayhem:

The ethics of porn are hard to find because it’s an industry with many veils. Following performers on social media will give you a lot of information. Looking at their product as a whole rather than scene-by-scene is also key. A scene in and of itself won’t give you the whole picture because many people choose the studios that are the most respectful to produce the fantasies they need as performers that also make them the most vulnerable. There is no set of hard and fast guidelines but stepping back and looking at the website as a whole can offer help with interpretation.

Maggie Mayhem via MissMaggieMayhem.com

Maggie Mayhem via MissMaggieMayhem.com

When I make porn, I’m doing it literally on no budget. We shoot queer porn with no budgets, no permits, and on the good graces of trade agreements and friends inviting us into their homes to fuck. I don’t have the cash to pay people and I’m unwilling to exploit people. I’m limited to shooting with individuals for whom a content trade would be fair. In a content trade, I come together with other people and we share the time, talent, and energy of a shoot and create a contract in which we all equally own the content. This allows us to edit and distribute it differently. You might notice some similar content on queer/indie porn and half the fun is seeing how that shoot changes with different editing and different contexts. As an example, you might notice that there are shoots on MeetTheMayhems.Com, the website I run with my husband, that you can also spot on FTMFucker.Com by James Darling or WolfHudsonIsBad.Com by Wolf Hudson. I love being able to work with people who benefit from collaboration because owning a shoot and having your own independent distribution rights means that this content can keep working for you for the rest of your life rather than just being $200-300 in cash which is the average rate that a queer budget can afford to pay a performer for what we make back in return.

I think looking at self-produced projects are also key. Support the baby projects that are basicly the fruits of pinko-commie-collaborative love.

Jiz Lee:

Some examples of ethical functions that many companies and performers adhere to include STI testing, contracts/written consent, verbal consent and communication, and transparency between the production and it’s audience. For example, a company may have interviews with performers that demonstrate the model’s interests and expectations, and reactions, within being involved in the work. I am a production assistant on the set of CrashPadSeries.com, a site that aims for authenticity, even within scenes that demonstrate role play and consentual non-consent. Even within this transparency of authenticity with the audience, director Shine Louise Houston will talk with models off camera about their boundaries, ideas for the shoot, concerns and desires, all before repeating the conversation on camera — this takes pressure off the models to allow them to be more able to assert boundaries. Naturally, performers still have pressures on the work place, as there’s the interest in doing a good job and setting a good impression, getting hired again, and getting paid.

Models talk to one another, so if a performer has a bad experience, they may tell others in the industry and even critizise publically via blogs. With today’s social media profundancey, often the easiest way to find what a performers’ best scene might be is to simply ask them, or read their blog or twitter account to see what they’re the most excited about.

One of my concerns with the phrasing of “queer porn” or “feminist porn” is that on the onehand, studios who self-identify begin to hold ownership of the phrase and soon set the definition of what that kind of porn looks like, which can create exclusion and stagnancy. On the other hand, by defining something as “feminist” it means that everything else is inherent in the definition, NOT feminist. And that binary logistic is problematic for porn companies as it’s too simplistic. Sex is complicated, and porn can be just as messy. I’ve seen very queer moments in what would be definited as straight, hardcore mainstream porn, just as I’ve witnessed vibrant feminist ideals on mainstream sets. It’s against the definition of queer, to say that something is NOT queer; it’s anti-feminist to prescribe what is and what isn’t feminist of something based on one’s own preferences.

These labels are incredibly helpful for audiences searching for alternative works, but just keep in mind that at the end of the day, they’re just labels. Annie Sprinkle is quoted as having said, “The answer to bad porn is not no porn. It’s to make better porn!” and to this, I’d add that “better” may be in the eye of the beholder — I’d prefer that the answer is actually to make MORE porn, and to create more diversity that can better represent the complexity of humanity and the human sexual experience. There’s a danger when porn is limiting in gender and sexual acts — in an absence of other forms of explicit sex as eductation, a limited view starts to paint a portrait of what sex looks like, what people who have sex look like, etc… and a constrained example of sex negates MANY alternate and completely valid experiences of what sex is.


Do you have any recommendations for our reader?

Hayley Fingersmith:

Watch some of the queer porn staples: queerporn.tv, Crash Pad, and FTMFucker [author note: this isn’t a lesbian site, but is still definitely worth a look-see because it’s awesome]. Those sites can be a bit overwhelming—so. much. porn.—so it can be helpful to look at previews and bios and find some performers you really like (in style or attitude or just because they’re fucking gorgeous) and focus on their scenes.

Read more. For me, written erotica was a lot easier to tackle than video productions, and it helped me figure out what sort of stuff turned me on. There’s a lot of great erotica out there—the Best Lesbian Erotica collections are really good, and even mostly-terrible user sites like Literotica usually have a few gems.

Courtney Trouble:

My work (queerporn.tv, indiepornrevolution.com, courtneytrouble.com, etc) might be of interest to you as lesbian femme sex is my FAVORITE subject – my newest film Lesbian Curves (lesbiancurves.com) is all femme, all lesbian sex, and features babes of all sizes. My films Roulette Toronto, Bordello, or Seven Minutes in Heaven may also be titles to check out for femme-focused lesbian sex.

I’m not the only one making work you’ll probably love – check out crashpadseries.com, pinklabel.tv, the work of Nenna Joiner (Feelmore 510) [author note: try Tight Places], and Tobi Hill-Meyer. if you’re willing to try some straighter fare, films by Tristan Taormino, Belladonna, and Kimberly Kane are women-directed and don’t shy away from “ethically-made” rough sex, bdsm, romance, educational subjects, and fun things like role play, pegging, and even some guy-on-guy-on-girl stuff that I simply love, even as a mostly-femme-desiring porn watcher.

J-Bird:

Since you are new to watching porn, I recommend you watch with an open heart and make sure that the productions you are watching are

J-Bird via Crash Pad

J-Bird via Crash Pad

not bootlegged. Memberships can be pricey but companies, such as Crash Pad Series, have a way where you can help with transcribing behind the scenes interviews for membership access. There is also free access to things such as queerporntube.com where it is porn performers or amateurs submitting videos/clips that are not bootlegged. There are lots of different scenes in all of these queer porn production companies that range from “vanilla” to a bit more “hardcore”. If you are not use to watching porn, at all, I would recommend scoping through the sites, character profiles and such to read about what kind of scenes you are about to watch.

Pink and White Productions:

Pink & White Productions has created PinkLabel.tv, a fair-trade hub featuring works by independent and emerging adult filmmakers. There are over 16 studios featuring heterosexual, queer, feminist, alt, and works featuring a diverse assortment of performers — people of various sizes, abilities, race, age, kinks, genders, and sexual expressions, to name a few! Through purchasing films video on demand, you directly support the work of these studios. Our tagline for PinkLabel.tv is “Porn with Good Taste,” and we hope it will offer producers sustainable business and viewers a sampling of many kinds of porn that come highly recommended. The studios featured are known for ethical productions.

Maggie Mayhem:

A lot of the same names are out there like Crash Pad, Indie Porn Revolution, Madison Young, FTMFucker, WolfHudsonIsBad, Kimberly Kane, Sophia St. James, Nenna Joiner of Feelmore Entertainment, Maya Mayhem (no relation, lol!), and many others are out there.

Crash Pad and specifically Shine Louise Huston blows my mind with what they’ve accomplished. They hire ethically, fairly, and in the most incredible environment imaginable. It’s one of my favorite places to work. I work there and it’s like having your faith rewarded that yes, there are studios where performer’s rights and experiences are paramount and Shine is super talented with film and makes a quality product that is revolutionary in its chronicling of the bedrooms of activism.

Jiz Lee:

If you’re looking for cisgender femme-presenting lesbian women, you’ll find quite a few in queer porn. For example, CrashPadSeries.com has a diverse range of models, but quite a few are cisgender women. And if you’re open to watching trans lesbians in girl/girl scenes in queer porn, CrashPadSeries.com (directed by Shine Louise Houston) is one of the few sources. Also, a great deal of performers of color,

Jiz Lee via Crash Pad

Jiz Lee via Crash Pad

size, ability, and also kinks too. Another queer porn site is IndiePornRevolution.com, and QueerPorn.tv. A bunch of queer porn scenes are available VOD on PinkLabel.tv which means you can watch for as low as $4.99 and know that you’re directly supporting the work of the filmmakers. There are a few female directors who make lesbian porn for male-owned lesbian companies that could be highlighted, such as Madison Young, Jincey Lumpkin, and Lily Cade. And all three have their own websites so you can watch their work directly through their sites. For women in the industry on a more mainstream tip, you can check out the work of Belladonna, Bobbi Starr, and Kimberly Kane. For Kink and Fetish female directors, work by Princess Donna and Julie Simone is also really popular. For a list to browse more, check out links on my website (I can also make some recommendations if you contact me), and via Louise Lush AKA Ms. Naughty. Additionally, there are movies on HotMovies4Her.com and the gals who run the site have some great reviews and are happy to help — I think they’ve pretty much seen it all.


If you had to pick a favorite (and I know it’s difficult), what’s the one porn scene or movie you think everyone should see?

Hayley Fingersmith:

There’s this early scene of Stoya’s where she’s fucking another girl with a strap on; you can find it all over the Internet, I’m sure. It’s grainy, obviously shot in someone’s apartment, and I don’t know what movie it’s from or even who the other performer is. But for whatever reason, I think it’s hot as hell. I don’t know if I’d say that everyone must see it, I don’t know if it’ll even turn you on, but for whatever reason, it speaks to me. It says: “These two incredibly hot girls spend their Saturday nights the same way you do—with strap ons and other incredibly hot girls. And side note, this girl is good with a strap-on.” That scene is why I’m in porn. So: recommended.

Courtney Trouble:

I’m not gonna lie – I think everyone should see QueerPorn.TV. This website features so many different kinds of sex-positive existence, you can get lost in the trailers and porn star interviews for hours – and all of that content is free. The scenes you pay for (either via membership or through the handy and thrifty clip store) are bountiful, beautiful, and all from a feminist, pro-sex, pro-queer, political, personal, and artistic point of view. It’s hardcore porn – but you can sense in every moment that this porn is made with love. QueerPorn.TV is a great start for a queer woman looking to see herself and her community represented in porn, while also being introduced to other identities, sexualities, and communities she might enjoy just as much, if not more, than finding herself reflected back to her in pornography.

J-Bird:

When I first started watch queer porn, it was right when I moved to the bay. I had no idea queer porn existed!!! The first queer porn scene I’ve ever seen, I’ll never forget watching, was Crash Pad Series, Season 7 Episode 52: Dallas, Jiz Lee, and Vai. Hottest threesome action I will probably ever see. I can’t tell you the details… all I can say is be prepared to change your underpants afterwards…

Pink and White Productions:

We could recommend our first film, The Crash Pad, or we could share one of our director Shine Louise Houston’s favorite films, The Hole, a gay porn parody of The Ring (Ringu). If you can find this film — it’s a bit obscure — watch it!

Maggie Mayhem:

Favorite porn scenes: right now, one of my must-see scenes is the Unicorn Gangbang at FTMFucker. This one is hardcore. It’s actually dirty, there is *fucking* happening and it’s a gangbang. When people see that they can forget that it’s hot when your lust is so big you NEED a team of people to get you off right. On top of that, I loved that James eroticized the queer-awkwardness that runs alongside queer lust. Queer pornstars are usually awkward nerds and dorks. We ARE the ones who had lonely birthdays and a sense of total social isolation for seeing the world and ourselves differently. We imprinted on the experience of being alone and part of what we’re doing in porn is reiterating as many times as we can WE (and YOU, the viewer) ARE NOT ALONE. We’re learning, sometimes unexpectedly and on the fly of a guerrilla porn set, that our bodies are worthy of lust and admiration.

Jiz Lee:

You’re evil. You know that? That’s like asking if you could only have the same orgasm and only one way to get off, for the rest of your life, what way would you choose. (Although I guess that wouldn’t adhere to assexual and/or pre-orgasmic folks, but you get my drift. This is a hard question!)

If the fate of the world depended on my answer, I’d cowar and choose my first film, The Crash Pad, and specifically my scene with my partner at the time, Shawn AKA Syd Blakovich. It was my first porn performance and also a very special time in my life and moment in our relationship, so it holds a lot of weight for me, and I think that shows through in our performances. I wanted to be exhibishionist with our love, and that’s one way to do porn.


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A.E. Osworth

A.E. Osworth is part-time Faculty at The New School, where they teach undergraduates the art of digital storytelling. Their novel, We Are Watching Eliza Bright, about a game developer dealing with harassment (and narrated collectively by a fictional subreddit), is forthcoming from Grand Central Publishing (April 2021) and is available for pre-order now. They have an eight-year freelancing career and you can find their work on Autostraddle (where they used to be the Geekery Editor), Guernica, Quartz, Electric Lit, Paper Darts, Mashable, and drDoctor, among others.

A.E. has written 542 articles for us.

54 Comments

  1. I love lilly Cades work with filly films. Actually I just like a of filly a work. There is also Mercedes Lynn who is full on gold star lesbian also.

    • Feminist porn…yes, it does exist and CineKink NYC has a great line-up starting this week. Definitely check out Julie Simone’s “Deconstructed Beauty”. On Thursday, February 28th, the festival is having an adventurous evening entitled “Strange Live Acts” and Julie’s Film “Deconstructed Beauty” will be screening and closing out the night. Julie will be in attendance along with Bella Vendetta, who did the piercings in the film. After the movie screens, there will be a Q&A with Julie and Bella. The screening will take place Anthology Film Archives located at 32 Second Avenue at 2nd Street in NYC. To wet your appetite, Julie has cut a special trailer of the film, which can be viewed by going to
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvAtW4e_Vmo. For more information or to purchase event passes, go to http://cinekink.com/programs-and-events/nyc/.

  2. So Jiz Lee’s work isn’t really my taste, but she always sounds like SUCH a cool person in interviews. I think an article she was in led me to CrashPad and the discovery of not-awful porn.

    Now this nerd is going to go watch some more interviews of smart people talk about ethical porn and queer theory. Is there some way we could combine that with actual porn? I’d be ok with that as a genre.

  3. “I wanted to be exhibishionist with our love”

    This is just too adorable. Jiz Lee is amazing & so are all the other humans associated with this post.

  4. Yay for this post! I have been curious about porn for awhile but there is so much out there and I’m always worried that the people have been exploited in the films so thanks

  5. First: yes, yes, I know this wasn’t really aimed at me. I’m a trans guy, and I am most often attracted to male-identified people.

    Prepare for TL;DR – sorry!

    Anyway, I love this post for all its wonder and beauty. And I’ve read stuff like this before, and gotten lots of recommendations, and given various things a try. I even liked some of them! However, and I know this sounds ridiculously nerdy and maybe a bit silly and might remind you of 50 Shades of How Not to Do BDSM (which, ugh), but my main source of porn/erotica/things-to-get-off-with-because-fuck-they-are-hot is fanfiction. (Favorite genre: Action with a side of Romance. A hefty side! Also humor and awkwardness are excellent spices to add to the mix.)

    And the reason for this is that fanfic actually makes me care about the characters before the fucking happens. (Although sometimes PWP – porn without plot or plot? what plot – happens, and it is amazing, but you still have the characters already built up in your head from watching the show or movie or reading the book/s or whatever, so you still have a connection with them.) Whereas, live action visual porn (and…maybe also not-live action? I was never big on hentai, but there’s some good slightly animated fanart out there, but again: fanworks) does not really make me connect to the people fucking. It’s just sex. And, while I really enjoy casual sex, I always have to know the person I’m fucking at least a little bit, and I have to feel some kind of affection or friendship or whatever for them.

    So basically I wish there was queer porn (or any porn?) that had sufficient lead up and non-cheesy character development so that I could actually care about the characters before they start getting it on, and hence be more moved by the getting it on itself.

    Does this exist? I know there are porn films with plot, like Speakeasy, which was fun but not exactly what I’m talking about because admit it the film did not exactly focus on characterization (and also, probs because I’m mostly gay – as in a gay dude – my favorite scene/the hottest scene was when the investigator and the asshole in the white t-shirt started rolling on the ground throwing punches. I really really really wanted that to become sex. But that did not happen. Oh well.) and actually I have never heard of porn that really DOES focus on characterization in a not-completely-cheesy way.

    Like it’s always, “Oh hello, pizza delivery man, thank you for delivering this pizza. It is really too bad that I just realized I have no money with which to pay you. Perhaps there is some other mutually satisfying solution???” Okay, maybe that’s a little unfair because stereotype, but I’ve never heard of any porn plots that sounded particularly compelling. Well, maybe one of those docu-porns about real life couples.

    Does anyone else have this problem? And can we fix it? There are some mainstream movies that get me hot (um, Lust, Caution? *fans self* or bits of Brokeback Mountain or…a few others maybe) but that is just not the same thing. Sometimes you want to actually see people’s bits and know that this is not just a performance, or at least not the arousal part. (I mean if there’s romance in the plot it is understandable and realistic that that would be a performance.)

    My main feeling when I watch visual porn (unless I’m really in the right mood, and usually only with some serious penetration going on or people like throwing their heads back and moaning) is jealousy, like, “Hey. Why can’t I be having sex with him/her/hir/them/anyone at all?”

    • Also I guess hit me up if you are also a nerd and enjoy fanfiction? I can rec m/m slash and also some femslash, and while this is a lesbian-focused website I am actually aware of the odd phenomenon that is lesbians who would actually never have sex with men enjoying gay male porn. I have friends who wouldn’t and do, and also I have heard about it online from various sources. It is a thing that exists.

      A warning: I tend to like plotty fics and I am tolerant of het scenes and relationships as long as they are not the endgame because heterophobia I guess and I just OTP queer couples exclusively. My one het OTP exception is Claratin (nerdy fandom ship name for Marten/Claire on Questionable Content) and that is in large part because I have an urgent desire for a trans* character to have a boring/romantic/sexy/fun/awkward/non-exploitative/non-sensationalized relationship outside of the fanfic world. And I really think it is heading in that direction, because Jeph Jacques is great.

      Oops, I think I let my nerd show a bit. Or more like, if you want to continue with that metaphor, inappropriately exposed myself in a public place like in those dreams where you show up to school and belatedly realize that you’re naked. Alas, I have no shame. Honey badger don’t care. Honey badger don’t give a shit. (Honey badger being me, ofc.)

      • Wow hello yes, are you me?

        I started reading fic when I was…in my early teens, and I think I sort of Incepted myself into only liking porn that is written – and more specifically, written in fandom’s particular style. I don’t think I can explain it further, just that whenever AS posts extracts from book-published lesbian erotica it does absolutely nothing for me (maybe it’s the POV? because wow is first person present/second person present rare/ kind of frowned on in fandom)

        Also YES SO MUCH to the caring-about the-characters thing. I read PWPs quite happily cause I already know the characters involved, but video porn just makes me go *headtilt* because who are these people, sure they’re hot but why should I care that they’re fucking? (well, and I feel like a giant creeper watching them /o\)

        Aaaand yes, like 95% of everything I read is m/m, because femslash is difficult to find due to the lack of ladies in fandom’s favourite shows/movies (well, bar sexswap, which yessss). I recently realised that action/adventure fics that also feature explicit sex are my very favourite thing because it’s like my favourite kind of movie but also with porn! Currently these manifest as Avengers and 00Q fic, because spies and gadgets and superheroes and explosions, \o/. Have you read Shadow of the Templar? (m/m original fic, basically four action movies in book form but also with a lot of gay sex)

        Eeeee I love finding fannish people on non-fannish websites! /rambling

        • Oh my god this is so exciting! Nerd high five!

          Hey I have a femslash recommendation for you if you don’t already ship it (but who am I kidding, everybody ships it, even/especially the writers): Marceline/Bubblegum, from Adventure Time. There is a lot of ADORABLE FAN ART, which is mostly what I’ve seen, but also I have heard there is a lot of good fic. (I don’t know if it’s generally explicit because kids’ tv show, but probably because rule 34? I have a friend who could rec you some if you like.)

          No I have not read Shadow of the Templar! Thanks for mentioning it, it sounds awesome!

          And yes on most published/profic erotica: generally does nothing for me. I like Avengers fic too (and there is some excellent Pepper/Natasha fic out there, which I should really read more of – also [fanwank ahead] I am not the only one, but it kind of annoys me that so much Tonyslash is Steve/Tony when I really much prefer the Science Bros because they are better – in the movieverse at least) but I haven’t seen Skyfall yet and I think that’s where 00Q is from? Also, Daniel Craig and Javier Bardèm in the same room together with sexual tension: ofwijaefw;jkf I need to see this like 35 minutes ago. (Lol wrong fandom references ftw.)

          Hey so you should contact me on Tumblr if you have an account. I’m jabez-dawes.tumblr.com. :D

        • Also you can always tell me through Tumblr, but do you mind telling me your primary fandoms/ships? I’m curious because you seem awesome. The ones besides “just generally Avengers fic” and 00Q, I mean. Do you have OTPs? Little Black Dresses? (I find that term so amusing.) A fandom where you ship pretty much anyone/anyone? These are things that I need to know. :P

      • Hi, I know I’m extremely late to the party here, but I was browsing through old articles and I had to reply to your comment because I am also a giant nerd. And I get ridiculously excited when I find other nerds on Autostraddle.
        I’m totally with you on fanfiction – live-action porn, even well-done ethical queer feminist porn, generally gives me a “good for them and all, but why am I watching this?” vibe. But I love reading both plotty fics and PWPs, probably because the character development is built in and I can imagine the characters however I like. And also because it’s free.
        My one het ship is also Claratin (I am so excited about Claratin and I really hope nothing bad happens to either of them ever again), and other than that I mostly read and ship femslash. Cophine from Orphan Black, Hollstein from Carmilla, Willow/Tara from Buffy, basically everyone from Orange is the New Black with everyone else, etc. Although I do love good Drarry and Stucky fics. (For context, I’m bi but feel weird and guilty about identifying as such since I’m female and mostly attracted to women.)
        Anyway. Your tumblr is awesome. I’m also crazyazeotrope over there, if you’re wondering who’s suddenly stalking you.

    • Oliver, YES!
      While erotic fiction is SO hot and steamy and a perfect companion or substitute for porn video al together, I do think there are a few storyline-focused videos you might love.

      FIRST and foremost, watch the film I WANT YOUR LOVE by Travis Matthews (out through Naked Sword) – it’s a full length film with a storyline, in fact, there is no sex in it at ALL until the narrative climax an hour in to the film. It is gay sex. No trans men in the sex, but there are a few in the cast – Billy Castro and Amos Mac were extras in the film. I also had a small acting part. Anyways, the film itself is fantastic but THE SEX IS EVERYTHING!!!! REAL, raw, gritty, funny, sad, emotional, and totally nasty all at the same time.

      Champion by Pink & White is also a storyline pic – the acting and storyarc is not AS intricate at I Want Your Love, and it’s most women and genderqueer folks who have the sex in the film – but it’s still very cinematic, character-driven, etc.

      My own stuff is just not that narrative-focused. I’m not much of a storyteller. Well I am, but not in a pornographic sense. I just like shooting the sex. Mainly because I think queer folks deserve the same kind of porn that straight folks get – raw hardcore eye candy that gets you off – and that’s what I mainly focus on delivering.

      And YES, I too wish that the investigator and the rough mean guy had sex. That film had a few alternate endings…. ;)

      • Aaaah! Thank you for the recommendations, I will be sure to check them out…although I imagine they cost money which may be a problem. (Still job-hunting.)

        And also Amos Mac = best. I don’t know why I love him so much because pretty much all I know about him is that he’s a brilliant photographer and one of the founders of Original Plumbing, but he’s just so adorable with his cute little moustache and old-fashioned name.

        Speakeasy has alternate endings? WHERE??? I have a digital copy and I somehow was unaware of this. And I’m so glad someone else agrees that the investigator and that other guy should have had sex. Fisticuffs turning into sex is pretty much my favorite. (Well, also awkwardness and lame jokes and “oh god what do we do now” aftermath sort of situations. Those are fun and mostly to be found in written erotica – I think.)

        • well, the alternate endings are only in my head. it ended up the way it did because i really wanted to see billy and lorelei fuck – totally selfish of me i know!!!

          if you want more masculine-centered or gay stuff i would highly recommend ftmfucker.com. and check out queerporntube.com for hundreds and hundreds of free videos. when you are able to pay, you’ll be well equip to know what you want and support the folks who make all of this porn!

    • ME TOO! One of my lovers and I were geeking out the other day about how fanfic was pretty much the closest we could get to queer porn when we were teenagers.

      I found the kiss scene in The Runaways unbelievably erotic. But I hear you, and would love to see/be in more of what you’re talking about – porn surrounded by a solid story. Is Shortbus the kind of thing you’re after?

  6. This article is AMAZING and a delightful surprise on a grey gloomy Saturday. Thank you to all the lovely contributors!

  7. MAGGIE MAYHEM!

    I was in her Biology class my freshman year.
    We went to an all-girls private school.
    I think she was the first person I came out to.

    true story

  8. Oh my god.

    This was my question. And I thought it had been lost somewhere and oh… Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for ransacking the internet for me!

    Oh my god. I was not expecting recommendations from big names or an article or even an answer with more than one paragraph.

    Thank you so much Autostraddle, thank you so much Ali, thank you for all of your awesomeness.

  9. I get so frustrated looking for porn. I can’t spend money on it and mainstream stuff is just depressing. I just want some MOC lesbian porn! Thats all I want! With no-one getting electrocuted or spat on.

    Does anyone else find that in porn that the people ‘wanting’ eachother is more important than who is involved. I identify as lesbian, but tbh a lot of gay male porn is pretty hot too. What does that mean?

    • Look up Filly Films, which is a non-gay for pay Porn company marketing towards lesbians, and of course men. They always use actress who are into each other and never fake the O. Lilly Cade is like the prize star, as she is the only real gold star lesbian(in her personal life too) that is doing mainstream porn.

      • Sorry to bring on the drama, but “gold star lesbian” is one of the most insulting terms I’ve ever heard. Lily is no more or less lesbian or queer just because she’s never had sex with a man. And, you’re wrong – there are a LOT of queer women in the porn scene that haven’t and/or don’t currently have sex with men. ALSO, having sex with men in the past or present doesn’t mean you aren’t queer, or a lesbian. You can be all of those things. So not only is she not the only one, but it also says nothing of the quality of her porn because she is a “gold star lesbian.” Now, that being said, the quality of Filly Films IS pretty good and commendable. Lily does a great job, and the company makes sure to hire female directors – so that stuff is all fine and dandy EXCEPT for when you comment on Lily’s personal life as a gold star lesbian, it makes the whole thing look really fake. As if any queer women making porn who has ever been touched by a man is damaged goods. It’s just not a very ethical standpoint. In my personal opinion. As a viewer, it certainly doesn’t matter to me AT ALL if the performers have had sex with men – it doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in the women they are performing with, or doing a good job with the scene.

        Just to re-iterate, I think Lily’s work is fine and worth mentioning, and I’m not trying to bring any directors or companies down here – I’m just commenting on how that gold star statement (and concept in general) makes me feel as a queer person, a genuinely queer, lady-loving, pussy eating, finger fucking queer person – who is NOT a “gold star.”

        Thanks for listening.

        • I really REALLY like this comment. I have such a problem with the term “gold-star lesbian.” It de-legitimizes the experiences of plenty of queer women and suggests that they are somehow less because of their past or current sexual activity with men.

          • The “privilege” of being a gold star lesbian is pretty exclusive to a certain section of the lesbian community. Everywhere else, lesbians who’ve never slept with men get interrogated with things like, “Well, then, how can you even know if you’re a lesbian?” “So you became a lesbian ’cause you couldn’t get a man?” “Wait, so you’re still actually a virgin?” and on and on.
            I will say, though, that some people do take the gold star thing too far. Two girls I know have gold stars tattooed on them. That’s a little cray.

        • I hear ya on the annoyance of “gold star” (as a queer lady who similarly isn’t a gold star) but to be fair Lily Cade does describe *herself* as “gold star” on her website.

          • Creatrix,

            I think the self-labeling of gold star is just as, if not more, annoying/insulting than calling someone else one. What is she trying to say/prove by calling herself a gold star – that queer people who have slept with men aren’t lesbian? That every other woman in the porn industry isn’t as lesbian as her because they’ve taken jobs with male co-stars or slept with men in their personal lives?

            I also heard from a producer who had cast/hired her to perform, and when she found out that her co-star was a trans woman, she (Lily) refused to do the scene and said some gross stuff about “I don’t sleep with men” (ie, trans woman, from her point of view) – I may be paraphrasing, but this story came directly from the producer and trans porn performer involved in the situation.

            THAT. Is not what ethical porn is about. And I’d fight anyone who disagreed with me on that. I think the “gold star” label ties in to all of these issues. Who gets to be a woman? Who gets to be a lesbian? NOT all porn needs to be “political,” but if we are saying something is ethical or feminist, we have to really think about this kind of stuff.

          • Wait…I hope you’re not bashing Lily for turning down a job with a trans woman. If she said some asshole comments about it, yea, that’s absolutely not okay and makes her a jerk. But apart from that, turning down the job is her right and she should not be judged for that.
            I’m assuming the other woman had a penis, and obviously I could be wrong about that, but yea, assuming that she did, some people are just NOT comfortable with penises and they shouldn’t be made to feel bad for that. It’s a matter of sexual preference, sometimes based on PTSD. Just because she does porn doesn’t mean she shouldn’t have preferences.

          • It’s not her preference of co-stars that is trans-phobic, but if she said “I don’t sleep with men” as her reasoning for not working with her, and therefor calling a trans woman a man, well that’s a whole other situation.

            Also, not all trans women have penises, and not all trans women that do, call them that use them for sex. The woman in this particular situation did not.

            I’m not sure how on-topic this situation is to this article and I’m kind of starting to regret that I brought it up. My stance is that trans-phobia is not really part of “ethical” porn.

          • Hey, it’s me, Lily. I’m late to the party, but I feel like I need to set the record straight (hey-oh) around here.

            I never said “I don’t sleep with men” in reference to the porn performer in question (let’s call her P, for performer). I did say “I am not attracted to men” in an email to her and the producer of the scene that didn’t happen but I was talking about transMEN.

            I want to make this as brief as possible. I booked a scene in Canada with P. I wasn’t aware she was trans. When I found out (on formspring), I freaked out, had a panic attack, drank too much vodka (I’m something like four months sober…oh alcohol, we had a good run) and wrote P an email entitled “I am the stupidest girl in the history of the world”.

            I explained to P that I was uncomfortable. I didn’t back out of the scene altogether, I wanted to talk about it, but the producer cancelled the scene (not disputing that he had a right to do that) and put me on twitter blast for transphobia.

            My position now is that I am not comfortable working with trans women…because while trans women are women, they are also people born into male bodies, and that’s just not something I’m into. I’m not a fan of activism that shames people for their sexual tastes – I think it’s unproductive and stupid. This whole incident is when I stopped considering myself queer or part of the queer community. Porn changes everybody and I’ve very much become a porn star who happens to be gay rather than a gay girl who happens to do porn.

            Porn Valley’s Gold Star Lesbian is my branding, my marketing, because it’s something that very much does set me apart in the LA side of porn. I’m with Sela above – this isn’t about lording it over other lesbians. My wife’s bi, most of my lovers are bi, most of the women I hire are bi, and I don’t give a damn who you fuck. The gold star branding…it’s more (to male fans) “you can never have me…but you can watch” than it is “you’re not as good a lover of women as me, other women who are not gold star lesbians” but I’m sorry it makes you feel bad.

            Anyway, my porn’s cool. I come at it from a filmmaking perspective – my interest lies in producing features in which the story both serves and is served by the sex scenes. When it works, it works. I don’t consider it political, but I do strive for authenticity. I also like just straight up gonzo fucking, which is the majority of what I put on my website at LilyCade.com

  10. I subscribed to CrashPad last week. The two videos featuring Dylan Ryan and her real-life partner, Trucker, is omgaerawoeid;fasjhdfas amazing.

    Thanks for recommending other good queer porn sites.

  11. I love seeing things like this on Autrostraddle! Always nice to see porn (especially queer/feminist porn, or course) mentioned in such a positive light! If you enjoyed this article, check out my work with all the lovely folks it mentioned!

    xo
    Nikki Hearts

  12. I fell in love with queer porn when an ex introduced me to it. I found it beautiful, empowering, and galvanizing. I occasionally thing about making my own, but I would have no idea where I would start. If I wanted to start making queer porn, how would I?

    • Ask around on twitter, I am sure some of the queer stars and production companies are on there. Ask people like Jiz Lee, Lilly Cade, or sugar city S.I.R. productions out of the Bay Area.

  13. I went to queerporn dot tv and I am just sitting here crying because I’ve never seen porn with people who look like me, who look like people I would actually fuck, who fuck like I would fuck. It feels so real. I never realized that I felt so marginalized and objectified by mainstream porn, and now I feel validated. Like, it’s okay that I have sex the way I do because see, there are people just like me.

    I never thought porn could be so good for the soul! Thank you, Ali, I think this changed my life a little.

  14. This really doesn’t cover me. Oh I have sucked other womens tits and finger-fucked them into a orgasm.I have even sucked milk from other womens tits at her request.
    One of my close male friends invited me over saying he got a new xxx movie. Women on women. Of course on the couch watching it his hands were all over me. Finally we were both naked and having sex as we tried to watch it. And talked some about it. He said he would like a woman to lick him like that woman was licking the other womans pussy on the movie. Then he shoved and said this is one thing them women can’t do. He was shooting his cum in me. I was able to moan out no they can’t. Finished I went down on him licking and sucking as he sat their now watching the women on women movie and telling me how good of a job I was doing. He then held my head down hard and I was sallowing. When he let go of my head I told him that those women in the movie isn’t doing this either. He just smiled as we went back to fucking.After the movie he told me how much that women on women movie turned him on and how thankful he was to me for coming over and releaving his sexual tensions. Then a little over a hour later I had to go home to my husband. After that we watched alot of lesbian movies together. We had been having sex long before we watched the first women on women movie.

  15. I haven’t watched much queer porn to date so this article is awesome. But, I often wonder where is the queer kinky porn? I know there is a segment of the population that crosses over into kink so I often try to find porn that I can relate.

  16. Shortbus: a film with ‘real’/non simulated sex, in which the sex seems to me a way of telling the story. More feels-feels than pantsfeels, but such s great film.
    There will be penises in it-one arc is about a gay couple, one of them with drpression, so if the sight of penis and m/m and f/m sex is a nogo, this movie might not be for you.
    Also it deals with trauma &suicide, so a TW.

    But uugh this movie. Also the great justin vivian bond is in it, great music is to be heard and feels to be had.

  17. Huh. If I’m not mistaken, then I seem to have inadvertently turned down a lap dance from Hayley Fingersmith at A-Camp 2.0.

    I am mistaken, then it seems like I turned down a lap dance from Hayley Fingersmith’s clone at A-Camp 2.0.

  18. I feel like this article will be forever relevant, soooo, my gentle offering to the straddler gods here: bit.ly/sexpozporn. A big compilation I made with another lovely human a few years ago. Not sure if they’re still keeping it mega updated, and it would be good to have more performers listed, BUT it’s a great and pretty comprehensive starting place for this kind of stuff <3

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