As a sex and relationships writer, I spend a serious amount of time writing about porn, which is why I raised an eyebrow when I saw PornHub’s latest venture. In late May, just before Pride, the tube site announced it would be launching Pornhub Sapphic: a site dedicated to lesbian, bisexual, non-binary and trans identities.

Created in response to the continued popularity of lesbian porn, the site aims to create a more queer and female-focused side to the brand. “Pornhub Sapphic was created in direct response to feedback from lesbian, queer, and straight women who told us they wanted an experience that felt made for them,” said Alex Kekesi, VP of Brand and Community at Pornhub, in a press release.

It’s hard not to have mixed feelings about this move. Not least because the sapphic community, like other minorities, has a bit of a thorny relationship with mainstream porn. There’s a history of lesbians not just being hypersexualised by adult content, but becoming synonymous with it: Up until a 2019 algorithm tweak, the word “lesbian” pulled up exclusively pornographic results on French Google.

However, there’s no denying that there’s an appetite for this type of content. After all, “lesbian” was the most-viewed video category on PornHub in 2025. It’s hard not to be sceptical about this behemoth of free porn suddenly claiming to care about its queer and female viewers—rather, it’s likely a change motivated by commercial interests.

“Porn is still, to this day, largely believed and shaped to be for men’s pleasure. From content to consumption, the industry is primarily built around male desire. But female interest in adult platforms has grown 50% faster than male interest in the past five years,” says Malia Bauer, the Public Relations and Campaign Manager at ethical and queer-inclusive porn and sex education platform CHEEX. “Seen in that light, it is not surprising that major platforms are now actively addressing this audience. From a business perspective, this is a logical move into a large and growing user base.”

However, what ‘business’ are we really talking about? PornHub helped pioneer a world of mass, free porn, which might sound like a good thing until you factor in the matter of valuing performers’ livelihoods. With its new sapphic site, this model remains unchanged, continuing a status quo where adult content isn’t paid for and creators and talent do not see the profits of the platforms that disseminate them.

“The ‘free’ porn model, typified by major commercial tube sites, relies on click volume and advertising rather than the value of labour,” says Ramona Viola, a spokesperson from SimpleMedia, a sex workers rights’ advocacy platform from SimpleEscort.

It’s key to financially support workers through actually paying for content. “Paying for porn is both a political and ethical act,” Viola explains “It means recognizing that behind that content lies the hard work of real people who deserve protections, safety, and fair compensation.”

Right now is also a specifically difficult time for the adult content industry. Across the United States, as well as the UK, Australia, and Europe, there are increasing crackdowns on porn websites and implementations of age restrictions. This introduces a new layer of restrictions for consumers and a level of logistical and financial pressure to the independent porn companies who cater directly to queer audiences, while large companies have much greater resources to adapt to new legislation.

Individuals in the adult content industry are feeling dubious about PornHub’s step into the sapphic space, particularly when it comes to the power balance between this industry giant and smaller, independent companies. “It’s becoming harder and harder for independent porn startups, often run by queer people for queer people, to get a foothold in the space, as regulation and censorship makes starting something increasingly harder,” says Vex Ashley, a porn director and performer, as well as the co-founder of indie porn company Four Chambers.

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“We’re increasingly losing the perspective of a diversity of voices and sexualities to a monopoly. It would be great for there to be more balance, but the current anti-porn climate makes it near impossible to do anything outside of a venture capitalist space, which is such a loss.”

Jiz Lee is the Marketing Director at Pink and White Productions, the company behind porn membership site CrashPadSeries.com and the independent adult film streaming platform PinkLabel.TV, which provides hosting for filmmakers, many of them queer, who can’t afford to launch their own websites. From their perspective, PornHub Sapphic doesn’t represent a new threat to the industry. Rather, queer, trans and sapphic porn studios are facing unprecedented stress and legislative threat.

“The larger harm currently impacting studios right now is not free porn, but the age verification laws passed by states which force sites to either require proof of age from the site visitors such as an ID or face scan, or block the state or country altogether,” Lee says. “While savvy viewers can use a VPN, not everyone knows this or wants to take the time to figure it out when they’re in the mood to enjoy a sexy movie. No one wants to show their ID to view porn, and LGBTQ+ people in particular are wary of disclosing personal information given how vulnerable our communities are to attack.”

In moments like these, Lee encourages viewers to invest in the porn they want to see, especially as the visibility of alternative and queer porn is tanking in these times of censorship. “With the loss of customers, plus high charges from payment processors, and other economic challenges, many queer-owned sites are having to shut down as it’s no longer profitable to sustain production,” they conclude. “If you love a company, please stick with them through this tough time. Your subscriptions and support matter now more than ever.”