I have felt the industry change a lot for trans men since I started six years ago. I think a lot of people still just didn’t know that trans men existed then, so a big part of the work for me has just been being visible and vocal to get more eyeballs on trans guys. It’s definitely been a fight, but every year I feel the industry shifting in our favor.
There are so many incredible, diverse trans guys making content now and we have a big audience of sincere, open-minded fans who are eager to see what we have to put out there. I’m definitely optimistic about the next few years for all of us!
Trans men still face somewhat of a barrier to visibility. I think people just kind of forget we exist or think that we don’t sell well, and that’s meant we continue to be kept out of most studio work. Even with six years in the industry, I only have a handful of studio scenes under my belt. So really the basic thing we need is help getting a foot in the door.
It’s often as simple as having one or two people advocate for us. I was able to work with MEN.com because someone recommended me as a scene partner, and most of the other opportunities I’ve gotten have been through similar means. So, if you’re in a position to cast or recommend folks for studio work or modeling or promo, consider giving a trans person the opportunity!
The trans & SW communities recently lost Cecilia Gentili, one of our fiercest and most beloved advocates. Her organization COIN offers free healthcare to sex workers in NYC and she also helped found DecrimNY, a group working to decriminalize sex work in NYC. I’d encourage everyone to read about Cecilia and her legacy and donate to COIN or her legacy fund if you can.
I think it’s also important to note that in the US our right to access adult content is currently under attack. Several states have recently passed legislation requiring you to share a government ID to access adult websites which is a kind of nightmarish overreach into all of our personal and private lives. Organizations like the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) are at the forefront of fighting back against this legislation, so I’d definitely recommend people check them out!
I get two very common positive reactions to my work. I’m often the first trans man that my clients and porn fans have encountered. Sometimes I’m the first trans person they’ve ever met. People frequently tell me that meeting me or seeing my work was the thing that really made trans people click for them. There’s just something very visceral about adult work and seeing naked trans bodies that makes it make sense to people.
And I’ve also had many fans and clients tell me that seeing me be so open and free with my body helped them to feel more confident in themselves. For cis men it’s like, hey if that guy has a p*ssy and he’s this masculine and confident with it, why can’t I be? For other trans men, seeing themselves and the kind of sex they want to have represented helps them seek that out in their own lives.