Queer Porn Talk

In honor of Pride month, I want to talk about queer porn. Queer porn is an inclusive and often subversive genre that showcases performers of many sexual orientations and gender identities which are seldom included in mainstream porn. The genre is steadily growing but there are still a lot of people who aren't familiar with it. So, let's look at the “who, what, when, where, and why” of queer porn!

WHO

            Courtney Trouble and Shine Louise Houston are responsible for some of the most popular queer porn sites and production companies. Trouble runs the websites Indie Porn Revolution (formerly NoFauxxx) and Queer Porn TV, as well as her own production company TROUBLEfilms.  Houston is the creator and director of the Crash Pad Series, which is made by her company Pink & White Productions. She also runs PinkLabel.TV, a streaming site that features her films and films from other queer porn producers. Both Trouble and Houston (and their production companies) have won multiple Feminist Porn Awards, Xbiz Awards, and have been nominated for AVN awards. Aside from these two fantastic producers, there's a growing number of other indie porn producers and individuals creating sexy queer porn. As for queer porn performers, they are a wonderfully diverse group of people. You'll see lots of different gender presentations, body sizes, ethnicities, kinks, etc.

           

WHAT

            So what exactly is queer porn, and how is it different from other porn? Well, most importantly, queer folks are involved in the whole process: directing, starring, and buying. Its focus is on representing different sexual orientations and gender identities, usually in a way that is very authentic and sometimes also educational or political. Unlike most mainstream porn, it's target demographic isn't necessarily straight white men. Courtney Trouble explains it like this: “I feel like [queer porn] is porn that's been taken a step above and beyond what 'lesbian porn' or 'gay porn' has offered. It includes all genders, all identities, and shows sex between queers in an honest, respectful, and artistic light.” Similarly, Chelsea Poe, a trans porn actress, put it this way: “I think the reality of queer porn is it's art and it's about creating space for marginalized people.”

          

            Queer porn inherently means showing many kinds of sex acts and ways to have sex. You're more likely to see people using sex toys, strap-ons, and lube, and practicing safer sex. It's typically less scripted and more authentic. This is how Kitty Stryker explains being on a queer porn set: “You really feel the electricity of how these various people have sex together... The goal is to have sex in the ways that feel good for you and your partner/s, right at that moment. As a performer I’ve found it very freeing; as a [production assistant], I find it healing and informative to watch.”

WHERE

            A lot of queer porn is being made is San Francisco and the Bay Area, which makes a lot of sense considering the area's long history of having a large LGBTQ+ community. As the genre grows, an increasing number of retailers are selling queer porn films.

How to Incorporate Sex Toys Into Your Bedroom

Sex toys aren't just for solo play. They can be great with your partner in the bedroom, too! Find new ways to pleasure your partner and strengthen your bond when you add sex toys to your next bedroom
foray.

But Aren't I Enough?

Some people flinch when their partners suggest using sex toys in the bedroom. You might be wondering if your partner is boring or if you're somehow not good enough. That is not true. Think of it like ice cream: there are hundreds of flavors, and you might have a favorite. But it's okay if you sometimes want to try something new or add some toppings. This doesn't mean your favorite is any less good. Sex is much like that, and variety is the spice of your sex life!

Many women are already familiar with sex toys because they provide the clitoral stimulation that most women need to get off, and it's a lot less stress on hands and wrists when a toy can do most of the work. You might be surprised how much fun you have shopping for and using new items, and toys and accessories can open up doorways to roleplay, bondage and other types of kink.

National LGBT Pride Month

Rejoice spread across the nation when the US Supreme Court finally made same-sex marriage legal nationwide June 26, 2015. In the year since the queens of the court set up the most legendary QueerPride & History Month of my lifetime, it’s been relatively quiet.

Then again, there’s few events beside the release of Lemonade and T’Challa’s life-altering catwalk in Civil War that have made as much of a stir. Even still, it’s been one heck of the year.

Montana, New York state, and the city of Charlotte now offer their LGBT citizens legal protections against discrimination. Unfortunately, North Carolina had to show out at the function passing the infamous and much protested HB 2 bathroom bill. My favorite president and America’s dad jumped in with a directive to public schools nationwide to allow students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity. See NY Times article

If he could slap the spit out of North Carolina Governor Pat McCory’s stupid mouth, he probably wouldn’t; Barry O is all class, which why part of why we love him. Instead, he’d sit back, wait and then so something like this:  Obama Issues Pride Month Proclamation

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2016 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.  I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.”

He's so dreamy <3