Thanks for stopping by our sex worker interview series! Today we're talking with New York BDSM Provider Oran Julius about being authentic, disability, and unconnected exploration!
Do you find that there is a type of client who seeks you out, who you really enjoy seeing?
The majority of clients who seek me out are Black men, experienced kinksters wanting to engage in edge play, and folks exploring their gender identity and/or sexuality. I really adore the clients who seek me out for these reasons, because I feel like we can form a genuine connection over these shared interests and identities. I also love getting to see couples, because group play is so exciting to me. Ultimately though, any client who wants to engage with my favorite forms of play will always be at the top of the list: mummification and heavy bondage, sharps and blood play, advanced breath play, slut training, cucking, and taboo role play.
How do you bring your own personality and personal style to your kink work?
I truly cannot be me… I tried in the early days of this work to play a persona that aligned with what I saw in the market and I just couldn’t stick to it. It not only felt false, but also did not lead to good sessions, because the clients who were drawn to that image weren’t really into who I was when the real me poked through. For the last few years, I’ve been very open about where I am in my transition (in terms of gender, personal kinks, learning, etc.), and I find that the clients who see and like that about me connect on a better level. I’m a bubbly Dominant who can switch to cold and harsh, but then will hold you afterwards. That is not for everyone, but it’s how I show up in lifestyle play, and so it’s the way that feels most true to me.
How do you deal with the emotional and physiological highs and lows of domination? What kinds of aftercare do you provide to yourself?
This is such a good question. I’m a disabled person, so the physiological lows are definitely a thing I have to contend with after sessions, and sometimes for days following. This often means a need to bring a lot of intention into how I plan for sessions – is the timing conducive to me getting enough rest? Is the location accessible? Will I need to take a day or two off just to recover from this one? And so on. Clients who recognize the ways in which sessions can impact someone like me and are accommodating to my needs will always get my full attention. It also plays a factor into the emotional highs and lows, because being treated as a full human with my disabilities and not just a fetish dispenser goes a long way to avoiding top drop. I also find a lot of value in getting to have time with clients at the end of a session to process what play we did and connect together as people outside of any role play or power dynamic we had established in the scene. This helps me to feel good about the time we had together and what we are both taking from it.
You create content! Could you walk us through your process for shooting porn?
I do create content! It’s shifted in a lot of ways since I first began around four years ago. Now I’m at a point in my career where I only film content that I really want to and that I am genuinely excited about myself. How that tends to shake out is me filming solo acts less often, and when I do, they are more focused on specific fetishes of mine. It also means doing more full-length scenes with fellow queer creators that I’m authentically excited to perform with, which always makes for hotter content. All that being said, I LOVE custom film requests, because I get extra excited about being able to fulfill fantasies. I always welcome requests for specific niches, and if it’s genuinely something I can’t get into, I’ll just tell you, and hopefully also be able to point you in the direction of a hot friend who could create it instead.
How do you navigate making content that feels true to you while also being marketable?
I’m not sure I’ve figured that out! When I was starting out, I used to focus more on marketing myself towards what I saw selling. Some of those videos remain my highest selling today. However, they aren’t the ones that feel true to me, because they were based on someone else’s fantasy. There’s something really fun and hot about that when it’s a custom request, because you know you’re fulfilling a specific individual’s fantasy. However, when it’s just being thrown out to the internet, it feels less personal. Now when I take the time to create content that is fully self motivated and funded, I focus on what feels authentic to me, and try to only consider marketing in the most fundamental senses (i.e. is this prohibited content?) Then, when I am creating something that truly turns ME on, it shows in the video and in my capacity to market it, and that alone can make up the difference. There’s a market for everything out there and most of the people into that thing want you to be into it, too… so I create what I’m into and hope they find me.
What’s the proudest moment of your career?
This is a tough one! I don’t know if there is a standout moment of my career that I can identify in this way. Rather, it has been my growth along the way of which I am the most proud. This work has given me great confidence in myself, honed some very unique skill sets, and made me better in boundary setting, communication, and understanding people. Even just one of these would be something to be proud of, and I’m honored to be doing work that has pushed me to evolve as much as I have. There is also the immense pleasure and sense of pride I get from meeting with a new client who is nervous or maybe even ashamed to explore a fantasy they’ve held for awhile, and seeing them come out of their shell and embrace themselves under my watch.
Has your work impacted your relationship with your gender and/or your presentation?
Work has definitely impacted my relationship with my gender and presentation, in a few different ways. Primarily, watching your own marketing and work (particularly porn) gives you a very powerful mirror of what images you’re putting out into the world. When I first started, I knew how to present myself in ways that aligned closer with Black femme beauty standards, but weren’t authentic to me. As I engaged with this work more, it became clear to me that I needed to shift to a more authentic presentation for it to be sustainable. A big part of this was coming out as non-binary and beginning to medically transition through hormones and surgery. Seeing other providers and performers who were living their gender journeys gave me so much hope for what I could experience myself, and how I could engage with myself and my sexual side in alignment with rather than performance of an alternate gender.
Sex work often demands rigid adherence to western beauty standards, what’s that like as a Black non-binary provider?
It’s definitely challenging to be navigating this industry as a Black, non-binary provider, especially one who is not thin. I often see other providers who meet Western beauty standards better getting many more bookings than me, even when I may have more experience in certain specialties, like kink. However, when I am in a secure place, I can remember that clients who aren’t willing to book me because of what I look like, aren’t clients I would enjoy doing sessions with. It also means that when I do get booked by clients, they are often specifically seeking me out for those same qualities that would make others reject me. This is a great way to feel celebrated in who I am and makes for deeper bonds with clients. Those who have been with me on my gender journey have so much more authentic intimacy with me and that is a gift that goes both ways.
What do you do to disconnect? How do you separate yourself from your work life when you’re not at work?
My favorite way to disconnect is leaving my phone behind and exploring someplace outdoors. It could be a beach, a forest, a city, or just some place new to me. The important thing is getting to unplug from the technological bonds that hold us to constant expectations of productivity and being present in the moment. I enjoy getting to do this both on my own solo adventures and with a companion as long as they can also meet me in the present moment.
Do you have a favourite book by a non-binary, trans, or POC author?
I’m CONSTANTLY reading or listening to audiobooks, so this is hard to choose! Some favorites are Octavia Butler, S. A. Chakraborty, and Rivers Solomon. Each of them write in very poetic ways, are incredibly descriptive in their narratives, and do incredible world-building. What I’ve always loved about reading is the ability to get lost in another world. Any author who can build imagery for me and make me care enough about their characters to be truly invested in their journey will find a fan in me.
Is there a book, blog, tv show, or movie that has had a major impact on your life or that you’re really into right now?
At the moment I’m tearing through the series A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. It’s a fantasy series that is super sexy and femme-driven and I love getting lost in the world building. But I’m a Cheerleader was my queer awakening movie and remains one of my favorite movies of all time! I stumbled across it when on a visit with my lesbian aunts as a young teen – an already super pivotal relationship in my life. Watching it not only led to a queer awakening that blossomed to who I am today, but also introduced me to Camp, one of my favorite genres.
In the future, I plan to: Continue growing my film company, and make a documentary about disability and sex work once I can find a funder!
My favorite fetishwear brand/designer is: Leather is my favorite material, and I particularly love supporting independent creators and small businesses that handcraft their pieces like Leather Coven, Kolby Brianne Leather, and Riverqueer Leatherwork.
My ultimate weakness is: Unprompted acts of service and good manners.
I feel most sexy when: I’m seen for the fluidity in my gender presentation and celebrated for my thickness.
A social cause I care about is: I have long been an advocate for accessing mental health care, but I would also be remiss to not mention the current genocide in Gaza and ongoing violence of colonialism worldwide.
My social handles are: @juicyfruitoran everywhere!
Want to meet New York BDSM Provider Oran Julius in person?
Head over to their profile! 👇👇👇
