It is no secret that anti-trans sentiments are growing in the United States. In 2025, to the date of writing this article, 70 anti-trans bills have passed, with a total of 854 bills under consideration this year alone (Trans Legislation Tracker, 2025). Although we are seeing public denouncement of government attacks on trans people, the majority of voters in the last US election chose a candidate campaigning on an explicitly anti-trans platform. They had to have known this was coming–We did.
Many ask how we got to a place where such explicit hatred is tolerated; I would argue we’ve always been here. The history of anti-trans representation is long lasting, and is foundational to the othering of trans people. The current anti-trans backlash mirrors similar conservative backlash periods that have followed advancement in the rights and basic acceptance for marginalized peoples.
At the same time, however, we’re seeing the power of collective uproar. On April 11th, Planned Parenthood Arizona notified its patients that it would be putting transgender health care “on pause” due to threats of losing federal funding. News outlets picked up the story by the 14th and within one day, Planned Parenthood Arizona had reversed its position. Letting providers know we will not tolerate their overcompliance is an essential part of today’s fight.
In Montana, 17 Republicans recently crossed the aisle to defeat an anti-trans bill (SB164) after hearing the impassioned speech from a nonbinary representative. I can’t help but think the experience of hearing and seeing a real nonbinary person forced them to acknowledge the personhood of the community that has been targeted.
Many ask how we got to a place where such explicit hatred is tolerated; I would argue we’ve always been here.
I’m going to propose something a little radical here–I think that porn can do something similar.
Many cis people have never had sex with a trans person (or seen us in porn), so we are represented by caricatures and monster stories from conservatives in government and media. If the only—or loudest—narratives about us paint us as predatory, people without access to alternative narratives will believe this. We need them to see us as real and human, and that includes one of the fundamental parts of being human for many–sex.
Being ‘out’ as trans in unsafe spaces for the benefit of cis education is never something I would ask a trans person to do. Media representation, however, is a way to more safely expose people unfamiliar with transness to our stories. Positive representation in television and film have been growing over the past decade, but I would argue this needs to expand to our porn too. The world needs to see trans people in all representations of life, including all the hot, vulnerable, beautiful, raw, kinky, and passionate ways we show up in sex.
More importantly, I believe it is crucial for trans people to see other trans people represented in porn that feels authentic. Currently, I’d say trans representation in porn is somewhat limited. When you go on most porn sites, there is an option to search by gender for the porn you would like to see. A non-exhaustive list to be sure, the options often look like: men/women/trans or gay/straight/trans. As if ‘trans’ is a monolith and not an entire umbrella term of gender identity and presentation. Moreover, these sites often show only a few stereotypical representations of trans sex. I want more porn sites that don’t separate people by gender. Sites featuring categories based around types of sex and kinky play, and that feature a wide spread of gender presentations. Looking at porn through a gender expansive lens not only normalizes the diversity of gender in our world, but it also opens the door to greater creativity and artistic expression.
I believe it is crucial for trans people to see other trans people represented in porn that feels authentic.
One of the places I’ve discovered you can sometimes see more inclusive and creative porn is at porn film festivals. Films that are showcased at these festivals often break outside of the norm of the porn that sells. Filmmakers who are trying to earn a living making porn often have to tailor their work to an audience base that will support them financially. When filmmakers are then making porn with the intention of showing at a festival, this could shift their intended audience and lead to more authentic, and creative expressions.
The other big difference I notice about the porn at porn film festivals is that they often don’t center sex as much! To be fair, there’s always eroticism involved, but the wider definition of what gets to be erotic beyond sex is one of my favorite parts about these spaces, and I would argue, an inherently queer and gender expansive way of looking at sexuality.
In a time of egregious attacks against trans people, especially trans femmes, we need to continue to thrive beneath the (non-consensual) boot on our necks. Our existence has been politicized so our pleasure is revolutionary. We deserve to fuck and suck and be seen.
I’m honored to share that I organize a porn film festival exclusively for queer & trans porn in New York City (and worldwide online), DRIP. Yes, this is a shameless plug. What started in 2024 as a single night under the name Thirst, has expanded to a two-day festival with multiple film screenings, performance art, raffle prizes, and a sexy after party. By creating the spaces we wish to see, we can carve out space for ourselves in the ways we want. Our Stories, our bodies, and our pleasure matter, and we’re making that clear.
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