The plane bumps along, gaining altitude as it climbs in and out of a cruising altitude of thirty-five thousand feet above Los Angeles, the city known as the “Home of Porn”- though that title is more and more frequently being challenged by cities to the north and east of L.A. and even cities in Europe. As I think about that challenge and the new day that is dawning in the porn world, I realize my heart is beating wildly, signaling both excitement and nerves. The plane is literally hopping and I’m struggling to hit the right keys on my laptop and refrain from instinctively gripping the arm of the kind-faced stranger next to me. Behind the overwhelming desire to have this plane find just one smooth patch of air is the deeper buzz: Vegas!
I am on my way to the biggest event of the year for pornography, the Oscars of porn, the ultimate schmoozefest for the industry and porn fans. Where hustlers go to hustle and consumers go to consume with all their senses; The Adult Entertainment Expo and The Adult Video News Awards. Taking place each year in Las Vegas, this will be my second time attending the event, though this time the differences feel striking and the excitement genuine. This time last year, I was fretting over what to wear, worried that I would look too alternative and not “mainstream” sexy enough and was trying to engage with what an AVN worthy image would be. Having just cut my hair, I was self-consciously patting my extensions and figuring out how I would be able to fit in with the bigger, seemingly badder world I was jumping into.
This year my natural hair and un-manipulated wardrobe are representations of not only a change in me, but in the industry itself. This year I am attending the awards because I am nominated for Best Solo Scene, not for any of the mainstream work I have done, but for a scene shot for the company that is my root, the Queer company where got my start; Pink and White Productions. The nomination is for a scene done on their website, Crash Pad Series. Taking over the red carpet right along with me are my fellow peers in Queer porn, Jiz Lee who is nominated for Best New Web Starlet, Shine Louise Houston whose film, the brilliant “Champion” is nominated for Best Feature and talented pornographers Courtney Trouble and Madison Young, whose work is also being honored.
This is an unprecedented time for Queer porn with the last recognition of this kind being Jackie Strano and Shar Rednour’s 2001 AVN Award win for Best All Girl Feature, “Hard Love and How to Fuck in High Heels”. This year the queer presence is exponential and expands upon prior recognition of pioneers such as Strano; who is once again making waves in a helm position with Good Vibration’s newest venture, Good Releasing.
So why go mainstream when you can be queer? Why water it down when pure, unadulterated, authentic sexuality is finally making people stand up and take notice? In my mind, the industry recognizing queer porn is a high-profile way of expressing what so many of us have already known – that people want to watch real queer sex and that they want us to keep making more.
The expo, the awards and all the people that will be involved this year make up what I see as a big step in the right direction and as part of my involvement in what I am fondly calling the “Queer Porn Mafia Takeover 2010.” I will be blogging about all of it right here for Hot Movies For Her. Well, that is, if this plane ever makes back down to the ground…
- Dylan Ryan
Dylan Ryan is the femme fatale of your dreams. Dealing in high heels and high IQs, this brainy beauty gets you hot and bothered as soon as she hits the screen, then grabs the reigns as a social work student fighting for sex workers’ rights. How freakin’ sexy is that?! Part of the San Francisco porn posse, Dylan makes some of the most exciting and engaging queer porn out there!
