AVN Nomination Best New Web Star/let’s Celebrate!

A few days have passed since the nominations for 2010 AVN Awards Show were announced. Enough time has passed that I can finally float down to Earth and try to make sense of it all, which includes more than a few thank you’s.

I’ll be going to the AVNs this year for the first time, because me and my friends/chosen family and queer porn companies I’m a part of are being recognized by the mainstream. CHAMPION: Love Hurts (champion-movie.com) by Pink & White Productions, is nominated for “Best Video Feature”. Not “Best Girl/Girl Feature” — cause it’s not G/G — but “Best Video Feature”. If an explicit film with a plot about a female fighter who faces homophobia/gender discrimination as a major plot-line can make it into the running of what many call “The Oscars” of adult movies — add it it that the majority of the cast and crew are queer/trans & gender-non-conforming/people of color, and that it was produced with less than half the budget of the other videos in this category — then Holy Shit that’s better than Hollywood. You see how proud I am of this film being recognized? And, I can’t back this up without research, but this may be the first time a queer woman — and a woman of color — was the director of a film nominated for this category.

I’m not sure what this will mean for Pink & White Productions and director Shine Louise Houston, but if it in the very least it means a little more sales and a few more fans I consider it a success. And if more opportunities open up then Shine’s “Empire” — no matter how utopic — becomes closer to reality.

Shine’s other project, CrashPadSeries.com is also recognized in this award, with self-proclaimed Pink & White Productions groupie Dylan Ryan. The Crash Pad was Dylan’s first foray into the world of porn so it’s beautiful serendipity that she’s nominated for “Best Solo Sex Scene” for her performance in Crash Pad Series Volume 3: Through the Keyhole. She doesn’t have a website — YET — but if you’re on Facebook you can be a fan.

Good Releasing (GoodVibes.com‘s sister company) started up this year with Reel Queer Productions featuring films by my friend Courtney Trouble whose background in diamond beats was a surefire bet for her two titles Roulette and Speakeasy (I’m in both!) being nominated for “Best Music Soundtrack”.

As for me being nominated for “Best New Web Starlet”? Well, let’s just say I have a lot to be thankful for. First of all, I’m thankful to Shawn (aka Syd Blakovich) for being a big sleaze and using the world’s best pick-up line “Want to be in a porno?” and introducing me to Shine back in 2005. We performed in The Crash Pad together and the rest is history now! I’m grateful to Blowfish Video for believing in Shine’s vision and being the Executive Producers of her films ever since. I’m grateful to all the supporters of Shine’s work, including Violet Blue who was one of the biggest advocates of queer porn. Violet later named me runner-up in her Top Ten Sexy Geeks 2009. Director and Author Tristan Taormino has also been a strong promoter of Shine’s films, bringing Pink & White to the Village Voice in one of the early articles about Women and Gay Male Porn. Audacia Ray is another Pink & White promoter, and throughout it all there was the Canadian sex toy company Good For Her’s Feminist Porn Awards, which I had the pleasure of attending last year. Bloggers Essin’em and Gwen were there every step of the way and Dr. Carol Queen and Dr. Robert Lawrence have always been so supportive of me through the Center for Sex & Culture. I’m appearing in Carol’s new Sex Ed video line coming up next year in her film GUSH: The Official Guide to G-spot Sex.

A thank you list would not be complete without  Lux Alptraum’s advocacy bringing queer porn to the forefront — quite literally the homepage — of Fleshbot.com. And I can’t help but ponder the various ways working with Belladonna on Strapped Dykes has brought visibility to queer porn stars such as myself and Syd Blakovich. Belladonna is a porn Goddess. I’m also thankful for the other directors and co-stars I’ve worked with, like Dylan and Syd, and also April Flores, Princess Donna, Lorelei Lee and Madison Young, and Courtney who are so intelligent and visible and who have given me endless opportunities and fun experiences. I was also influenced by Christopher Lee and S.I.R. Productions. To the sex toy stores such as Babeland (thank you Dallas), Good Vibrations, Good For Her, Smitten Kitten, and online sites such as HotMoviesForHer.com for link loving, events and collaborations, and for selling the films I’ve appeared in.

As a genderqueer I never expected to be listed as a “starlet”. I mean, I’m SO very different than the other new web stars on AVN’s nominations list. Like, I’m the only one packing! But I’ll take this as an opportunity to open any doors in gender and sexuality — whether it’s a cisgender woman who wishes she didn’t have to shave her legs/armpits/lovely asshole to be sexy, or whether it’s a trans or gender-variant perv who thinks there may be a chance at stardom in the mainstream. There is opportunity out there for queer visibility and expanding acceptance at who we are and how we love.

P.S. I’ll be updating this site with a new donations project. Please let me know of any non-profit organizations you think I might like. Please provide a link so I can learn more about them. I’ll launch it next month and can’t wait to share it with you! : )