Every Monday, The CSPH takes a look at a book or film focusing on an aspect of sexuality. This week we are featuring “Doing It Ourselves: The Trans Women Porn Project” directed by Tobi Hill-Meyer, winner of the emerging filmmaker award at the 2010 Feminist Porn Awards.
Featuring several different performers—all self-identified trans women—and their partners of various genders, the film is constructed as a series of stories that are all linked together by a common interest of self-representation in D-I-Y style pornography, as explicitly stated in each of the stories. The whole film is extremely creative, queer, and inclusive of various sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender presentations.
“Doing It Ourselves” features a variety of sex acts, including, but not limited to: masturbation, use of sex toys (i.e. harnesses, Hitachi magic wand, dildos, etc.), anal play, nipple play, oral sex (various types), slapping, spanking, consent, safer sex devices used in sexy ways (i.e. gloves, condoms), viewing of pornography in scene, group sex, public sex, and more!
Not only does the film include various genders, sexual orientations, and sex acts, but it also showcases various bodies and body types. Some people in the film play differently than others: some performers use different parts of their bodies at different times, and there is a significant amount of explicit, consensual and cute communication that happens around their sex acts, body types, and sensations/feelings, regardless of the body parts or actions involved. This is important because not all bodies, or expressions of physical transition are the same. Some may have chosen not to undergo certain procedures or therapies in order to identify with their gender, where others have opted/had the privilege of pursuing these avenues as a means to actualizing their gender identity. This is great since many people often ask transgender individuals if they’ve had “the surgery” or how “far” they are in transition, affixing value judgments to this decision and acting as if it legitimizes identity on the basis of things like genitals. The fact of the matter is that lots of different people can have lots of different bodies and use words like “vulva” or “vagina” in place of what others may call a “cock” or “penis;” what is important to know is that it’s an individual’s right to identify as themselves, owning their parts how they feel is appropriate for them.
Some potential criticisms of the film are that conversation is sometimes stilted particularly in the beginning of the series, and that there is also no representation of transgender folks who choose not to use their genitals in sexual play. This is something that may turn some viewers off, so we feel it is worth mentioning; though this could be empowering for other individuals. There are also no representations of people of color in the film, so if that is something you’d love to see, this may not be the right porn for you.
Super sex-positive and certainly worth supporting, this Handbasket Highlights film is an excellent purchase, especially to help them in the production of additional, similar movies. Projects like this are extremely sexy and important because they are made by trans women, for trans women and their partners. This does not always necessarily mean it’s going to be good, ethical, sex positive, or feminist porn, but it does put the representations in the hands of those who have lived experiences, rather than fetishizing, exotifying, or capitalizing on “otherness” or from depicting these individuals as people to be watched as if they are in a fishbowl—as many trans representations often do, especially in mainstream pornography (if they’re represented at all). If you’d like to learn more about Handbasket Highlights or “Doing It Ourselves: The Trans Women Porn Project”, click on the links provided, and as always, be safe, and have fun playing!
