March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility. It is dedicated to celebrating the Transgender community and raising awareness of the discrimination Transgender people face worldwide. Today, we are talking with Vanniall, a Model who shares her thoughts on Trans safety and visibility, how Trans people are simply people with similar needs to others, how sex workers face financial discrimination, the community need of resources inside and outside the adult industry, and more.
Hi Vanniall, before we begin, please tell us which pronouns you go by.
I go by she/her pronouns.
How did you get started as a Performer in the adult industry?
I started posting sexy pictures of myself online with Tumblr, back before the site collapsed. I used to have tons of fun customizing my blog and interacting more organically with other Trans folks, learning from the diverse community there. I got a lot of love for the pics I was mostly just taking for myself, so naturally that led towards more intentional content creation.
I followed other creators, often just to see more people like me out there, and when I saw they used clip sites, Pornhub, or cam platforms, I wanted to give it a try as well. I had a lot of fun experimenting and it wasn’t long before I had some supportive fans and the ability to invest in some real equipment, computer and photo gear and let my creativity run wild.
We love that you create diverse types of content, from kink to mainstream. Which is your favorite to film and why? Which have you yet to partake in?
I really love mixing things up, because trying something new is always inspiring to me, like a sexy puzzle to solve. I do come back to some favorite styles of shooting, though, and they are a bit on the opposite ends of the spectrum.
I really like doing more amateur or organic feeling shoots, where it is just me and another sexy person alone with a tripod and our phones. Fans get an intimate glance into a hookup with little editing and a lot of passion. I think fans also really enjoy seeing chemistry in action and the simpler approach to shooting can help them feel like they are either there in the moment with us or have a secret stolen glimpse into a private moment.
And then the other end of the spectrum is my love for producing complex scenes, with characters and plot and perhaps even special effects, which I hope to do more of in the future. I would love to be cast in big budget superhero spoofs and things like that! I am also looking to do more complex kink scenes.
Congratulations on your recent nomination for a Pornhub Award! How does it feel to be recognized for your dedication to the industry?
Thank you! Being nominated feels great, especially for Top Cumshot Performer, because it is something I try hard to capture and isn’t a category with a lot of Trans representation. Plus, my self-facials are legendary!
To some extent it is a physical talent I am lucky enough to have, and I am thankful for that. But I have also figured out over time how to edge myself there for an explosive finish, how to make sure my gear (or crew) is in position to capture the decisive moment, and then also things like considering my posing and body position for the self-facials I am known for. It is all an interesting dance that I, thankfully, know the steps very well!
March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility. What does this mean to you?
Transgender visibility can be a complicated thing, because as we have found over the last decade, visible does not always mean safe. In a lot of ways, it can be the opposite, with many people still scared of being outed in real life due to very real dangers.
In adult entertainment, I am in a unique position where being Trans is not only incredibly obvious and visible, but it is also marketable and a niche where we can make a lot of money. I think sometimes this can be resented, as not all Trans people feel represented by porn creators, but the reality is that this industry is one of the few places welcoming to Trans people and where Trans people can make a healthy living comparable to cis people – especially working for themselves.
I do think that as we continue organizing and going forward politically, we should focus as much on Trans safety as visibility, making sure there are places and resources for Trans people both within and outside the adult industry. Just focusing on visibility without real resources, programs and systems to help Trans people can end up just painting a target on an already marginalized group.
Due to our very existence being used as a political wedge issue, we are now hyper visible but also at more risk of violence and discrimination than ever before. Our allies need to recognize this and promote not just visibility but give Trans people resources such as funds, money for programs, legal aid, and direct aid.
What charitable or other non-profit organizations do you recommend to our readers who may be interested in supporting Trans Performers?
I am not sure I know of many organizations that specifically help Trans adult creators, but I think everyone should work hard to support organizations like the Free Speech Coalition, which is one of the only ones I know that is actually putting legal resources into protecting the entire industry online, and anything else that is classified as porn by the people working against us.
What do you want folks to know about the Trans community? Are there any challenges or misconceptions you would like to address?
One of the big things people should understand is that the Trans community is incredibly diverse, and the issues we face are not all the same person to person. Our community includes closeted people struggling to survive in ‘straight’ jobs, it includes people who have ‘transitioned’ through many identities and physical forms. It includes a wide array of sexual orientations and gender presentations, and little can be assumed about someone’s existence and needs based on a quick glance at their presentation or the boxes they check in a survey.
While our marginalized status and unique needs require unique funding and programs, there is also a lot that can be helped by thinking of Trans people simply as people and understanding all people have similar needs. For example, universal healthcare or basic guaranteed income, housing, sex education and sexual health resources. These things can help everyone, and people should not see giving Trans people resources as a competition or unfair to cis people. We can work together for a better future for us all.
"Trans" is ranked in the Top 35 searched terms on Pornhub; what do you think of this growth?
Honestly, I am surprised it is not higher! Seriously, though, I think we see trends online similar to how things are offline. Obviously ‘visibility’ of Trans people in all spaces can contribute to more people interested in checking out Trans people in a sexual context. And more people are comfortable identifying as Trans and talking about their own gender for the first time, so they are also likely looking for content they can personally identify with.
But I also think a growth in popularity also speaks to the great work being done by independent Trans creators and Trans creators now in higher levels of production at big companies. With more Trans people making great content, it is not surprising that that content is getting positive attention.
You are vocal about the injustices faced by BIPOC sex workers, especially in the face of major credit card companies. Tell us how this has impacted you personally.
Financial discrimination is a huge deal for sex workers of all sorts, and it is especially bad when it runs up against other sorts of discrimination – the digital ‘redlining’ of Black communities mirroring the physical redlining the term comes from.
While all sex workers face removal from financial resources due to surveillance of their deposits and payments, social media checks and so on, Black sex workers also face more discrimination while trying to talk to bankers or other professionals that oversee services, who often just discriminate based on appearance, vocal mannerisms, and so on.
Like most sex workers, I have lost accounts due to my career, and it is always scary. It hurts on an emotional level to be rejected, of course, but in a very real way it can push people onto the street, keep their bills unpaid, leave you scrambling when you haven’t done anything wrong or even technically lost any income.
Back in March 2022 you came out as HIV positive. What was it like to receive the diagnosis and what have you learned about advances in HIV medication? What advice would you give to others who have received this diagnosis and might be feeling alone and scared?
Getting the diagnosis was scary, and the doctor that told me was not much help. But I was lucky enough to be in a community with educated folks, have a supportive partner, and have access to resources to learn about the condition. I got on medication almost instantly and have not had any health impact. Medication is great now, and once you are on it, it can eliminate the risk to others.
There is still a lot of confusion about what “undetectable = untransmissable” means, both in the industry and elsewhere, and it has been a lot of work trying to educate people. It is not a new science. At this point, even the U=U slogan is almost a decade old, but it is not like we live in a country where sex education is highly valued, so we each end up having to personally educate ourselves and those near us.
In the industry some people seem to think “undetectable” means that HIV+ are looking to get away with fooling tests, but it is a separate test that looks for the viral load level. Current tests will show someone has gotten HIV, but then a separate test looks to see if there are any detectable levels of the viral load (what can give someone else HIV). If it is ‘undetectable’ that means it is not there, it is not detected. And that means it is safe, because if something is not there, you cannot get it.
So current tests give us greater clarity into someone’s status, they do not hide anything. And then once you know your Co-Performer's status, you can make an educated decision about what you are comfortable with.
Since coming out, many other people have told me they are dealing with the same thing, and I am thankful I am someone they can talk to. I really encourage other performers to let me know. I would love to perform with you too! There can still be a lot of stigma, even though someone who is undetectable is technically safer to perform with than someone who does not know their status but thinks they are negative, so I try to make a special effort to collaborate with other undetectable Performers.
You've already accomplished so much, like countless award nominations, winning an XBIZ Award and working with big studios. What is next for Vanniall? What goals are you working to achieve?
Thank you! The award nominations have been encouraging and rewarding in that I have gotten to spend more time rubbing elbows with other dedicated creators at the events. It is always so much fun celebrating the industry with others!
This year, I am making a big move to another state to a spot where I will have a ton of space to stretch my wings, set up various sets and hopefully entice other creators to come make wild content with me. I am excited to have more space for equipment and production gear, in addition to literal acres to possibly build sets on. Being in NYC has been wonderful and I love the community here, but it has been hard creatively to be living in such small spaces. I would love to shoot a horror-porn out in the woods!
And I am going to get my darn driver’s license again and then I will be able to travel more organically too! I have been very encouraged by meeting some other studios that are making it work despite not being in a major city, with a mix of visiting various cities and getting Performers out for larger collaborations. I am looking forward to having my own studio set up!
Describe your perfect weekend! What keeps you active in your free time?
Life is such a whirlwind! It might sound unexciting but my perfect weekend these days is often one where I do not have to leave the couch! It is such a luxury to just relax. I do love travel though! And I am looking forward to more weekend road trips in my car and more international traveling too.
Tell us about your cats! What are their names and what are their personality types?
Cabinet, Ryuko and Rambo! Cabinet and Ryuko are sisters, they are older and bigger, but they also kind of hate each other. Rambo is about a year old now, tiny but ferocious. She got her name because she is an expert in guerrilla warfare. Honestly, she is a little terror!
They are all black cats, which is cute. I think we have three cats because three is the minimum for “too many cats.” Like, you want someone to see one and be like, oh you have a cat! Then see another and be like, “how cute you have cats!” Then once you get a glimpse of a third cat, you start wondering… how many cats are there?
What Transgender Models should everyone have on their radar?
My favorite girls right now are Natassia Dreams, Daisy Taylor and Natalie Mars!
In honor of the late Trans activist, Cecilia Gentili, who received the 6th Annual Pornhub Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, we would like to highlight some organizations that benefit the Trans community, including one of her own. If you would like to support Trans rights and sex worker rights, please consider donating to Cecilia’s Occupational Inclusion Network (COIN), DecrimNY, or the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund.
Comments