Pornography and Feminisms
Porn is a longstanding site of feminist debate. In contrast to those who see it as a form of violence against women, this panel centers feminist artists and academics who see pornography as a tool for pleasure and politics. Sex educator, artist, and pornographer Annie Sprinkle inspired the Postpornography movement, which is currently thriving among sexual and gender dissidents throughout Latin America and Europe, who make their own porn from a queer or feminist lens. Black Feminist scholars in the United States have re-examined racialized pornography (which was associated with violence and pain), pushing for reading ecstasy, pleasure, and agency into the work of Black women pornographers. Further, scholars and activists have pushed for seeing porn as a form of labor that can be both a site of exploitation and of pleasure. We invite panelists to reflect upon both new pornographies and new ways of interpreting pornography as they intersect with feminist, queer, and anti-racist approaches.
Panelists:
Jiz Lee, Adult Film Performer and Editor of Coming Out Like a Porn Star: Essays on Pornography, Protection, and Privacy
Jiz Lee built a name in the adult industry by presenting their enthusiasm and unique gender expression on camera. Jiz has performed in porn for almost two decades and six countries, in projects spanning independent, queer, and hardcore gonzo adult films. A versatile performer and key player in the queer porn movement, Jiz has been the recipient of multiple AVN and XBiz Award industry nominations and Feminist Porn Awards, and was named an honoree of The Trans 100. (Jiz is non-binary and uses the neutral pronouns they/them.)
Performing in porn opened up a lot of opportunities, one of the least anticipated being writing. In 2007, Jiz launched JizLee.com to chronicle their adventures in the adult industry. Their writing has since appeared in The Feminist Porn Book, Best Sex Writing, OUT Magazine, and Jezebel.com, among other publications. They are the creator and editor of Coming Out Like a Porn Star, an anthology of essays by over 60 adult film industry workers on the social stigma of sex work. They were co-editor of the Porn Studies Journal Special Issue: Porn and Labour and are a member of the Porn Studies Journal Editorial Board and a contributing Sexuality Chapter editor of the 2nd edition of Trans Bodies Trans Selves.
Jiz works behind the scenes as Marketing Director at Pink & White Productions (CrashPadSeries.com, PinkLabel.TV, San Francisco PornFilmFestival) and fundraises for LGBTQ health and sex worker-focused organizations through their erotic philanthropic art project, Karma Pervs. They’ve presented on porn at institutions including Princeton University, Stanford, Williams, the American Studies Association Conference, Wonderlust Helsinki (awarded by the Finnish Association for Sexology), was an invited speaker at the Conference on World Affairs, and have been featured on MSNBC, Fox News, the BBC, G4TV, and proudly, Lifehacker.
Liz Misterio / Lizeth Gamboa Ortega, Visual artist; Cultural manager and independent curator; Researcher and editor, specialized in art, feminism and culture
She is the director of Hysteria! Revista, a digital magazine dedicated to the exploration of the intersections of art, gender and sexuality. She is member of the organizer committee of the An*rmal Festival of Postpornography, feminisms and sexual dissidence. She is a member of the feminist art collective Invasorix.
Since 2020 she provides accompaniment in transformative justice processes as part of the Actos Transformadores collective.She works as a professor at the Arts and Design Faculty at the UNAM, where she also directs the research group on contemporary art and gender “NoaNoa Instituto de Investigaciones”.
Malicia Sabina, Postpornographer; Pleasure activist
Malicia Sabina originally from Chihuahua, north of Mexico. Cinematographer, post-pornographer, sex educator. They focus them work on the representation (photo, film, performance) of dissident corporalities and identities. Creator of the Deseos Violeta and Lascivah, a handmade dildo project that seeks to explore other shapes, colors and textures.
Shine Louise Houston, Owner/Founder, Pink & White Productions INC; A voyeur with a production company
As a graduate from San Francisco Arts Institute with a Bachelors in Fine Art Film, Shine Louise Houston has always had unique vision. Her signature cinematic style is best known for its honest and charismatic depictions of queer desire. She received the Harvey Milk "Sylvester Pride in the Arts" Award and was honored with a California Legislature Assembly Certificate of Recognition for her work's portrayal of diverse sexuality, most notably seen in CrashPadSeries.com and its cast of queer and trans performers, people of color, and varying bodies and abilities. Her films have screened across the world, from Frameline and the Tate Modern London, to Bangalore and Sydney, and have appeared in popular media including HBO's Sex/On and Amazon's Emmy-awarded TV series Transparent, have been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, My Body/My Podcast with Elizabeth Banks, and have also been presented at academic institutions such as Princeton University and the American Studies Association Conference. Inspired by the films she saw at international erotic film festivals, she launched PinkLabel.TV to support and showcase other independent filmmakers. She is also the director of the San Francisco PornFilmFestival, an annual hybrid theatrical and broadcast event celebrating films that push the genre. Despite having produced award-winning adult films for nearly two decades, Shine considers her best art project to be that of creating Pink & White Productions INC, a sustainable entertainment business that explores the complexity of desire.
Moderated by Sarah Luna of Tufts University