Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals’ Perceptions and Experiences of Pornography

Pornography is a hot topic in sex research, with some of the most common topics studied being frequency of use and the impact of porn use on individuals’ lives and relationships. We’ve discussed porn research on our blog and podcast many times, with recent coverage spanning how pornography impacts adolescents to the history of porn. For this week’s blog, we will be highlighting a recent publication by Pavanello Decaro and co-researchers in the Journal of Sex Research that focused on transgender and non-binary (TGNB) individuals’ experiences with pornography.

Porn use is incredibly common, with a recent study reporting that over 90% of men and 60.2% of women have used porn in the past month. However, gender-diverse individuals have rarely been included in this research. It is important to understand their engagement with and experiences with porn given their increasing representation in pornographic content. For instance, PornHub reported that search terms related to ‘trans’ increased by 141%, and the ‘transgender’ category grew by 23% in 2021.

In light of this, Decaro and colleagues (2024) conducted a study of 212 TGNB individuals, who were asked questions about their experiences with pornography, including their opinions about TGNB porn. Overall, they found four overarching themes from their participants’ responses: heteronormativity/cis-normativity in pornography, unique perceptions of cisgender pornography, and both positive and negative experiences with pornography. We will highlight some of their main findings below.

Prevalence of Pornography Use

First off, it is important to note that (just like cisgender men and women) TGNB people also reported high rates of pornography use. Over 90% of people in the study reported watching porn, with over 80% having watched it in the past 6 months.

Hetero/Cisnormativity in Porn

Heteronormativity and cisnormativity are the beliefs that being heterosexual and/or cisgender, respectively, are the “normal” and “correct” sexual and gender identities that everyone is presumed to share. These beliefs can be harmful to anyone who identifies as anything other than cis-hetero. One key theme raised by TGNB individuals was that much of mainstream pornography caters to the male gaze and fails to reflect their lived experiences. Many non-binary individuals and trans men also felt they were largely absent from mainstream porn. However, they noted that there was more representation on ethical and amateur pornography platforms. These non-mainstream platforms often featured TGNB individuals without making their identity the focal point, presenting content in a ‘more casual’ way, in contrast to mainstream porn, which often uses gender diversity as a ‘plot twist.’

Perception of Cisgender Pornography

Most participants in the sample had watched cisgender pornography, both because of its widespread availability and accessibility, and in some cases, due to positive experiences with it. For example, imagining themselves in a body that aligned with their gender identity sometimes allowed them to fantasize about having a body that matched how they felt. Additionally, participants noted that, given the prevalence of cisgender pornography, it offered more variety in terms of storylines and context.

Positive Experiences 

Many people reported positive and enjoyable experiences while watching TGNB pornography. For some, seeing other TGNB individuals in porn allowed them to identify with the protagonists, imagining themselves in various roles and experiencing pleasure. Others felt that TGNB representation in pornography helped normalize their gender identities. Viewing the bodies of other TGNB people was also a positive experience for many. For instance, as one one participant said: ‘It was beautiful because I had never seen how the genitals of a trans man on testosterone look like’ (p. 1227). Seeing themselves reflected in media validated their bodies as desirable, attractive, and erotic.

Negative Experiences

At the same time, many TGNB individuals also reported negative experiences with TGNB-specific pornography, including seeing their identities invalidated by mainstream porn through the use of incorrect pronouns, discriminatory language, and the fetishization or objectification of their bodies. Some also experienced dysphoria as a result of watching. Participants noted that in much of the mainstream porn they encountered, sexual roles were often assigned based on genitalia (e.g., trans women in a penetrative role), which did not necessarily align with their lived experiences. Overall, participants felt that mainstream pornography often perpetuated harmful stereotypes and reduced TGNB people to their bodies.

Takeaways

Pornography has both positive and negative consequences for TGNB individuals, who may feel validated and normalized in some instances, while also experiencing objectification and fetishization in others. This research suggests that TGNB people have complex, multi-faceted experiences with pornography—both positive and negative—and that different pornography platforms can lead to varied experiences. This research contributes to our understanding of TGNB people’s experiences with and opinions on pornography, and it that TGNB individuals’ views on the subject are many and varied.

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References:

Pavanello Decaro, S., Portolani, D. M., Toffoli, G., Prunas, A., & Anzani, A. (2024). “There is No One Way to Be Transgender and to Live Sex”: Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals’ Experiences with Pornography. The Journal of Sex Research, 61(8), 1222–1232. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2215228

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