Trans Ethics: How did you get into adult modeling?

Ada Black: I’ve wanted to do porn since I was about 15. When I started transition I looked into getting into porn. It was quite easy. I directly emailed Mr Grooby and from there we went.

TE: At what age did you realize you were actually a girl, and wanted to transition?

AB: 4 or 5. I’ve always known [I was a girl]. Before bed as a child I remember saying little prayers that I would wake up a girl in the morning. Kind of embarrassing but children do dumb stuff right? Well I used to think I could make myself a girl with magic and I really believed there was some magical way that I could have this female body. Well estrogen shots are certainly a form of magic.

TE: At what age did you take your first estrogen shot?

AB: Twenty One. I started my transition a year ago.

TE: What is it about porn that attracted you to the Industry?

AB: I’m a very sexual person and porn gives me the release that I need. Look at this way: most people work a normal day job [and are] unhappy. I did, and I couldn’t stand it. With sex work what I do with my time is up to me. I have complete control.

TE: It seems a lot of trans women tend to have a background in the sex industry. Do you think you’re reinforcing a negative stereotype?

AB: Many cis men and women also work in the porn industry. Are they reinforcing a negative stereotype on their particular group of people? I wouldn’t say so. So, when you look at it in this perspective it shoots this question down. Now I do think there are more sex work dependent trans women though. That’s no way to live. [No one should depend on] sex for survival. [That’s] not cool.

TE: So, basically you’re saying that more trans women need to turn to the sex industry to survive. Why do you think that is?

AB: I’m going to speak from personal experience [but] I’ve heard the similar stories over and over from other girls. My parents don’t accept me. My father disowned me. The other week my mother was talking to me about porn and she told me that I should stop, come home, and she would put me in college. That’s not as easy as it sounds. What she would require is for me to de-transition. That’s no option for a transgender individual. It’s more like a death sentence. So here you have these girls struggling to get by, and they find easy money and acceptance in the world of sex. I’ve had friends that absolutely hated the idea of sex work, and they had to turn to it just to eat and pay some rent. That’s heartbreaking and it makes me sick.

TE: What advice would you give to a trans woman who is afraid to come out of the closet for fear of being rejected by family and/or friends?

AB: Just be the real you. I told my parents and it went over very bad. But I jumped a bus to California a few weeks later and here I am. You have to want this and you must fight for it. While it sounds cold if you can prepare yourself for the loss of your family –because it’s a big possibility– you’ll be better off.

TE: How do you feel about the use of the terms “tranny” and “shemale” in the Industry?

AB: Just words. Also they’re very popular marketing terms. Shemale and female are basically the same because females use she and male is already in female. It’s basically saying the same thing. And tranny is a slang term for transsexual.

TE: You don’t happen to find those terms offensive?

AB: Nobody has ever called me a shemale out in public. It’s ma’am or miss. The words haven’t affected my personal life. I fail to see where it’s offensive. I’ve been called a faggot in person… and a man — now that is offensive.

TE: What are some things you think can be unethical in the porn/sex industries?

AB: Porn isn’t really unethical. You get paid what you’re supposed to, and your never forced to do something you don’t want to. The only time I was ever hurt in porn is because I didn’t open my mouth and tell the photographer that I was in pain. The horror stories you used to hear about porn, I really haven’t seen during my time in the industry.

TE: Tell me about the shoot you did with the American flag.

AB: I recently shot a solo with a massive American flag. You know the classic nude flag shoot. I made sure to hang up it respectfully once the sexy stuff started tho. My solo kinda turned into a hardcore too. That’s what happens when two lesbians are filming porn. I was all decorated in American Colors from my bikini to my pedicure. I wasn’t celebrating 4th of July or anything. I’m a proud American trans girl, and while our country may have its struggles, it’s a pretty good country for the LGBT. So I was just showing some American pride. I have many more shoots planned. I get very creative and my brain just pumps scenes out.

Do not click the link in the next question if you are not over 18!

TE: You recently did a shoot with Jamie French without makeup. What inspired that?

AB: I felt I kind of needed make up in my early transition to fit in. And guess what? Sometimes I still feel Dysphoria without it here and there. It’s far from the case and what better way to show it than two trans girls making some hot lesbian love on camera? And the other side to this is that it’s great porn and it’s so realistic. Me and Jamie make a great porn pair.

TE: So you did that shoot as a way to kinda give the finger to the cis-centric beauty standards?

AB: No not really. Just wanted to create something that was different and it carries a positive ring to it. I think guys will also like the girl next door vibe it has.

TE: As will us trans lesbians. (lol) One more question: What advice would you give to someone who has flirted with the idea of getting into the Industry, but just hasn’t had the nerve to go do it?

AB: Well porn isn’t for everyone and if you even have a little doubt about it I wouldn’t recommend. But if you think it’s for you, that’s great. I would start with cam work.

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