LOS ANGELES — SluttyWolfe Studio has announced its sponsorship of the Best FTM Amateur award at the upcoming Transgender Erotica Awards (TEAs).
Run by Nicko Wolfe and Shiri Allwood, Wolfe shared that the decision to sponsor was born from a desire to see more trans men represented at the show.
"Looking back on the decade, the 2010s have progressed LGBT recognition and acceptance, and the popularity and availability of trans porn has undoubtedly grown exponentially,” he said. “With that in mind, we were dismayed by the lack of a trans male nomination category for the TEAs this year, and we had to do something about it."
Wolfe described being trans-masculine as like "trying to be a superhero without powers."
"It's hard, to say the least. When my girlfriend feels down and dysphoric, perhaps invalidated by greater society, she need only open Twitter and scroll endlessly through her feed of gorgeous glorified peers to remind herself that trans women aren't only accepted, but revered by many. Conquering dysphoria and feeling valid is hard for all trans people, but we trans men struggle to feel accepted and desired, especially when industry representation for us all but disappears," he concluded. "We are just as valid, important and desirous as our trans sisters and cis brothers.”
TEAs Executive Producer Kristel Penn further commented on the show's organization, noting the difficulty in having to narrow down category selections.
"As always, the ethos of our show is inclusivity and diversity as much as possible, and we appreciate that Nicko and Shiri approached us wanting to sponsor our FTM category. In the past, the category traditionally included trans-masculine performers who worked with studios or were featured on membership sites," she explained. "This year, the criteria has expanded to include content creators and cam performers, giving a much wider spread of nominees to recognize. I’m particularly excited for this award and thank SluttyWolfe Studio for sponsoring it."
Wolfe also issued a statement addressing trans youth, highlighting the importance of the award in a social context.
"This decade has also seen an increase in trans-masculine youth, and they are strong, creative and passionate about their identities,” he added. “As they come of age, they will notice the lack of representation. Let's show them as an industry that we're ready for 2020, the decade of trans men, with the Best FTM Amateur award.”
Nominees for the Best FTM Amateur award will be revealed on the official TEAs website and on Twitter.
