Interview with Chelsea Poe

Chelsea Poe is a Dutch-American adult film performer, producer, and director known for her bold, boundary-pushing work in experimental queer and feminist porn. A proud trans woman and outspoken activist, Chelsea has spent nearly a decade reshaping the adult industry’s narratives around gender, sexuality, and authenticity. Born and raised in Holland, Michigan, she grew up immersed in Dutch culture, which continues to influence her identity and artistic voice. She began her transition as a teenager and courageously came out to her family while still in high school, defying norms and carving out space for herself in a world that rarely makes room for trans girls with outsider dreams. From her debut film Fucking Mystic, a creative collaboration with close friends in the Bay Area alt-porn scene, to her advocacy for trans inclusion and the critique of mainstream feminist porn's exclusionary tendencies, Chelsea has remained fiercely independent and unapologetically authentic. 

 

Chelsea sees porn not only as performance but as art, inspired by the likes of Andy Warhol, Norwegian black metal, and underground performance movements. Whether behind the camera or in front of it, she challenges viewers to question what they believe about desire, identity, and power. Chelsea’s work has been featured in documentaries and interviews, including Identity: In & Beyond the Binary and Coming Out Like a Porn Star. She is also one of the rare adult entertainers whose body of work straddles both political critique and erotic experimentation. As she continues to break down stigma, create space for trans voices in sex work, and dream about future writing projects, Chelsea remains a passionate advocate for a world where all women, cis or trans, can own their sexuality without shame.

 

Monika: Hello Chelsea! I’m truly delighted to speak with you today. You’re such a charismatic artist and a powerful voice in our community, what a joy to finally connect!

Chelsea: Thank you so much, Monika! I’ve followed your interviews for a while now, and I really admire how you weave such a rich tapestry of trans experiences. As a transgender woman yourself, you bring a unique empathy and insight that makes your conversations feel deeply personal and necessary. It’s an honor to be part of your project.

Monika: Chelsea, your creative output spans producing, performing, directing, and more. If you had to choose, which role feels most true to your heart, being in front of the camera or behind it?

Chelsea: I see myself as a performer who is lucky enough to have the means to produce. The content trade model has really taken hold, and the number of gigs that performers usually get isn’t enough to avoid producing their own content. I think the industry has shifted, much like most of the entertainment world, toward being decentralized. Producing has given me the freedom to shape my own narrative and collaborate with artists I truly respect. But at the core, performing will always be the spark that keeps me going.

Monika: Your roots stretch across two cultures. How has being raised in a Dutch-American environment shaped your sense of identity, both personally and professionally?

Chelsea: I grew up surrounded by Dutch people and Dutch culture in Holland, Michigan, so it makes up a large part of my identity. As I got older and moved to California, I realized that many things I assumed were just American were actually very Dutch. I feel very lucky I was able to travel and work in the Netherlands with other Dutch sex workers, where sex work is so normalized compared to the United States. I feel like for so many sex workers, you have to hide who you are and your culture. I’m very lucky to have been able to come out to my family and have them embrace what I’m doing. That sense of cultural openness and support has given me the confidence to advocate for others. It also taught me how powerful it can be to bridge different worlds with honesty and pride.

 

"Part of feminism is about including

marginalized folks, and trans people are for

sure included in that definition."

 

Monika: Many transgender women pay a steep emotional and social price just for living authentically, losing family ties, friendships, jobs, or even their place in society. What was the most difficult part of your journey toward coming out and embracing your truth?

Chelsea: For me, I feel like my gender was something I kind of figured out when I was in my early teens. I was out to my family by the time I was in high school and started taking hormones while still living at home, so I don’t really have that narrative of losing friends or family.

At this point in my life, I’m 28 and have been out as a trans woman longer than I wasn’t. I really feel like I was a kid who just didn’t have the terms to describe what I was feeling, both inside and externally with my body, but I don’t think most people, cis or trans, do at 13. I’ve had moments where my family didn’t understand how to be allies to me when I was in college, but I never really lost family because of being trans. My family has had issues more related to poverty during my adult years. My father passed away while homeless when I was 24, so my gender identity was kind of the least of my family’s concerns. In a strange way, that helped me focus on survival and resilience rather than fear of rejection. It made me appreciate the rare gift of being loved for who I am, even in the chaos.

Monika: Telling your parents you're becoming an adult film performer is not exactly your typical dinner conversation. How did you approach that moment, and what was their reaction when you shared your decision?

Chelsea: I came out to my mom the night before I flew out to San Francisco for the first time, telling her I was going to shoot feminist porn in California. Her reaction was very much shaped by the mindset that the adult industry is filled with illicit drug use. I actually wrote about it a bit in Coming Out Like a Porn Star, the anthology that Jiz Lee curated.

I had always created extreme art ever since high school, like playing in a Norwegian-inspired black metal band and traveling to grimy venues with my hardcore band. I’ve always wanted to make outsider art that challenged the boundaries of what art could be, and my porn performance is the endpoint of that. It felt like a natural evolution of my creative identity, just in a form most people don’t expect. Once my mom realized I approached it with purpose and integrity, the conversation became easier over time.

Monika: Let’s go back to where it all started, do you remember what it felt like to shoot your very first film? And how would you say your journey in the industry has transformed since then?

Chelsea: My first film was Fucking Mystic. I wrote it with my two best friends, Aja Pop and Courtney Trouble, shortly after moving to Oakland from Holland. It was the most intensive work I had ever put into a project at that point in my life. I can say that film really changed everything for me and opened so many doors that I could have never imagined. Looking back at it, I have a lot of regret for having William Control on the soundtrack after learning more about what he was doing.

I think how my career changed is that people will actually give me the benefit of the doubt that I’ll finish a project, compared to before when many people weren’t sure if I could do something beyond just performing on set. Now, I’m more confident in my ability to lead creative direction and collaborate with others in meaningful ways. That first film gave me the courage to trust my voice, and keep refining it.

 

In 'Identity: In & Beyond The Binary' (2015) by Dave Naz.
Source: YouTube.

 

Monika: The adult film industry can be tough for anyone, but for a transgender woman, it often comes with even more hurdles. What has it been like for you to build a sustainable career in this space, and how have you navigated the challenges?

Chelsea: I feel like I don’t solely identify as a transgender porn performer. I’m clearly trans, but I don’t think that’s the most defining thing about who I am as a performer. I feel like since I got into the industry, I wanted to be a BDSM performer. I feel like my porn fits or has more in common with BDSM porn than it does with vanilla trans porn. I feel like now trans women can exist in porn without this giant “TS” title or trans signifier, whereas maybe even five years ago you couldn’t be thought of as anything other than a trans performer.

I think trans inclusion should happen more in the industry, and I think it might, with the TS genre someday fading out. I believe that, cis or trans, it's a hard industry to make a living in. You need to put a ton of hard work into it, meet the right people, and often be lucky, and even then there’s no promise you’ll have a career. I feel extremely blessed to still be in the industry nearly a decade after getting in as a cam girl when I was 20. The growth I’ve seen in the visibility of trans performers has been incredible, and I’m proud to have contributed to that shift. Staying true to my artistic voice has helped me carve out a space that feels authentically mine.

Monika: There’s a lot of speculation, and plenty of stereotypes, about who actually consumes trans porn. From your perspective, is there any real understanding of the audience behind it, or is it all just guesswork?

Chelsea: I feel like there’s no one kind of person who watches trans porn. I’ve been included on sites like Trenchcoatx or GodsGirls as one of a few trans performers, and their audience doesn’t respond any differently than they do to a cis woman doing the same thing.

I think inclusion is very important, but I’m not really one to think there’s a sexuality difference or porn difference when watching a scene with a cis or trans person. I feel like my performance style and what I would be doing would be the same if I was born with a vagina or not, I’d probably still want some mean femme domme fucking me up. What draws people in is the energy, the chemistry, and the creativity, not just the bodies involved. If anything, trans performers are expanding the range of what’s possible and pleasurable in porn.

Monika: You’ve lived such a unique and vivid life, from your early beginnings to making a mark in the adult industry. Have you ever thought about capturing that journey in a book or memoir?

Chelsea: I have thought about writing a book. I have some concepts I really want to write about. I feel like it's been such an intense period of eight years, and it has taken me around the world to many places I never thought I would see. I hope someday I get to share more of that in the future. There’s something powerful about putting your story into words, especially when you’ve lived a life that defies expectations. I think a book would let me connect with people in a deeper, more lasting way.

Monika: Years ago, Yasmin Lee shared in an interview that while working in porn isn’t inherently wrong, it often leads to doors closing elsewhere because of societal judgment. Has that fear ever crossed your mind, or have you experienced those kinds of limitations?

Chelsea: I don’t think there were many doors open for me when I was coming out of high school during the recession, when unemployment was extremely high in Michigan. As I mentioned earlier, my family struggled with poverty, so entering the adult industry was really a ticket out rather than something that closed doors. I don’t believe I had many opportunities as an artist otherwise, especially as a young trans woman who wanted to tour the world with her art. That said, I have faced stigma and judgment from some people, but I’ve learned to focus on the opportunities I’ve created rather than those I might have lost. It’s empowering to define your own path despite what others might think.

Chelsea Poe gets Interviewed by QueerPorn.TV.
Available via YouTube.

Monika: Some transgender activists argue that trans adult films contribute to harmful stereotypes and cast a negative light on the broader trans community. How do you respond to those concerns?

Chelsea: I think the idea that porn is a negative thing for the trans community is like saying any other genre of film or art is harmful. I believe all art should be critiqued, but at the same time, we can’t slip into a sex-negative mindset and deny that trans women deserve to be seen as sexual beings, just like cis women. Trans women are women, and some women want to make porn, so it’s unfair to drag those women down for their choices. Representation matters, and adult films can be a powerful way to celebrate trans sexuality in a positive light. We need to respect all expressions of identity, including those that challenge traditional ideas about gender and sexuality.

Monika: In a Cosmopolitan interview, you mentioned that some companies hesitate or refuse to feature trans women in feminist porn. What reasons do they give for excluding trans performers?

Chelsea: Part of feminism is about including marginalized folks, and trans people are definitely part of that definition. If feminist porn only features skinny white cis folks, then what’s really the point of it being feminist? Unfortunately, some companies cling to narrow ideas of what feminism looks like and fail to embrace true inclusivity. This exclusion often stems from outdated stereotypes rather than any genuine critique of trans performers’ contributions.

Monika: Many people debate whether porn can be considered a form of art. In your view, can porn be regarded as art? If so, how do you distinguish between porn as art and content that doesn’t meet that standard?

Chelsea: Of course, porn is art. I’m hugely inspired by Andy Warhol and other outsider art forms like Norwegian black metal, performance art, and experimental noise, so for me, art is always whatever you create to share with the world. Art challenges boundaries and provokes emotions, and porn can do that as well. It’s about intention and authenticity, when the work expresses something real and meaningful, it crosses into art.

Monika: In your professional journey, have you had any transgender role models or other figures who inspired you? Who helped shape your path and artistic vision?

Chelsea: The trans women who inspired me the most were Drew Deveaux, Tobi Hill Meyer, and Maya Mayhem. The cis women performers were Stoya, Sasha Grey, and Belladonna. For me, Tobi Hill Meyer showed that trans women can really make films themselves, which connected deeply with my own sexual interests and how I wanted to be politically vocal in the industry. I think I’m more inspired by the alt porn wave of the mid-2000s than anything else. Having role models who push boundaries and stay true to themselves has helped me stay authentic. Their work motivates me to keep evolving both creatively and personally.

Monika: Chelsea, thank you for this interview.

All the photos: courtesy of Chelsea Poe.

© 2021 - Monika Kowalska

Some documentaries about Chelsea Poe:

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