Page 44 - AVN February 2018

GAYVN
‘WE BELONG’
Viktor Belmont paves the way for trans progress
discrimination in the workplace and not having the same opportunities my cis counterparts had. I had
spent most of my late teens and early twenties on the edge of homelessness, transient and living hand to
mouth,” he recalls. “I learned to work for myself, to come into my own power, and this wonderful studio
[Bonus Hole Boys] run by Cyd St. Vincent offered me a chance to shoot with them. I hadn’t seen too
much gay porn featuring trans men, and I was delighted to work for them.”
Belmont then got nominated for a 2015 Hookie Award, and that’s when he started seeing a piqued
interest with mainstream gay productions, publications and spaces in featuring trans men.
“My career is everything to me. And to be completely transparent, I wouldn’t have had these same
chances if it wasn’t for the amazing support of my online following. The internet has shown up for me,
supported me, watched me fall, and cheered me on as I got back up and tried again,” he says.
“Being nominated and then winning a Hookie Award was massive for me. It was a huge deal. Having
mainstream porn performers and gay celebrities tell me that they saw me, accepted me and wanted to
support me was something I never thought I’d have. Being one of the first trans male go-go boys at
circuit parties was a highlight for me. I quickly learned about the power of visibility and the impact I
could have by putting my body out there.”
One of his supporters and friends is NakedSword director mr. Pam, who shot him in The Devil’s Deal.
“mr. Pam has seen me grow so much. She’s seen so many evolutions of my career at this point. She’s
a part of this amazing queer family that’s in San Francisco. She really does watch out for me and make
space for me. To finally have shot with her, I wanted to make her proud, to show her exactly what I could
do.”
The director was ecstatic talking about Belmont and the experience, but says the industry—and the
world at large—still has a long way to go.
“It just amazes me how far behind so much of the U.S. and the world is on transgender sexuality. I
am almost 15 years deep into it. Two of my best friends are married to trans guys, my other best friend
constantly fucks trans guys and tells me—in detail,” she says with a laugh. “So that’s my world for over
a decade, and I just see a lot of people being judgmental. It just comes out of being misinformed and
uneducated. My porn always has a little political aspect to it, so I’m definitely hoping this opens more
rights and visibility for trans guys. I’m so thankful to Viktor for trusting me on this, and he’s said all
along it’s been a great experience for him, and I hope it continues.”
Belmont notes there has been great progress, and that we are now at a time where there’s a lot more
visibility for trans people in media on all platforms and channels.
“Porn is no exception to that rule. Trans male performers who want to shoot gay porn should have the
opportunity to work for mainstream gay studios. I’m lucky enough to be in the right place at the right
time. I don’t think I hold a magic that others do not possess. I don’t think I’m too exceptional. But I do
HAVING MAINSTREAM PORN PERFORMERS
AND GAY CELEBRITIES TELL ME THAT THEY
SAW ME, ACCEPTED ME AND WANTED TO
SUPPORT ME WAS SOMETHING I NEVER
THOUGHT I’D HAVE.
GAYVN | By Brady Jansen
comfort and peace. But it hasn’t always
been a fun ride for the determined
performer, whose path to success has
Viktor Belmont has arrived to a place of
been paved with challenges.
“I was raised where the Cascade
mountains met the Siskiyou. That
upbringing shaped my character in
ways I can’t begin to describe, but it
carved out a kind heart and deep sense of empathy for me,”
he says. “I was a small-town queer who came into my own
through experience and survival. I started doing sex work so
I wouldn’t starve. I gave everything up in my life to pursue
my truth. Now I’m trying my best to not just survive, but
thrive and help others as best I can.”
With NakedSword’s The Devil’s Deal & Other Sordid Tales,
released in October, he becomes the first trans man to be
featured in a major gay studio film since Buck Angel in
Titan’s 2005 smash Cirque Noir.
“I’ve been escorting since my early teens for survival.
I then came back to it over and over again due to
—VIKTOR BELMONT
think that I am persistent, patient and proud enough of who I am and what I do to have been given the
chance and want to create space for folks. I threw myself at a wall long enough that I got a chance to
break part of it down. I now want to get trans folks chances to work, to get the respect we all deserve in
all spaces, and to live my life without fear. This is just the start.”
Belmont says the trans community is making big strides in the industry but has to continue to fight for
fair treatment.
“We are not a burden, we belong here. In every space. We’ve been here. Now people are seeing us in a
way that is more mainstream and advocating for us as well. I feel so lucky to see such changes happening
in my lifetime. One thing I’m very adamant about is I’d like us to be paid for our work. I’d like all sex
workers to be treated fairly and be paid for our hard work—to be respected, appreciated and treated
fairly. The stigma many performers still face is daunting. It’s very easy to point a finger to condemn with
one hand and jerk off to the same thing with another. I’d like to see us all to make coin, elevate each
other, support each other and continue to make the content that our customers adore to watch.”
But with the good also comes the bad in the form of online trolls, something mr. Pam was all too
familiar with—and especially concerned about with Belmont.
“I know he’s very out, but I still feel a little protective. San Francisco is very welcoming—we’re in our
own little bubble, and everybody has rights and is supported. But I know the anonymous commenters on
blogs can be really, really vicious, and I don’t know if I should have warned Viktor about that.”
44 | AVN.com | 2.18