HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—Multi-award-winning trans performer Ariel Demure was invited by Professor Constance Penley as a guest of honor for her media studies class on pornography at the University of California, Santa Barbara, last Monday, April 21.
Demure was on stage with five graduate students and an audience of over 50 undergraduates who attended the Pollock Theater. Demure’s award-winning title, Gorgons & Goddesses, was shown at the beginning. A montage of photos of Demure was on the screen behind her as she fielded questions from the graduate students and the audience about the movie, her time in the industry, being a trans performer, and more.
Said Demure, "It was such an honor to be on stage at a prestigious university talking about my career, film, and the state of trans women in the country right now. Professor Penley and her students were very welcoming and had some really thoughtful questions for me."
Past guests have included Axel Braun, Steve Hirsch, Angela White, Mick Blue, Bree Mills, Casey Calvert, and many other adult luminaries.
Penley is the past chair of UCSB's film and media studies department, founding director of the Carsey-Wolf Center for media research, and a scholar who has been a pioneer in researching and teaching in the cultural studies field of porn studies.
For more updates, follow Demure on X.
Photo by @kogafoto
