Casey Kisses is feeling downright celebratory after winning XBIZ Trans Performer of the Year yet again. And to top it off, in a moment that will undoubtedly go down in XBIZ Awards history, during the ceremony at the Hollywood Palladium in January she got down on one knee and proposed to her girlfriend, fellow performer Kylie Le Beau, who enthusiastically said "Yes!" to thunderous applause.
Reflecting on that momentous night, Kisses shared, "I certainly had my eye on winning Trans Performer of the Year. Having done so now for my second year in a row, I am beside myself and more than shocked. But I don't really focus on the competition aspect of it all; I am very happy for everybody who gets recognized, especially for trans performances, where recognition is so very important. I'm just happy to be working and want us all to keep having fun on our sets. If we are, that comes across in our scenes and just makes everything better. I also loved XBIZ bringing us all back together this year for their award show. It was so great seeing everybody after two years, partying and celebrating our business."
Kisses is especially proud of her prolific output over the past year, which included "TS Love Stories 6," for which she won Best Trans Sex Scene along with McKenzie Lee; "TS Superstar," "Trans Fluid" and her Joanna Angel-directed biopic "Casey: A True Story."
She is also pleased by the progress in how the business treats trans performers generally. With evolving cultural perceptions about gender fluidity and an overall more nuanced view on sexuality growing globally, Kisses has seen a lot of growth transpire after more than six years in adult entertainment.
When she first started, Kisses recalled, terms like 'shemale' were still being used, and many adult performers were unwilling to work with trans performers. "Now, the performer pool is really big for cis men and cis women wanting to work with us," she said. "And producers are coming to the trans community for insights on how we want to be portrayed in scenes. So, sure, we have a ways to go, but there have been some wonderful changes since I have been performing. And as I always do, I'd rather focus on what we have gained and less on what we haven't."
Be it cis coupling, sloppy blowjob scenes or one guy jerking off another, porn fans often have a very specific interest in hard cocks and how they are used, but Kisses says another big change she has seen centers on old assumptions about trans stars having to be tops.
"Yes, I am a top, and when I first started shooting scenes, I was topping," Kisses underscored. But, she added, a majority of trans women like to bottom. "When I first got into the business six years ago, it was lots of cis men talking about having a fantasy about me fucking them, which is understandable. But now, more guys are interested in watching men topping trans women. So it has balanced out, and we've certainly seen that shift reflected in our scripts."
The changes that Kisses has witnessed, though, go beyond industry perceptions and performer camaraderie. She ruminated on how much more freedom performers and models are finding across various platforms, citing her camming experiences on Chaturbate and revenues from OnlyFans. Kisses sees more and more talent now able to take control of their finances in ways she has not seen before, and this is especially true for trans stars, who feel more empowered than ever.
Casey Kisses (Image: Kisses)
All in all, she sees more opportunities on the horizon, expressing, "I have always been more of a 'silver lining' person." For instance, Kisses recently delved deeper into production and directing after the pandemic accelerated the need for self-sustaining entrepreneurial ventures.
"For me personally, COVID really did help me hone my skills as a producer," she noted. "When the pandemic lockdown came, I figured if I was going to be stuck indoors, I might as well learn how to really produce scenes. So I went out and spent some money on equipment and began researching how to shoot professionally, myself. I managed to shoot a few scenes with some talented people and showed my efforts to TransAngels, who I have worked with over the years. They loved the scenes so much they ended up hiring me to produce for them.
"I like doing it all. Producing helps me understand how to perform better; being a performer, I understand better how to direct; and I still cam daily too," she continued. "That's where this all started for me, so I won't stop that anytime soon. I just think it's important to utilize all the skills I am building in all the things I do, so I can apply them in any work I can get."
After all, she observed, the more trans performers are considered for the full range of who they are rather than just their physical attributes, the more all performers of every kind can get a greater share in an inclusive marketplace.
"Back in the day, when we were still selling DVDs, we were just seen as box covers; people instantly thought they knew what a trans performer or scene was going to be about," she reminisced. "But it's been my experience that cis men love seeing me with cis women. In my biopic 'Casey: A True Story,' I became quite friendly with my local biker club. Lots of those guys said to me, 'Hey, you opened my eyes on trans porn; watching you fuck women has been amazing.' That was really something interesting I learned, to be sure!
"But like anybody else, trans performers have personalities," she said. "Our scenes these days are not just people watching other people with sexy bodies, beautiful faces, great tits and a big dick. It's about people having fun, and I think more and more viewers understand that now as they come to understand us better."
Now, after amassing a veritable mountain of awards and accolades, Kisses plans to continue shifting perceptions about trans content and producing more films in the coming years — especially as things go back to "normal" on set.
"I am looking forward to people being willing to meet more when COVID is taken care of ... although I don't think we'll ever be back to where we were before," she surmised. "But that's OK, we can keep our precautionary measures in place, just as long as we are all working."
Casey Kisses (Image: Kisses)
