It’s time for another installment of Babe of the Month. Last month we had a veteran sex educator and porn maker, Tristan Taormino. This month, I’m interviewing a rising star in the porn world, Jiz Lee from the Crash Pad Series and Pink & White Productions - some of our very favorite pornos here at Babeland. Jiz is one of the hottest performers I’ve ever seen - not only because Jiz is so darn cute, but because watching Jiz fuck makes me fall in love with what dyke/gender-variant sex can be, all over again.

When and how did you decide that you wanted to do porn?

When I first saw S.I.R. Production’s Hard Love / How to Fuck in High Heels, I realized I wanted to be in porn. Before that moment, I didn’t see pornography as a medium for queers to share their sexual experiences. Though I had always had a strong since of my sexuality I had an opinion about porn as being intensely heteronormative — straight, Eurocentric, and not very sexually progressive. When I saw that there was such a thing as queer porn that I realized that I could contribute to the genre. However, it wasn’t until 2005 that I found the opportunity.

How did you get involved with the people at Pink & White Productions?

My partner Shawn is a producer of the company and introduced me to her friend Shine Louise Houston who was casting for her first film. Shawn and I shot together for my first scene in The Crash Pad, which was awarded Hottest Dyke Sex Scene 2006 from the Feminst Porn Awards. Since then, I’ve appeared in each of the company’s feature films, Superfreak, In Search of the Wild Kingdom, and the upcoming feature film, Champion. Pink & White also produces a membership site called CrashPadSeries.com, which is a fantastic place for queers who want to break into the business.

What do you like best about Pink & White Productions’ films? What do you think other people like best about them?

Working with the folks at Pink & White is a dream come true for sex radical queers. Everyone is down-to-earth, progressive, and deeply passionate about representing authentic queer sex. I love shooting porn with my friends and lovers, and having a supportive crew who values my sexual expression. I think that other people love Pink & White because the company makes great work that really shows a broad range. The cast represents a lot of different queer experiences, and is as diverse in ethnicity, gender, hair/aesthetic, body type, orientation, and even professional experience — both amateurs and seasoned adult professionals love working for Pink & White because they are encouraged to have sex whatever way they like best, fucking within the context of their own individual desires.

Why do you see queer made porn as being different from other “lesbian” porn?

The term “Lesbian” is an interesting genre, often appropriated by the adult industry for the male gaze. Thus, it is equivalent to “Girl/Girl” pornography and the sexual acts you’ll see are pretty limited. Queer porn more accurately reflects the sexual identity of many of us in the queer community because the sex acts and gender expressions of the talent portrayed in these films are not held to the ideals of the assumed straight male consumer. It is made (directed, filmed, produced, cast, promoted, etc…) by queer-identified folks for the viewing pleasure of other queers. The sex is unapologeticly passionate, something that puts it closer allined with “gay porn”.

What is your favorite film or scene that you’ve been in and why?

The Crash Pad will always have a place in my heart because it was the first scene I shot with my partner, and I think it captured our insatiable love for each other (when we shot it we had been dating for about 6 months). I’m also very excited about our sex scene in Champion, which Shine has shared with me in pre-production. Our characters in the film are exes who haven’t quite stopped sleeping together, and I think this somber undertone reflects a beautifully deep connection of our intense love as a real-life couple.

Check out the rest of Jiz Lee’s interview tomorrow! In the meantime, here are some ridiculously awesome pics of Jiz with the Njoy Eleven

Tell me a little bit about how and why the Vivid Ed videos were started? What is different about these videos as opposed to other How-To vids? I really wanted to bring my specific vision of sex education to the world of video. The videos are unique in the sex ed genre because we really take advantage of the DVD format, and viewers can watch the scenes with instruction or without, which has not been done before. The videos feature very specific and explicit techniques, which I think is incredibly important. There’s nothing vague or implied, we get right in there and show you how to do it! Plus, we’ve got these cool graphics — kind of like VH-1’s pop up video — which are part of each scene and offer extra information. I am really proud of these movies, and try to push the envelope with them. In the fellatio movie, we cover techniques for uncircumcised cocks and prostate stimulation, which no other fellatio instructional has done. In the cunnilingus movie, we really focus on cunnilingus, rather than show it as foreplay or what leads to intercourse, we stay on point!

Your new book, Opening Up, has been getting a lot of great reviews. What prompted you to write this book?  I think that there is a solid body of work on swinging and polyamory, but there are lots of people exploring non-monogamy who don’t identify with those communities, and they’ve been left out of the conversation. I wanted to explore the diversity of relationship styles beyond monogamy. I interviewed over a hundred people from all different walks of life and their stories are really the heart of the book.

What was the most interesting thing you learned from the couples you interviewed for Opening Up?  I didn’t talk to just couples - I interviewed singles, couples, triads, quads, circles of five, lots of different combinations! I learned so much from each person I talked to and realized that life really is in the details. No one does non-monogamy the same way. It’s all about crafting a relationship that’s custom made for the people involved.

What projects are you working on now? I am editing my latest video for Vivid-Ed, The Expert Guide to Threesomes, which will be out in December. I have a new book coming out from Quiver Books in 2009. It’s called The Anal Sex Positions Guide, and it’s a how-to book focused specifically on positions. It’s illustrated with gorgeous softcore photos. It’s the anal sex coffee table book I’ve always wanted on my living room table! I am writing a second book for Quiver which is all about sex toys. I am working on two other books, too.

What is your favorite anal sex toy? I cannot pick just one! Of course, I have to say the Tristan butt plug from
Vixen, since I helped design it and it’s named for me. I think the Mistress is the best dildo for strap-on anal sex, especially for beginners. Now it comes with a vibrator, too, which rocks.

What is your favorite non-anal sex toy? I have fallen in love with a new strap-on harness recently, the Jaguar
Harness from Aslan. In Cherry Red. The leather is smooth and gorgeous, it fits like a glove, and it’s so comfortable, I could wear it all day!

Tristan Taormino has held a near and dear place in Babeland’s heart for a long, long time - and not just because she used to work here. Tristan’s work in sex education has made countless people’s sex lives better. Below, she talks about her work at Babeland and her extensive knowledge of anal sex. Check out part 2 tomorrow where she will discuss her more recent projects and some of her favorite sex toys.
I’d like to talk first about your experiences at Babeland while you were there. Why did you apply to work at Babeland? Well, I was really interested in being right in the mix. I wanted to learn as much as I could about sex, and Babeland was on the front lines of sex education.

What are some fond memories that you have of working at Babeland? I got to talk to people every day about their sex lives, their fantasies, their anxieties, their experiences. They shared details about their lives that they had never told anyone before, which is just amazing. I learned something from every single customer I interacted with.

What did you learn at Babeland that helped you in the wide world of sex education after you left? I think one of the most important lessons for me was to leave my own sex life out of it, and approach everyone without any judgment. I needed to meet each person where they were at. When someone said, ‘I am looking for something big,’ I asked them to show me what they meant, rather than assuming. You need to listen to people, empower them to ask for what they need and want.

You’ve long been seen as the “Anal Sex Guru” - did you have any idea starting out that you would become so associated with that particular sexual activity? Well, I did write the book on the subject! Really, I don’t feel pigeon-holed or anything. If I am forever known as the anal sex expert, I am okay with that.

What would be your number one piece of advice for an anal sex beginner? Go slowly! I think lots of people rush the process and that’s what gets them in trouble. Take your time…and while you’re warming up, enjoy the process.