Courtney Trouble Interview: A Leading Voice in LGBTQ Porn Cinema

Looking for Trouble?

Pride Month puts a spotlight on the rich diversity of the LGBTQ community. In honor of this celebration, we offer our fascinating new interview with Courtney Trouble, founder of Trouble Films, one of the most innovative voices in contemporary queer porn cinema.

Tell us a little bit about your background. How did you get into porn?

I started doing phone sex when I was 18 and really enjoyed it, but I thought it was annoying that I had to play other personas. I really just wanted to play myself and play with myself, so I started shooting selfie porn and built a website. I’ve always been into learning how to do kinda nerdy internet stuff and doing porn just seemed like the most fun I could have doing sex work online so here we are. internet nerd and porno brat supreme. 

How did you choose your stage name?

I always point to John Waters’s Female Trouble as a campy art reference for my name but really, my friend came up with it because we were big queer theory nerds and Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble was kind of a big deal in 2002 — the idea behind my last name is that “troublemakers” create a little healthy disruption or turbulence in an ordered institution. I don’t “cause a lot of trouble,” but I do think about ways you can “trouble the system” and make things that work as art and porn and social engagement. It’s not even like an ironic “Angel” or “Star” or “Mayhem” type of name, it’s more like a nerdy school joke. Though the puns are hilarious. Who doesn’t want to get into trouble? (movie forthcoming)

What are some of your most memorable stories from being a phone-sex operator?

The first time i learned about fucking machines was through a client who through phone sex described being tied up to a giant metal spiderweb with robot dicks penetrating his mouth and ass. I got actually pretty turned on by that and ended up looking up “stainless steel fetish toys” and got my own little fetish for cold metal and the idea of giant mechanical fuckbots. I also used to do phone sex with my roommate and would imitate sex noises in our living room with various lotions while smoking weed and watching like, The Osbornes or something ’00s like that. 

What were the origins of Trouble Films, and what is your overall philosophy for the studio?

I made work simply through NoFauxxx.Com, Queerporn.TV, or Good Vibes from 2002-2011, when I was able to work with Carol Queen and the Mastur-bat-a-thon on a film called Live Sex Show. That film was the first full-length film I owned for myself; it was also a big benefit for the Center for Sex and Culture. When I went to distribute it, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to include the Jiz Lee/Nina Hartley fisting scene if I followed “protocol” — so I had to make an ethical decision to represent queer sex and sacrifice being part of the larger studio network. I’m still not able to show my work everywhere but it keeps my shit real. Now it’s 2019 – so 9 years I’ve had TROUBLEfilms and 16 years I’ve been making indie porn. My philosophy is still to prioritize depicting the kinds of sex that the performers want to have on screen over the ability to distribute on every platform. I’d rather have the sex Just Right and give the performers as lush of a stage to do their work on as possible. We aren’t fancy — in fact, we’re a DIY artist collective at best. But if we can keep things open for our workers to work without too much concern for censorship or drastic editing — that’s ideal.

Tell us about working with Karla Lane, one of your frequent Trouble Films collaborators.

Karla’s an excellent gonzo performer so when it comes to doing things where you know you wont need to ANY coaching or drastic editing to make something excellent. She trust herself and has an excellent set of skills in front of behind the camera. What I actually really love about her that is different from other collaborators is her ability to network and bring people together — and she always brings extra costuming, camera people, and gear when you work with her on indie projects. She focuses on her performances over administration for sure; but that’s what makes our working friendship great. She’s a pro with pre-production, I’m a pro with the post-production.

Your work in general is very multidisciplinary. In what ways is that reflected in your Trouble Films movies?

Hah, totally! I’m so glad somebody sees that. Part of it is that web design and photography have always been of equal interest to me so that just flowed together easier. As I got deeper into my projects I realized I needed to learn how to do things like market my work or make trailers – I’ve made a lot of mistakes but I’m not sure how I would have accomplished anything without some kind of investment in teaching myself the basics of everything involved in running a porn site alongside actually making the work. I hate that I used to tell people to do it themselves — it’s hard. We need more porn sites, not less — but often times i just tell people to make singular films at a time because The Whole Thing can be a lot of work without support. I’m so lucky to have the people around me that I do.

What current porn trend are you most excited about? What is one trend you would love to see go away?

I love seeing more high femme beauties of size in all kinds of movies. And as much as I think there’s a place in my heart for daddy/girl roleplay, this My Stepmom’s Brother’s Dick Is Hotter Than You #8493 is kind of getting boring. I think taboo could be done a little smarter.

What current porn filmmakers do you particularly admire?

I don’t even know. I’d have to actually watch porn and think about it to make an informed decision. I’m really proud of the filmmakers i work with on Troublefilms – Sinn Sage, for instance. Her films are outstanding and bring so much joy and love to girl/girl.

Why do you think sex workers are still stigmatized by so much of society?

I think it probably serves white male capitalism to make it as hard as possible for women and femmes to be able to take care of themselves, in some ways. Sex work allows us to manage our own lives and our own bodies and god forbid we all had knowledge of that power . . .

What are your favorite classic (1980s or prior) adult movies?

Oh, easy — The Devil in Miss Jones. I remade it in my film Nostalgia along with scenes from Cafe Flesh, Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door, also wild films.

What is the biggest misconception people have about queer porn?

I think the biggest issue is that people do not know what it is. You need an informed definition of “queer culture” in order to understand where the genre is coming from and meaning. 

Is there a particular movie or scene that you think best embodies the spirit of Trouble Films?

Oh gosh. Well, the film I’m working on right now is called Diaries of a Queer Porn Star and I’m starting to open up about what I love about making porn. That’s gotta be some kind of central thesis for the company itself. I would also recommend people check out films like Roulette or Queer Porn Americana – those films absolutely represent the genre as we see it. 

Do you have a motto or favorite quotation?

My graduating class printed “I just Lacant” on some stickers so i’m gonna go with that!

Browse Trouble Films porn videos here.