Morty Diamond is a director, sex educator and transgender performance artist, known for his porn offering Trannyfags and the performance piece Year in Pink. Morty took some time out between fundraising for legal causes and working on his next genderhacking film to have a few words with us.

Eros Zine: I reviewed your movie Trannyfags and it was a total mind-fuck. Was it your intention to really mix things up, or was it all just kinda normal for you?

Morty Diamond: Well, I consider my movie to be normal in the sense that these are real transmen having a lot of fun with each other and I happened to capture it on video. I think Trannyfags is NOT for a mainstream audience but, with that said, I wanted people who have never heard of transmen (female to male transsexual) to see the movie and think the guys were sexy.

EZ: How did you come to be a porn director?

MD: Just personal interest in wanting to see more transmen in porn movies.

EZ: Are you working on a new movie?

MD: Yes, I am working on a film, so far untitled, that's going to be all about transmen having sex with women, something with more plot than Trannyfags had.

EZ: Gender is obviously a BIG topic for you. What was it like growing up?

MD: Oh, I had a basic childhood, I would say. I was always a tomboy and loved doing stuff with the boys in my neighborhood, but that's not so unusual. My gender identity didn't start to shift until I was in my early 20's and living in San Francisco.

EZ: And how has your life changed since you began transitioning?

MD: Well, transitioning started at 24 and I'm now 30. It's been a long road rife with bumps, but I wouldn't change it for anything else. You know, transitioning is a lot of dealing with the medical industry, which I loathe in general, so I had to find good doctors. Also, dating is always a big issue because now you have a smaller pool of women who feel comfortable dating a transman; at least that's been my experience. I do tend to date queer women, but ones with an open mind and heart and understanding toward gender fluidity.

EZ: I recently read Ariel Levy's book Female Chauvinist Pigs, and she kinda rails about "bois" and the whole current F-to-M "phenomenon." Why do you suppose there's such a huge number of F-to-M transitioners these days?

MD: Well I don't think it's due to it being cool and hip. It's very scary and takes a lot of mental focus. In other words 99% of the trans people who transition do not take it as a light decision. All I can say is that now there is so much in the media that sheds light on trans people and, as far as I'm concerned, that has helped more folks feel comfortable with the fact that they may be transgender. Also there are a lot more medical doctors with experience dealing with transgender people, so more access to understanding doctors has helped tremendously.

EZ: And in Levy's book, she worries (or perhaps bitches is a better word) about "bois" taking on all the worst traits of men: casual, predatory sex and male chauvinist attitudes, etc. What are your feelings on all that?

MD: I think it's a bunch of bullshit, plain and simple. If you started out as an asshole when you start taking hormones, you'll be an asshole after as well. Hormones don't make you a jerk.

EZ: Have you seen all the shows on the Discovery channel, showing trans people and their personal stories/journeys? Does all this press mean it's now mainstream?

MD: No, I don't watch TV at all.

EZ: How do you think it is different for genderqueers in middle America as opposed to the coasts?

MD: Obviously middle America still does not condone trans people and we have seen more violence toward trans people in conservative areas of the country now more than ever. That hasn't changed just because you see more trannies on talk shows like Oprah or the Discovery channel. I know many trans people who are still afraid to walk down the street because they live in parts of the country that are still very oppressive. So of course most trannies live on the coasts, but you know shit still goes down, even in California.

EZ: Tell us about your Year in Pink. It's a pretty brave and highly unusual performance piece.

MD: The year 2005 I dedicated my life to wearing only the color pink. This was a performance piece based on gender, energy and the power of color. It is both public gesture and personal growth moment. In my private world I see pink as a very calming color that I enjoy surrounding myself with. Pink, for many people, is also a gender coded color. Many people still do consider pink to be a feminine color best left for women to wear. As a transman, a man given a female gender identity at birth, I believe it is still important to deconstruct gender -- and sexuality -- assumptions to colors that we like to wear.

EZ: What have some people's reactions been?

MD: Good and bad, but mostly good. I get a lot of stares and a lot of questions like "Why are you wearing all that pink?" and I love to discuss the performance with strangers who, a lot of times, are really open-minded about it and hopefully get to learn something from it.

EZ: It's almost been a full year. What have the highlights been?

MD: Well the highlights would be just finishing the performance! I cant believe I actually set out to do it and did it for a full year. That is a major accomplishment in itself.

EZ: The lowlights?

MD: Hmmm, nothing too low to actually consider a lowlight….

EZ: What lessons have you learned?

MD: Oh god, I've learned so much! But you know what? I'm putting together a performance piece based on my Year in Pink, so if you come see it you'll find out. But in short I can say that I've learned that public interactions with strangers are the most amazing things and I wish we New Yorkers talked to each other more often. I got to meet a lot of amazing people by the sheer fact that I was wearing pink.

EZ: What's next for Morty Diamond?

MD: What is next is a performance piece based on my Year in Pink. It's going to be a lot of fun, full of all the experiences personal and public, with wearing pink for a year.

EZ: Anything else you'd like to add?

MD: Nope, just love each other and feel free to come to my website to check it all out. Thanks!

Morty Diamond - by Abby Ehmann

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