Why is there a feminist porn award?
Because we are surrounded by countless bad, degrading and clichéd porn and because we want to watch good porn. The answer to bad porn isn’t no porn, it’s better porn! The award is an occasion to celebrate the alternatives to discriminatory mainstream porn.

So PorYes is the answer to PorNo?
Not really, because we support Alice Schwarzer’s PorNo campaigns and definitely are against discrimination, sexist and racist depictions and the invasion of porn in the everyday life. However, draw other conclusions: we want to see consensual sexuality between adults and to reward artistic sexual expressions. We want to support people of every age, gender, race, identity in fulfilling their sexuality.

Why do we need porn, or rather porn for women?
Our position as sex-positive feminists is that erotic fantasies are a source of energy. That’s why we want to give everyone, but especially women, the opportunity to reenact or to see reenacted their sexuality and desire, aside from mainstream pornography. To see oneself and their lust represented is very, very important! We are also convinced that (good) porn can be an excellent way to access sexual information and education.

Is there even a demand?
People ask so often why their fantasies aren’t reflected in porn. So the demand for women-friendly and sex-positive pornography did increase indeed, as well as the general sensibility for racism and sexism. Even the media are more and more interested in feminist porn, and conventional productions started offering so-called female porn – mostly very deceptive though.

What’s different in feminist porn?
Essentially, the display of female desire and the enjoyment of sexuality. In conventional pornography, women often look exhausted and weary, as if they were coming from a fight – which isn’t that untrue. It’s important to show that they enjoy it too! And not in just one way, where everything serves the male climax. In feminist porn, sexualty is consensual, for the characters and for the perforers! Diversity in every matter (bodies, identities, practices…) is another criteria and finally, a significant contribution of women.

Where are the men?
A lot of men also are fed up with these disposable, boring, porn movies and want alternatives. Sex-positivism is for everyone, that means every sex, every gender, every orientation! We want everyone to feel comfortable with their bodies.

Why is the symbol an oyster?
The oyster is a symbol for female sexuality, has aphrodisiac properties, is healthy and contains all important nutriants.

What does the prize mean for Europe?
In 2006, our colleagues from the first canadian women-friendly sexshop, Good for Her, started the Feminist Porn Awards. They primarily relate to the US and to Canada. We picked that idea up, because we feel something is changing in Europe too. The porn industry is opening up, as did, a few years ago, the sex toy industry.

And: October is always the moment when the sexist,mainstream porn fair Venus takes place in Berlin. The „Porno-Filfestival“ that started 3 years ago is one of the answers to that. We all share the ambition to revolutionize the porn industry.

So: quality rather than quantity?
Exactly! And the impulse comes, as usual, from the alternative – here: the feminist- spheres. Laura Méritt already brought colors and healthy materials to the sex toy market in Germany, with help from colleagues in the US. Most of the toys were (and, in partm still are) made of 90% poisonous substances. Traditional sexshops and porn productions are only up to make profit, exploit their employees, produce in low-wage countries and contribute massively to polluting these. Hence it is very important to buy in shops that care about ethic and substainable work and production conditons.