Siouxsie Q has long been a committed artist and organizer. This dual path has garnered her significant recognition for both her creative works and her advocacy. Yet one thing that stands clear in Q’s story is that her motivation transcends mere acclaim.
Both of her parents had theater careers, and since early in her life Q has found production and entertainment spaces to be safe havens not just for creatives, but for all manner of outcasts, including LGBTQ+ individuals. She credits her discovery of that dynamic with fueling and inspiring her activism and social justice work later on in her career.
I believe that the movies we make, especially those that depict authentic LGBTQIA+ intimacy, have the potential to save lives.
Though she loved theatrical performing, Q found herself most drawn to opportunities and projects that allowed her to play the auteur and exercise some control over narrative and production values. She wrote and produced her first original productions as a teenager, then went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in theater from the University of Oregon.
Upon graduating, she spent a couple of years doing tour management and opening for indie musicians with her ukulele-playing mermaid act. However, she needed a job she could do in between tours, one that would not fire or penalize her for skipping town every few months.
She found such a job at The Lusty Lady, which Q points out is the world’s first and only unionized, worker-owned peep show. Because it was run by the workers, she could take time off whenever she needed to, and after her first shift dancing naked in front of strangers, she was totally hooked. She knew right then and there, she says, that the adult industry was going to be a great fit for her.
At first, her only goals were to pay her pricy San Francisco rent and not completely hate going to her day job, but she soon found her awareness expanding in unexpected ways. Realizing that her new profession came with intense social stigma, backed up by state and federal policies that criminalize sex workers and make life generally more difficult for folks just trying to exist in this industry, she resolved to make creating change a priority.
She now primarily works as a director and producer, which she feels allows her to synthesize and practice all the work she finds most meaningful in this industry: creativity, health and safety, advocacy and inclusivity all in one. While her goal of ending criminalization and stigma remains, she now also feels blessed by the opportunity to ensure that workers on her sets have as much access as possible to the resources they need to stay safe and thrive.
With numerous XBIZ Awards nominations to her credit, Q has cemented herself as an in-demand producer for top studios like Adult Time, where — alongside husband and performer Michael Vegas — she has made a name for herself co-directing and creating for brands like Transfixed, Pure Taboo and the gay studio Disruptive Films. Now, as WIA’s Woman of the Month, she sheds light on her career journey and what she hopes to achieve in the future.
XBIZ: Tell us about your advocacy efforts on behalf of the industry and performers.
Q: Back in 2012, I launched my own podcast, “The WhoreCast,” aimed at humanizing those who work in the adult industry by showcasing the stories, art and voices of American sex workers. That led to a five-year stint in the nonprofit space, including a position as director of policy and industry relations at the Free Speech Coalition, as we fought — successfully — to defeat Proposition 60 during the 2016 election. I went on to work with ACLU of Southern California from 2018-2020, and now I continue to work closely with PASS, the health and safety nonprofit that serves adult industry workers.
Until every single one of us can move through this world without fear of harassment, discrimination, violence and incarceration, I will continue to prioritize advocacy work that protects our community.
XBIZ: What brands have uplifted you, in front of the camera and behind it, empowering you as a creative?
Q: I’m so grateful for all the opportunities the folks at Gamma have given me to express myself creatively within the adult film genre. I’ve especially had fun with the original featurettes I’ve done for True Lesbian, Transfixed and Pure Taboo. I also had the pleasure of creating and performing in a piece of unscripted travel content for Lust Cinema last year, titled “Snow Hunt,” which was a total blast. And I have to give a shout out to my early days as a bondage model for Kink.com, where I was given the opportunity to bring some of my very own fantasies to life on screen, including the baseball-themed gangbang where I met my now husband, Michael Vegas.
XBIZ: Discuss your approach to casting and making sure everyone has a positive on-set experience.
Q: It’s deeply important to me to prioritize diversity when casting. I always want to uplift and feature BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ performers as much as possible.
For projects that I have written, such as “Back in Town” for True Lesbian and “Aged Out” for Pure Taboo, I am able to have a great deal of input when it comes to casting, but typically the studios — I primarily work with Adult Time and Disruptive Films — are making most of the casting decisions.
However, once everyone is on set, protecting the vibe to ensure that all cast and crew feel seen, heard and supported so they can bring their best selves to each shoot is always of the utmost importance. As much as adult film production is a creative endeavor, it’s important to acknowledge that some of what we do is also care work. The little things that help a performer feel comfortable and cared for are so important to what we do, and can make all the difference.
XBIZ: Do you approach gay content any differently from other content?
Q: I believe that the movies we make, especially those that depict authentic LGBTQIA+ intimacy, have the potential to save lives. Each movie is a message in a bottle to someone out there who desperately needs to know that it is okay to say gay, to be gay, to love a trans person, to be a trans person, etc.
In a world where books with LGBTQIA+ themes are being banned, and legislators are targeting the trans community, I feel it is so deeply important that we are creating media that showcases LGBTQIA+ joy, pleasure and perspectives as much as possible.
XBIZ: Talk about your working dynamic with Michael Vegas and how you balance your personal life with creative collaboration.
Q: My husband Michael and I were friends and colleagues before we became romantic partners and collaborators, so we had the chance to build a truly solid foundation before diving into an even more intimate relationship.
When we started creating content together, it was just he and I doing every single job, including performing. Shoutout to the instant pandemic classic “Quarantined With My StepDad,” which kind of started it all! Now we both manage an amazing team of folks that we absolutely adore. We see each other nearly all day, every day and amazingly, we wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m so grateful to have a partner who has so many of the same goals and desires that I have. We truly have a blast together, no matter what we are doing.
It also helps that creative collaboration is my No. 1 love language — for me there’s nothing more intimate than sharing an imagination with someone you love, and I feel incredibly blessed that Michael and I get to actually do that for a living.
XBIZ: How do you handle social marketing for both your own content and your studio shoots?
Q: Michael and I are filmmakers/artists, regardless of the specific medium we are working in or with whom we are collaborating, and at the rate and volume at which we are creating, the social marketing strategy is simply to do our best to make sure the distribution and promotion of all of our content keeps up with how much we are producing.
It’s definitely helpful that our independent work is so unique and fundamentally different from what we do with the studios. I have always loved documenting my exploration of sexuality and connecting with others who are on that same journey, which is a lot of what we do together on OnlyFans, Fansly and PegHim.com.
I’ve also really enjoyed connecting with fans via my new subscription option on Instagram, which I affectionately call the #SQuad — it’s wholesome content for folks who want to come along on all my adventures with me, and it’s just been lovely to start developing that community as of late.
XBIZ: Any upcoming cool projects that you can give us a preview of, either your own indie ventures or with studios?
Q: I am over-the-moon excited about my first feature for Wicked, which is going into production this month. It’s an erotic hero’s journey focusing on themes of transformation within power exchange relationships. You know, quintessential SQ stuff. It will be another collaboration with my partner Michael, and the cast is truly outstanding.
XBIZ: What are your grandest ambitions for 2024 and beyond?
Q: We always have so many big ideas in the works, but I am currently most excited about the possibility of doing more feature films and hopefully a music video at some point. Michael and I have recently begun development on a mainstream horror film, set in my ancestral homelands up in Southern Oregon. We are also working on a very special project that will bring together our love of nightlife, unscripted content and BDSM, so definitely stay tuned for another wild and wonderful year of Siouxsie Q magic!
Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.
