Category: News

August 14, 2015

Trans Adult Industry Foundation (TAIF) Created to Support Its Community

Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles based non-profit organization, Trans Adult Industry Foundation, Inc. (TAIF), launched this week. The Board of Directors are advocate and educator Buck Angel, Grooby owner Steven Grooby, and Grooby Marketing Director Kristel Penn.

“Giving back is a very important part of my work so joining with TAIF was a no brainer,” said educator and adult industry veteran Buck Angel. “We as adult entertainment producers and performers have been shunned by some LGBTQ organizations when we have tried to donate our money. This makes me sad because essentially they are saying, ‘your money is not good enough to save lives.’ So with that came TAIF, and something good came out of a negative. Excited to see the future of TAIF and helping our community. #gratitude.”

“We’ve a long standing history of promoting and donating to causes that are related to our specific niche and I’ve nurtured a few ideas on how we can ‘give back’ to our community without being able to bring them to fruition,” said Grooby founder Steven Grooby. “TAIF has taken the best of our previous ideas and is also born out of frustration on wanting to get funds to those most in need, with some charities refusing to accept money from adult companies. Buck, Kristel, and I are looking forward to reaching out to other companies, models, and fans and have some cool fundraising ideas, as well as funneling a portion of Grooby’s profits directly to the foundation.”

Board of Directors Buck Angel, Steven Grooby, and Kristel Penn had been brainstorming for nearly a year before creating TAIF. All agreed on the importance of providing assistance to groups who support trans performers in the adult industry and believed a non-profit organization was the most effective way to ensure funds are distributed where needed. Any contributions made through TAIF will be listed on its website with full transparency. Companies in the adult industry who want to work with TAIF should contact Kristel Penn at kristel@grooby.com.

Lawrence Walters, Esq., General Counsel to the Foundation, applauded the effort, saying, “The trans community will be well-served by this clearinghouse for effective donations, and the Directors are committed to raising the necessary funds to make a difference.”

Trans Adult Industry Foundation (TAIF) raises money, by fundraising and corporate sponsorships, to distribute funds directly to charitable organizations that provide life-affirming support services to the transgender population. This includes, but is not limited to, groups who work in housing, call centers, emergency shelters, and advocacy. The intention of TAIF is to provide resources to trans people, with a specific focus on the needs of the performers in our community. For more information, visit TAIF.org.

Please note as TAIF is not yet a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, any contributions to the organization are not deductible for federal income tax purposes as charitable contributions.

July 30, 2015

Grooby to Participate at AIDS Walk Los Angeles on October 11, 2015

Los Angeles, CA – Trans erotica company Grooby announced they will be participating in the AIDS Walk Los Angeles hosted on October 11, 2015.

“We found out too late about this walk last year, so we had it penciled in well in advance,” said Grooby owner Steven Grooby. “It’s a great opportunity to help fund raise for cause that is close to the hearts of many of us working in the adult industry as we almost all know people have been lost to HIV related issues in the past, or are living with it in the present. I’d like to invite any of our models, our members, other industry or anyone at all to join our team and walk with us.”

The AIDS Walk Los Angeles primarily benefits AIDS Project Angeles (APLA) and also supports more than 20 L.A. County AIDS service organizations through the Community Coalition Initiative (CCI).

Those interested in donating or walking with Team Grooby, can visit their official page here: https://la.aidswalk.net/grooby

Founded in 1996, Grooby is based in Los Angeles and the leading producer of transgender erotica. Operating over 30 membership websites, the company has numerous popular DVD lines released with Third World Media and operates the GroobyNetwork.com, which gives models an unique opportunity to own and manage their own solo site. For more information, visit Grooby.com.

The company also hosts the annual Transgender Erotica Awards held in Hollywood, CA. Now in its eighth year, the event celebrates the accomplishments of the trans adult community. More information can be found at TheTeaShow.com.

July 28, 2015

An All-Transgender Modeling Agency Is Coming To Los Angeles

By Jamie Feldman | July 28th, 2015

Transgender supermodel Andreja Pejic may soon be getting a whole modeling agency’s worth of competition.

Thailand’s leading Apple Model Management announced it will open an all-transgender modeling agency in Los Angeles this summer.

Filmmaker Cecilio Asuncion, whose 2012 documentary “What’s The T?” followed the lives of five transgender women, will head up the operation.

Asuncion, center, with six transgender models signed to Apple Model Management.

“Our strong commitment to developing them as successful models is never about quantifying or qualifying their gender,” he told The Advocate. “It’s never a question of if they are women or men, it’s about their passion and commitment to being the best possible models they can be.”

The agency has not fully launched yet, but Asuncion, who linked up with Apple Model Management while filming “What’s The T?,” told the The Huffington Post he’s thrilled to get to work.

“We’re very excited to do work with these amazing women and men and to see the amazing talent LA has to offer. At Apple Model Management, you’re a model first, and a trans person second.”

Claudia, one of the models already signed with Apple Model Management.

High fashion powerhouses like Barney’s New York and Vogue have recently featured transgender models, proving the industry is making an attempt to be more inclusive. But just like the fashion world’s struggles with achieving widespread racial diversity, it takes more than just a few people to make an impact.

“I feel that [the fashion elite] are people who are already ‘on the team,'” Tim Gunn told The Huffington Post last year after Barney’s used a cast of transgender models in a campaign. “I think it could be more impactful if Target or Kmart were to do such a thing.”

With a whole agency’s roster to choose from, perhaps more mainstream brands will hop on board.

Read more about Apple Model Management on Huffington Post & Jezebel