This interview is for "Hailing Hellions," a Q&A series where I interview sex workers (or ex-sex workers) who have modeled for me and my Sex Positivity* book project. Today's guest is Maddie Minx! This is the SFW version; click here for the SFW-version interview compendium!

*The longer title being Sex Positivity versus Sex Coercion, or Gothic Communism: Liberating Sex Work under Capitalism through Iconoclastic Art (2023). Part of an overarching movement that connects sex positivity to what I call "Gothic (gay-anarcho) Communism," Sex Positivity essentially provides a hybrid; i.e., one established between academic (Gothic, queer, game and Marxist) theories, and wherein applied theory towards universal liberation is achieved by challenging Capitalist Realism (the inability to imagine a world beyond Capitalism) at a grassroots level. To it, Gothic Communism specifically occurs through direct mutual worker action and informed intersectional solidarity relayed through Gothic poetics: BDSM, monsters, and kink, but specifically what I call "ludo-Gothic BDSM." 

General CW: BDSM, Gothic content and theatrics (e.g., rape play and death theatre), as well as sex worker abuse and bigotry of various kinds (variable per interview); discussions of sex work, underwear photos/photos of sex toys, and fascism

Concerning Images, Censorship and Permissions: All images are of the model or myself unless otherwise stated. As this is the SFW version of the interview, the images are relatively tame, cropped or censored; to see the spicier stuff each model offers, go to the NSFW version of this series on my website. Any publicly available images are exhibited for purposes of education, transformation and critique, thus fall under Fair Use; private nude material and collabs with models are specifically shared with permission from the original model(s). For more details about artist permissions, refer to the book disclaimer.

About the series: Like the book series it attaches to, "Hailing Hellions" aims to educate and critique; i.e., by raising awareness towards sex worker rights, but also gender-non-conformity through Gothic counterculture. This extends to gender identity (e.g., trans, enby or intersex) but also orientation and performance; i.e., BDSM and sex positivity through various Gothic theatrical roles that invite things beyond vanilla, heteronormative (thus conservative, reactionary and harmful) sexuality. I would consider this to be things like mommy dommes and consent-non-consent, breeding fantasies and heavy metal (e.g., Satanic material and the Gothic at large). Also, these questions are broader insofar as they cover wide praxial/poetic ideas and concepts. Regarding these, the opinions of the subject and myself are not identical, but often overlap through us collaborating together to raise awareness.

About the interviewee: Maddie is someone I met on Bluesky while looking to continue working with SWers after my book series concluded (re: "It Began with a Whisper," 2025). In short, I saw their work recently, liked it, and decided to reach out; they responded, and we went from there!

0. Persephone: Hi, everyone! My name is Persephone van der Waard. I'm a trans-woman erotic artist, sex worker, writer/author and researcher who specializes in cross-media studies; i.e., I have my independent PhD in Gothic poetics and ludo-Gothic BDSM (focusing on partially on Metroidvania).

Maddie, could you introduce yourself and share a little about yourself with our audience?

Maddie: Hi everyone! My name is Maddie Minx, and I am a non-binary content creator based in the Midwestern United States. I've been part of the kink/fetish community for a little over ten years, and I utilize many of those experiences in my sexual self-expression and erotic artistry.

1. Persephone: This book project views sex positivity as a liberating act. What does sex positivity mean to you? Illustrating mutual consent; i.e., can porn illustrate mutual consent when sex workers are constantly dehumanized by the profit motive and the status quo?

Maddie: Our society frames sex work as a form of violence or degradation against self and society, rather than denouncing the inherent violence that flourishes against sex workers when we criminalize and trivialize authentic sexual desire and expression. The violent misinformation campaign framing some sex workers as consensual vs non-consensual immediately pops into my mind as a classic dialogue that frames sex workers as inherently devious and flawed monsters if they advocate for their own autonomy and enjoyment in the work that they perform. Capitalism can't function properly if the working class accepts personal freedom and sexual liberation as a human right, and a crucial aspect of routine life. Sex and the exploration of pleasure distract us from our inherent sacrifice of self in the grind of over-productivity for corporate profits.

In this context, porn can be more than just an avenue for illustrating mutual consent and sexual enjoyment, but is also a community driven act of revolution. When we consume pleasure, we inherently give a middle finger to a class system that has declared, "Pleasure only exists within your personal obsession with creating products and profits." Porn [as we make it] is inherently a rejection of this static and exclusionary belief system: porn in all its forms is an experience, not just a product.

2. Persephone: In your mind, what is the biggest struggle facing sex workers today?

Maddie: Sex workers are experiencing a cultural and political firestorm challenging a variety of crucial rights and civil liberties: individual rights to personal privacy and physical safety, eliminating access to banking and payment services, defunding state benefits and infrastructure for trans and queer sex workers, etc. I'm not the right person to decide which issue takes precedence, but I do know that continuing to pursue the criminalization of sexual desires and the consumption of porn does not benefit the average person, or make anyone in society safer. Attacking and demonizing sex workers only benefits the most elite, with the least to lose and the most profits to gain from the resulting violence and suppression of personal autonomy.

It is vital that white, cis-het, and straight sex workers utilize their privilege to advocate for the protection and validity of all sex work, and denounce the systems of violent oppression that advocate for the elimination of trans and GNC sex workers and their families, promote ableist and fatphobic propaganda, and trivialize the violence and exploitation faced by survival sex workers.

3. Persephone: What are your thoughts on Communism vs Capitalism using Gothic poetics? Can monsters be gay Commies?

Maddie: One of my favorite parts of this project has been learning more about Gothic poetics, and its intersection with ludo-Gothic BDSM, concepts that immediately felt familiar but weren't subjects I had read much about in the last couple of years. Gothic poetics in particular speaks deeply to my own personal interest in mythology and folklore, specifically the use of intense sensory liminal experiences, and consensually violated boundaries as forms of personal defiance and autonomous deviance.

Monsters are so often used to represent the deepest fears and insecurities of the cultures and histories from which they originate. So often, these beings serve as deeply multilayered archetypes, with symbolic messaging for the story's audience (often influenced by state or religion lead propaganda or popular culture beliefs and rituals). The metamorphosis of these same, often deeply repressive, entities into revolutionary icons of autonomy and liberation has had a deep influence on my own artistry and sexual self-expression.

Sex work is such an interesting paradox in that so often I am participating in an act of self-liberation, while also seeing how others in a state of privilege or power want to reframe that moment for their own rage bait, or profit-mongering campaign. Liberation and oppression and  intentional pleasure and external fetishization existing side by side in equally complicated ways. This continual flux of co-existing realities is something that inhabits the realm of Gothic poetics and ludo-Gothic BDSM as well. Our personal connections to systems of power and violence are difficult to separate into an individualized community experience of liberated pleasure; somehow we have to find a way exist alongside both realities with intentional joy and revolution. Turns out, I've always been obsessed with gay commie monsters. I just didn't always know it.

5a. Persephone: What drew you to the project/interested you in working on it together with me?

5b. Persephone: How has that experience been for you? Can you describe it a little?

Maddie: The opportunity to participate in a community driven artistic project always grabs my attention. It's rare that I get an opportunity to intersect my creative sexual expression with a deeply intellectual examination of the evils of capitalism. I deeply appreciated seeing your commitment to mutually inclusive labor in this process, and the clear understanding that sex work is more than just a form of self-expression, but also a space the promotes genuine freedom, safety, and transformation through pleasure. My BDSM practice as a sex worker and kinkster, in particular, has been one of the most challenging and rewarding areas of therapeutic sexual practice. Getting an opportunity to synthesize some of those personal experiences with your body of research has been a deeply rewarding project to collaborate on with you.

One of the fun challenges about working as a creator in this project was capturing the perfect GNC essence for your artist reference images. The poses and tone of the images themselves were fairly standard, but I found myself really fussing about the exact placement of each and every shot. That's another reason that mutual labor and collaboration is so important. You were able to help reshape many of the images, and contextualize the details that mattered most for your creative process.

6. Persephone: If you feel comfortable talking about it, can you talk about being GNC? What does that mean to you?

Maddie: Many of my formative experiences surrounding gender and self-expression were violently binary. I wasn't able to choose the practice of authenticity until I was in my 20s, and actively trying to build a life apart from the systems of violence that shaped me. It will be a life-long journey to heal and embrace every aspect of my authentic self, but the joy that I experience having the independence and knowledge to choose my own path has been absolutely electrifying.  For so much of my life, my body and spirit felt trapped in a tightly spiraling maze of locked doors with no way forward, and no clear purpose. Embracing the complexity of my gender identity and sexual expressions reframed those dead ends as undiscovered opportunities. Prioritizing whimsy and curiosity in my sex work and kink practices has also been a crucial element of embracing my rebirth as a genuine and open person. A lot of my current work around my identity centers playfulness and surrender as key tools to affirming the complex spectrum of gender that I experience inside of myself.

7. Persephone: What do you enjoy most about sex work? What got you started in it?

Maddie: During my college years, I began to realize that there were serious physical and physiological consequences from many of my lived experiences. Chronic pain and health problems became a daily norm for me during these hectic years and I began to see how completely Capitalism fails to accommodate those who are vulnerable and unable to sacrifice their bodies and minds to the daily productivity grind. Sex work was one of the few avenues for employment that I investigated that offered genuine flexibility, and allowed me to be in control of my own labor boundaries and limits. My first summer of sex work was camming (which was not my strong suit at the time.) I also began hosting paid content pages, and slowly explored more and more avenues of utilizing my sexuality and self-expression to pay essential bills. The extra money during that stressful period was really helpful, but the joy I found in helping others enjoy unashamed pleasure (and my own shame- free enjoyment in creating porn for others) is the aspect of this work that has brought me back over and over again. I've taken breaks due to burnout and low earnings in the past, but the ability to express myself freely, accommodate my bodily limits, and build community with others who value sexual liberation has always brought me back.

8. Persephone: Do you have a favorite piece of sex work that you've done, in terms of custom material?

Maddie: It's hard to pick just one aspect of my work that is an absolute favorite, but one experience that consistently fills me with joy is creating safe and inclusive space for GNC and trans clients to explore kink and fetish driven fantasies. I want anyone who approaches me for a discussion about their desires to feel comfortable and supported throughout their experience with me. Even though I haven't always been the right provider for someone's interests, knowing that I was able to offer a door of acceptance and care always leaves my heart feeling lighter. I'm also naturally a very kinky and imagination driven being myself, so the process of creating an alternate and authentic world of exploration is deeply fulfilling in that way too.

10. Persephone: What are your thoughts on TERFs in sex work; i.e., those who devalue GNC minorities (and other marginalized groups) in the same profession?

Maddie: TERFs, and bigots of every kind deserve to be shamed, harassed, and thrown out of any and every space that has been built on the labor and experiences of marginalized and vulnerable populations. There is no room for debate, trans women are women. Trans men are men. {Other] GNC identities and sexual expressions [e.g., non-binary, intersex and neo-pronouns] are real, normal, and valid. If you don't accept our existence and inherent rights, then you are a violent, unsafe person who deserves everything horrific the universe can possibly throw at you. The same is true for any humans supporting ableism, racism, xenophobia, ageism, elitism, sexual exploitation of children, etc. There should ZERO space for these perspectives in sex work communities and creator spaces.

11. Persephone: How do you feel about billionaires? Israel and Palestine?

Maddie: This has been my internal rage dialogue lately: Eat the fucking rich and burn their manufactured empires to the ground. Defund the fucking police, and stop utilizing our tax dollars to fund genocide, war crimes, and the trafficking of marginalized children. Destroy the global speculation markets that pump personal gain and profit through the violent exploitation of others into the pockets of elites, while preaching forced poverty and starvation to the general masses. Shame and destroy the livelihoods of every fucking politician who is standing by while fascism is allowed to reign unchecked due to personal interests and dark money power lobbies. FUCK ICE.

12a. Persephone: What are some of your favorite GNC pieces of media (e.g., I love Sense8 and Heartbreak High)? Do you have any GNC role models?

Maddie: Vico Ortiz in Our Flag Means Death (2022) is a GNC icon, and their drag performances are absolutely incredible. They've given some incredibly moving interviews about their experiences as GNC individual and artist that have been really instrumental in encouraging me to embrace even more of my own identity over the last few years. I Saw the TV Glow (2025) is a recent film that also sticks out for its vivid imagery and GNC contemplations against the backdrop of toxic conformity in the American suburbs.

12b. Persephone: To that, GNC people often find their families outside of their birth families; did you have to go elsewhere for that, or is your family relatively understanding of your queerness?

Maddie: My chosen family is one of the main reasons I continue to feel that there is a positive purpose for my existence, despite the lived experiences and challenges in my past. My birth family is not very involved in any of the authentic aspects of who I am at this time. I'm slowly working on building trust with them, so I don't think that the door for authentic relationship between us is completely closed, but for now I am focused on prioritizing the human beings who accept my full self without judgement or expectations of conformity.  That's also another wonderful aspect of building community in sex work. There are so many amazing creators who have openly embraced my queerness and sexual expressions, and only want to see the best for me.

14. Persephone: There's often a strong theatrical component to sex work and BDSM; i.e., costumes, gender roles, aesthetics of power and death, music, makeup. How do these things intersect for you, and do they cross over into real life for you? For example, do you find yourself wearing similar clothing and expressing yourself sex-positively when you're not on the clock?

Maddie: I love bringing theatrical components into all aspects of my life. I took the last two years to grow out a mohawk, because I really love the gender fuckery aspect it lends to all of my personal fashion expressions. I also mask to protect myself from germs in most public settings, so using dramatic eye makeup and body glitter to highlight my tattoos is a frequent favorite accessory to bring attention to unclothed parts of my body. Artistic sexual expression is a constant in my personal and professional life. You can also see this in the diversity of my personal lingerie and gear collections. I want my sexual energy to immerse and overwhelm the senses, to completely pull the body into submission to pleasure.

15. Persephone: There's often an animal component to sexuality and gender expression, helping workers establish close bonds with each other and nature; i.e., furries, but also therians and various kinks; e.g., puppy play. How do you feel about these things, be they for work, pleasure, or both?

Maddie: Our connection to nature, and the ways that our animalistic instincts are tied to sexual desire, has been one of the most affirming areas of both my sex work and personal kink exploration. I've had the privilege to help create safe spaces for the sexual exploration of puppy play, primal dominant dynamics, and other forms of animalistic self-expression. My own journey of personal empowerment has also benefitted from being an active participant in these activities as a kink partner and polyamorous group scene participant. There is a powerful connection between the intersection of physiological headspace and physical embodiment that I find particularly calming when I feel the need to safely explore my most extreme emotions and sensory reactions tied to the traumatic experiences of my past

31. Persephone: I view sex work as an important means of de facto (extracurricular) education; i.e., entertainment, but also a means of humanizing people within the practice at large. How do you feel about this? Can we learn from art and porn as a means of humanizing marginalized groups?

Maddie: One of the most eye-opening  and humbling aspects of being able to globally connect via the internet in my sex work journey has been the first hand exposure to the routine lives of other sex workers around the world. The reality that exists in my Midwestern life is entirely alien to many of the amazing creators who engage with me as well. This diverse community of peers has inspired many of my best(and most needed) self-education and awareness moments throughout my adult life, and allowed me to experience routines and rituals outside my realm of general experience. Humanization is a foundational aspect of creating porn and the arts of sexual self-expression. Like all of our best qualities as humans, porn is very much at its best when we base our creation and consumption around human community and curiosity.

32. Persephone: I value establishing mutual trust, healthy communication and boundary formation/negotiation and respect, seeing them to be the most vital qualities in any relationship. Do you agree, and if so, why?

Maddie: One of the sayings I've found really helpful in my life is something to the effect of, "Respect should be inherent, but trust must be earned." For me, that has created a framework where my first and foremost desire is to welcome good faith participation in genuine community and relationship with others; I always want others to feel warmth and kindness from our initial interaction. I may not know you, but I believe your life has value, and you deserve to be given a chance to interact with me, without attached assumptions or expectations about what our interaction will look like. I hope to cultivate caring openness, but that does not mean I should immediately anticipate a reward for this behavior. There are no gold stars for bare minimum decency and humanity. But foundations are important. It takes time and consistency to establish genuine relationship with another human being.

33. Persephone: How do you orient and what are your thoughts on polyamory insofar as it affects your work? For the layperson/uninitiated, how would you describe the difference between a fuck buddy/FWB and other more casual relationships versus serious ones? Can people be friends and still have sex in a casual manner? What is the most valuable aspect of a friendship regardless if sex is a part of the equation or not?

Maddie: After being raised in an environment where personal sexual expression was reserved for cishet, monogamous marriages, polyamory was a relationship structure that both rejected the premise of "ownership" inherent to this model of intimacy, and also acknowledged the violent oppression of gender inclusion and queer sexual self-expression.

Polyamory on the other hand is a relationship practice that is unlike any other form of open sexual or romantic commitment. It is a relationship structure of purposeful care and commitment that centers radical transparency, community driven accountability, and equity-driven labor structures. Mutual pleasure, authentic friendship, and passionate romance are all pieces of the puzzle, but polyamory recognizes that these practices can be inherently rooted in toxic systems of power, oppression, capitalistic violence, and coercive control structures. Rejecting the premise that relationships should be state sanctioned or culturally acceptable binary dynamics has to be at the heart of any successful polyamorous community. In short, being poly is a lot of hard work. It requires that you set aside your ego on a daily basis, and actively commit to challenging your own pre-conceived expectations of mutual labor and pleasure exchanges.

While that dedication can feel daunting, I have seen firsthand how dedicating myself to cultivating a meaningful polyamorous practice has transformed my casual sexual dynamics and kinky friendships in unique and unexpected ways. Being poly has helped me understand how to communicate transparent boundaries and center the safety of others in my BDSM scenes and group experiences. Genuine intimacy is about more than just physical interactions and exchanges; being poly has honed my ability to invest meaningfully in creating whimsy, joy, and a safe space for my more casual sexual partners to ask for help or receive mutual aid when needed.

34. Persephone: If you have a partner, do they know about the work that you do? How comfortable are they with it?

Maddie: Polyamory has also been integral to finding community that enthusiastically embraces my sex work, and proactively supports me through the ups and downs of doing this kind of creative labor. It took ten years to build my current network of incredible partners, but their daily excitement to be a part of this journey with me is a gift I would not trade for any amount of money. I even have a couple cuties actively helping me with production!

38. Persephone: What are your thoughts on GNC people who are still in the closet but thinking about coming out? Where should they go and who should they talk to?

Maddie: Coming out is a uniquely individual journey, and there can be a lot of questions that don't feel easily answered. A great starting place for research is visiting your public library. There are lots of amazing databases you can utilize to access free and reliable sources of information on identity and sexual expression, GNC history, major figures, and politics, general education, health care and safety resources, etc., etc. Don't be afraid to ask a resource librarian for help requesting applicable books, or connections to local community organizations. They will protect your confidentiality, and help you locate credible service providers. Libraries will often have affordable printing services, technology and wifi access, and private reading spaces that you can utilize as well for a comfy and accessible exploration experience.

Remember to be gentle with yourself as you take yourself on this journey of self-discovery. Coming out is a process that should never be pressured into a set script or timeline. You do not need to be validated by an "expert" to be curious and radically accepting of yourself, and pursue a journey of metamorphosis and personal joy.

41a. Persephone: Does fucking to music, roleplay and other theatrical elements make sex better?

Maddie: Absolutely! Layers of detail and stimulation allow our bodies and brains to connect more deeply with our personal fantasies, and also drives our ability to connect more deeply with the sexual expression of others. Even simple elements like changing levels or colors of light, musical tones or energy rhythms, or the simple addition of certain scents or touchable fabrics can impact the way that I, a partner, or viewer experience the sexual scene around or in front of them. Pleasure can be so much more than just a series of physically stimulating movements or actions. Our environment and accompanying headspace can be crafted and shaped into deeply intimate and unique experiences of ecstasy.

47. Persephone: Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions, and also for working on Sex Positivity with me. If people want to follow you, where can they follow you and support what you do?

Maddie: Any humans interested in following along as I expand my pleasure-verse can find me on Bluesky @Maddie Minx. I've been really enjoying building an inclusive community of amazing creators there, and folks can also check out my NSFW links and ways of interacting with my content and musings.