When I first got into the adult-film business about 12 years ago, one of the most confusing things my agent asked was whether I “did interracial.” I was completely baffled. So the old man clarified: “Do you do black guys?” I was shocked at what seemed a racist question. As I sat on his dusty couch in a small, smoke-filled office, it suddenly felt like I was in another era: the black-and-white one.

I timidly answered: “Sure, I guess so. I don’t know what the difference is. It’s just skin color.”

Today, I know that on-camera race relations are a complicated topic—particularly the way they have been translated in porn’s fantasyland.