Safety First: TEAs Gears Up for Digital Show Sunday Night

LOS ANGELES—The glossy, commemorative programs were printed, the red carpet was vacuumed and the trophies had been sculpted. Nomination videos were fine-tuned and the posters with sponsor logos awaited display at the Avalon nightclub in Hollywood.For the past 11 years, the Transgender Erotica Awards had been the most anticipated event of the year in the trans porn industry, and the 2020 show on March 15—perhaps more than any of its predecessors—would be no different.“There was definitely a lot of excitement,” executive producer Kristel Penn said. “Everyone always looks forward to the TEAs.”If only it could’ve been three days earlier.Instead—72 hours before the stars and paparazzi were to arrive at the red carpet—Avalon owners notified Penn and TEAs founder Steven Grooby that they were following California Gavin Newsom’s advice and canceling all events for the rest of the month because of COVID-19.As frustrating as it was, Grooby and Penn said they understood the decision and had already started contacting performers the night before to tell them to hold off on travel.“We wanted to be safe,” Penn said. “Our event is one that is very touchy. People want to hug and celebrate. We were going back and forth, talking about the safety risks and the responsibility we had to protect our community.“Still, I was conflicted, because selfishly I still really wanted there to be a show.”Two months later, there will be.The best in trans porn will be celebrated Sunday when an online version of the TEAs airs on grooby247.com at 7 PST.As was the plan for the live event, adult icon Domino Presley will be the show’s Mistress of Ceremonies for the pre-recorded program, which will be free to viewers and available for replay on various platforms.Grooby initially hoped to reschedule the live show in Hollywood for this summer, but once COVID-related restrictions were enhanced, he realized an internet version of the awards was the next-best thing.“So many performers and their fans are waiting to hear the results,” Grooby said, “so moving forward with a digital show seemed like the right thing to do.”