Leela Cherry Wong is an artist and performer whose work blends movement, identity, and personal history. After moving to Los Angeles to pursue music, she came out as a trans woman, reshaping both her life and creative path.
Today, she channels her creativity into pole dancing – an art form she describes as “like flying.” Having overcome profound challenges, Leela continues to perform and live authentically, guided by a desire for peace, artistry, and a life of her own. In conversation with Leela, we talked about sex work, porn, and life.
“I usually try to keep my sadness pent up inside where it can fester quietly as a mental illness.” – Turanga Leela (Futurama)
Can you tell us about your life story and the journey that brought you to where you are today?
Hi, I'm Leela – a TS alien, pole dancer, and adult performer. After college, I moved to L.A. to chase my dream of becoming a drummer. I was actually pretty damn good and played seriously for a while. Around the same time, I came out as trans. Unfortunately, my music career never really took off the way I hoped, so I started shooting adult videos with my bestie. At this point in my life, I should probably mention that I used to go by a different name and wasn’t a redhead. We had a blast creating content together.
Tragically, my bestie passed away from drug abuse, and everything changed. Later, I met this handsome guy who seemed perfect at first. He turned out to be a classic “Romeo pimp.” He promised to launch me as a big adult star and filmed several videos with me. But in the end, he tricked me and pushed me into street work. That’s how I ended up on the Blade. While I was there, I met my first “husband” – a street guy from the hood. He’s the one who took me off the streets and helped me get out of that life. Around that time, I started pole dancing and really fell in love with it. I learned so much from the Black strippers I worked with – they were incredible teachers and insanely skilled.
Unfortunately, I eventually broke up with him due to certain circumstances. I moved to Albuquerque to pursue new work. Biggest mistake of my life. The curtain falls here. There was a literal “blackout” period I don’t want to remember – circumstances that many wouldn’t survive. So here we are…That’s the journey that brought me to where I am today: still dancing, performing, and living life as my authentic self.
When did you first start understanding your gender identity? What has your journey as a trans woman been like?
I've never been a masculine teenager. I always struggled to build muscle mass. Doctors discovered right before college that this was due to underdeveloped testosterone levels. In my early years, I had more feminine body shapes, which pushed me to do more sports – but I ended up skinny rather than muscular. Somehow, my speed got me into track and field, and later I was invited to the college football team (American football, as it's called here in Europe) as a running back. That's the pre-history.
Every trans person approaches understanding their gender in their own way. Society often sexualizes and spreads rumors about the process instead of studying it. My journey wasn't easy. It wasn't like waking up one morning and saying, "I feel like a woman." It was filled with self-rejection and desperate attempts to find some "male trait" in myself. At the same time, I began realizing I was completely different – that I was a more beautiful creature.
I fully understood this in college, yet I still played on the football team. College years were the happiest time in my life. After college, I moved to L.A. to pursue music and came out as a trans woman. I'll never forget that evening walking down Santa Monica Blvd with my bestie – who'd come out earlier. It was a beautiful feeling of delight and lightness. That was the moment I finally understood what I'd been searching for so long.
What kinds of changes have you seen in attitudes toward trans people over the years?
Being trans has never been easy, especially in the US – and I think it never will be. Most people still don't understand us, and many sexualize us, seeing trans people as objects rather than human beings. Only a tiny few want real relationships. Trans women often end up with other trans people or cis women; relationships with men are rare. Or, like me, many prefer to be alone. Nothing happens if you're alone – you never disappoint or get disappointed.
Of course, Western and Nordic Europe are the most tolerant toward trans people and have done a lot for us. The latest European Parliament resolution (February 2026) recognizes that "trans women are women and trans men are men" – a huge legislative step. Another resolution treats transphobic and homophobic behavior as felonies, a big win for the LGBTQ+ community. However, some Eastern European countries (and especially Hungary) still pursue transphobic/homophobic policies, probably influenced by Russian/USSR-era attitudes.
In the US, everything has rolled back: gender markers and names in documents, many trans/LGBTQ+ hotlines closed, prescriptions for HRT stopped in many Southern/Red states. Trans inmates are now often transferred to men's jails. You can't imagine how many people celebrate and joke about it. Great Britain has aligned with TERF/gender-critical views – J. K. Rowling has spent millions supporting that.
That's the official side. But people are people. Everyone has their own opinion, and that's fine – as long as it doesn't harm anyone.Please have your opinion; we just want to exist and be safe.
You are a sex worker and previously worked in the porn industry. Did working in porn change how you see yourself or the world?
Working in porn and sex work showed me both sides – the empowerment of owning my sexuality and body, but also how the industry can reduce people to fantasies. It made me see myself as resilient and desirable, but also highlighted how society still objectifies trans women. It didn't change my core self, but it sharpened my boundaries and self-worth.
However, I liked that period, but I never wanted or saw myself as a big, influential porn star.I'm more like Mira Star (Omicron Ceti) than the Northern Star (Polaris) – cyclical, miraculous, fading and flaring bright again, never fixed in place.
What impact do you think the growing influence of porn in society has on us?
Okay. Let’s try to understand why people watch porn – and how that experience has changed from the pre-smartphone era to now.
People watch pornography for a mix of biological, psychological, and social reasons. That hasn’t really changed. At the core, it’s still about pleasure, curiosity, fantasy, escape. Porn offers a quick and reliable way to access desire – without needing another person. For some, it’s about exploration, especially when you’re younger and trying to understand sex, bodies, or your own fantasies. For others, it becomes a way to cope – to deal with stress, loneliness, anxiety, or just boredom. It can be soothing, distracting, even numbing.
What has changed is everything around it.
Before smartphones, porn felt more like an event – something you sought out, often with a sense of guilt or secrecy. There were clearer boundaries. Now, it’s just part of the digital environment. Always there, always accessible, always one click away. It’s less special, but also more constant – and for some people, more compulsive.
Because of that, the experience has shifted. The reasons we watch haven’t changed, but the frequency, the intensity, the age people start, and how normalized it all is – that’s completely different. For many, it’s still harmless, something occasional. But for others, it becomes a coping mechanism in a world that’s already overstimulating.
Lately, influencers like Andrew Tate have started using violent porn as a kind of “education” for young men – pushing ideas like “you’re the master, women submit.” When kids are first exposed to porn at 9–13, they don’t always have the context to question it. They absorb it as reality. Back then, exposure usually came later – mid to late teens, maybe through magazines, something slower, more indirect.
The industry itself just produces what people want. I don’t blame it – it’s like blaming a machine gun for killings. The real shift is in how porn is being consumed and interpreted. The line between fantasy and reality has blurred, especially for younger audiences. And that’s where the problem starts – not necessarily with porn itself, but with the way it’s framed and reinforced by influencers and toxic ideas about masculinity.
You perform as a pole dancer and travel around the world. How do you relax and spend your free time between shows?
I'm trying to sleep more, take a good rest, and relax. Sightseeing, of course. Or just being near the pool, sea, or ocean.Sometimes I like to be alone. Sometimes I prefer to be among good people.
Why is pole dancing so important to you? What do you get out of it?
I've always wanted to be a dancer/artist/musician – to create something beautiful. Pole dancing is important to me because it’s probably the only place where I feel real satisfaction. I'm not dancing, I'm flying – at least in my mind.
What are you most proud of in your life?
I am proud that I found the strength to be reborn after very terrible turns in my life.
What do you dream of?
I dream of having my small house in Spain, growing a rose garden, and finally having pets – a dog and a cat.
Where can we see you dancing?
I participate in different showcases and contests across Europe, including at IMPI Studio in Helsinki. The nearest upcoming contest in Finland is Fifty Shades of Heels.
It's very hard to find work as a stripper – even for a fully transitioned trans woman in European strip clubs. Clubs tend to be more conservative and prefer dancers who sell champagne and engage in consummation (table-side entertainment) rather than focusing on pure dance shows/performances.
Follow Leela’s Instagram, YouTube, OnlyFans, or Twitter (X) to see post tour updates and her latest dancing videos.