For those of you who don't follow the gay porn world (which, alarmingly, is quite a few of you when you consider who writes this thing), there's currently a bit of a shitstorm a-brewin' right now. It's basically a bit of a watered-down version of the Leno-Conan thing with a twist. Anyway, here's a basic crash course of what in the what is going on:So basically, there are a few big-name but STRAIGHT stars who are kinda mucking about right now, going in and out of "retirement" (which is pretty much code for "I'm going to take a break until people care about me again, then come back") and it's pretty much reignited the Gay4Pay debate: Whether or not straight men should be allowed to make gay porn.
Personally, I can kinda see why people would be against Gay4Pay: it's a matter of identity, about supporting people who support us. But I also know that ultimately, no matter how you dress it up and no matter what you call it, it's a paycheck. A rather unusual and non-typical paycheck, but a paycheck none the less. Anyway, here are a couple talking points that sort of express my view on the matter:
Porn is about selling sex, not sexual orientation. Porn is sex. On occasion, it's artful sex but still, it's just sex. It's about laying pipe, going balls deep, getting your dick wet, getting your rocks off...Whatever the kids are saying these days. It is not a discussion about who the stars are schtupping on the sidelines. In fact, NO job is about who you're giving it too in the privacy of your own homes. If anything, gay men should know this better than anyone. Members of the LGBT community can still be fired from their jobs based on their gender or sexual orientation, the most obvious example being the Army's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
Which is why it seems a bit disingenuous that while we are trying to obtain job security, some are perfectly content with telling Gay4Pay guys to go suck a fuck. It's not the exact same thing, but when it comes down to it, what's the difference between a lesbian getting fired from an office job or a model getting fired because he happens to like the pussy? Other than the job description, not much.
Furthermore, classifying people as straight or gay is, for lack of a better term, fucking stupid. Human sexuality has time and time again proven to be more fluid than it is solid. No one is ever 100% gay or straight, and if anything, it's a gross oversimplification of a immeasurable trait with no real absolute. Everyone is at least some degree bisexual, with the terms "gay" and "straight" being more often than not short-hand estimations of a person's orientation. If you were to ask someone who likes women if they would name a man they would sleep with, you will usually get an answer, and likewise for people who like woman. I mean really, while I identify as gay, I would still totally give it to Helen Mirren. Seriously, Rrrrrrrowr. Girl has got it going on in all the right places.
You know you would hit that.When it comes down to it, the basic ideal behind the hostility toward Gay4Pay models can be boiled down to this: "THEY TOOK YOUR JERB!" "DEY TURK YER JERB!" "DURK A DURRRRR!!!"
That's all it is really: a petty, us v. them discussion because we feel that ultimately, those jobs are rightfully ours. They're not. No one is ever entitled to a job simply by the virtue of who they are, but rather, what they are capable of doing. If you're hot and you can lay pipe with another guy while making it seem hot, by all means, be a gay pornstar. But unless the person they are fucking is you, who a star sleeps with in the privacy of their own homes is not your business.
And just to wrap up my point...One of these is a G4P pornstar. The other is an actual gay. Which would you rather sleep with?
