Adult film actors give insight to gay porn
While reviewing the elaborate lies on his résumé, Joey from Friends once professed that, if a director needs you to do something, you say you can do it and figure out how to actually do it later. While Joey was not talking about porn, an adult-industry-oriented on-campus event Tuesday night echoed the same mentality.
Both ways · Tuesday’s “Gay For Pay” brought together members of the gay porn industry including three actors of varying sexual orientation. - Leah Thompson | Daily Trojan
As a part of USC’s Five Days of Going Both Ways bisexuality-awareness week, Professor Chris Freeman moderated “‘Gay for Pay’ in the Porn Industry,” a panel that featured working professionals in the increasingly popular gay porn industry. The twist — some of these actors are straight.
Neither excitement nor curiosity was curtailed as actors Nicco Sky, Wolf Hudson and Reese Rideout took the stage in the dimly lit Montgomery Ross Fisher Building to describe their work and answer questions about how they ended up in such unlikely situations. They were accompanied by Kim Kyser and Randy Blue, both of whom are involved in the directing and managerial side of the porn business.
Hudson, who identifies as straight and has been acting in gay porn for about three years, said despite what viewers might assume, the performance itself is “totally non-sexual … It’s always very mechanical.”
As an actor who has worked in both gay and straight porn, Rideout noted that, while his personal relationships are straight, he prefers working in gay porn because the directors and producers are more respectful of the men.
“It’s actually a more comfortable setting. You’re treated more like an actor and less like a prop,” he said.
All the actors agreed that the transition from straight to gay porn acting is not as strange as it seems. They were also adamant in clarifying that, while many actors on that side of the industry are straight, nothing is forced upon them.
Blue, who owns his own gay porn production company, said it is up to the actors to decide whether or not to be in his films.
“If it’s not your thing, it doesn’t make good porn,” he said. “There are a lot of desperate people out there who will do literally anything for quick money. That’s not what we do here … Maybe one out of 100 guys backs out after we hire them. Most people want to do what they’re doing.”
Kyser, who works predominately with a style called reality porn also noted that “actors usually come with a list of dos and don’ts.”
Still, there’s no denying such a lifestyle must have some negative consequences on the panelists’ personal lives. Right?
“As far as your relationships go, you can never tell, at least in the beginning, how someone’s going to react to your job,” Rideout said.
Some panelists had told their families about their work, while others had not. Still, they relayed various anecdotes about their families, which revealed that most of their loved ones were more supportive of their decisions than we might initially think.
For the most part, all five panelists agreed that the impact that working in the gay porn industry has had on their lives has been positive. Sky, a young gay actor who is still relatively new to the business, explained that being in gay porn pushed him to overcome many self-confidence issues that he struggled with as a teenager. The demand of gay porn in particular for a certain kind of physique also introduced him to regular exercise, which he now says “is like therapy for me. It’s definitely a big part of my life since I began working in porn.”
All three actors also agreed that, while porn is an industry in which job security is only guaranteed when young, they don’t feel pressured by the age limits, as they do not see porn as a career.
“I’m not afraid of getting older,” Sky said. “I’m just glad I’m having these experiences while I’m still young.”
Blue said he takes pride in the fact that his work places an emphasis on safe sex and sexual education. The use of condoms is at the actor’s discretion, but he also said it is not uncommon for an actor to leave the job knowing more about safe sex practices than he did before.
The testimonies of the panelists certainly go a long way toward dispelling any notions that straight actors performing in the gay porn business are coerced into doing so or else doing so miserably for the sake of the extra money. The actors are relaxed, the producers are proud of what they create.
“It’s always fun,” Kyser said. “We don’t take ourselves seriously at all”.
The ‘gay porn’ industry is actually crawling with straight guys looking to make money. Yes, there is some fake straight guy porn by some studios looking to cater to that, but alot of it isn’t. Sexual feelings, and committing a sexual act aren’t the same thing. There are gay guys have sex with women, and some of them even enjoy it for what it is, even if sexual attraction isnt involved.
We’re going to need a massive rethinking of sexuality/identity issues, and I find the most resistant to it, are many gay people themselves, and insecure straight males. Interesting
The “Gay For Pay” thing is a mith, they are all gays with no dignity.
Have any of you read the mission statement of the university? Because again I fail to see how glorifying any aspect of the porn industry is contributing to the “noble” goals stated in USC’s own “words.” The “professor” who did this should have to answer for this misuse of the university’s NAME.
To turn this around on you, if you want to watch gay porn, go do so. Don’t have a panel discussion on it and publish it in the newspaper where we all have to read about it too. Seriously, you can’t publicize an event and then get pissed because people comment on it. We have that right, too.
And PS to “G” — that whole “it’s not a choice” thing is not by any means proven. Repeating it over and over again won’t make it so, either.
Diane, you seem to lead such a sad little life.
You do realize that at least 10 professors at USC perform research and academic analysis of pornography and various aspects of the porn industry? And that TALKING about any issue is NOT the same as “glorifying” it? And that the professor involved was in no way responsible for planning, organizing, or paying for this event?
No one forced you to read this article, princess. You chose to read it of your own free will–and based on your commenting history on this site, you seem to be extremely enthralled with all articles remotely related to GLBT issues. Perhaps you are having a bit of a crisis of identity? A bit “bi-curious” now, are you?
As for the “choice vs. not choice”–you do realize that by calling homosexuality a choice, that (by definition) makes HETEROsexuality a choice as well…So by your standards, heterosexual relationships are just as “unnatural” as any same sex relationships. Oh those unnatural, heterosexual-by-choice heathens!
I didn’t go to the panel but know enough about the industry to tell you that most of what you heard was bullshit. I think it’s a legit question to ask, why did you have porn performers that identify (publicly at least) as straight?
I think you can have a good discussion about the industry and their performers but not with this panel. Considering that Randy Blue’s primary marketing tool is claiming these guys are straight and having gay sex. In that sense it is a fetish in the respect that some men fetishize straight men and that is the market “Blue” is aiming for.
Was anyone forced to attend this panel discussion? I doubt it. Those people with a stick up their butts need to grow up. Nothing happens in a vacuum, least of all, education. From a sociological and psychological perspective, this subject matter totally appropriate. Way back in the 80’s, as part of a project for a Sexuality and Society course, I moderated a panel discussion on stripping. Some clueless observer could realistically be appalled, and they would remain clueless. This panel wasn’t part of a particular course, so I fail to see what the big deal is. All aspects of human sexuality are fair game as it applies to understanding the human species. A university is the place where that undertaking can occur without the constraints of some arbitrary moral hang-ups.
Exactly, Jimmy. :) No one was forced or required to attend this event. Nor was it even held at a central location on campus. It was open to anyone who wanted to attend. This campus hosts hundreds of events each semester and people are free to pick and choose which events they want to attend.
So if you don’t want to hear about gay porn, don’t attend the event. It isn’t harming you in any way.
Here is what I don’t get about the program at USC — if the week is about bisexuality, why invite a group of supposedly “straight” guys who have gay sex on film? What does that have to do with healthy attitudes toward bisexuality?
Bisexuality comes in many different combinations. A bisexual male could have 90% of their sexual and emotional relationships with a person of the opposite sex and maybe 10% of the time with someone of the same sex. I know many bisexual men who have emotional “dating type” relationships with women, but every once in a while want to have sex with men for the feeling. If you asked the pornstars what bisexuality is, they’ll probably tell you its 50/50 male and female sexual desire. That only describes a very small minority of bisexuals.
It should be noted that Reese Rideout has a conflict of interest since he works for Randy Blue who was also part of this panel. Of course, he’s going to say whatever meme Randy Blue wants him to say since Randy writes the checks.
How many of these supposedly G4P pornstars have come out of the closet? Gay porn actor Mason Wyler was marketed as straight by Corbin Fisher. Gay porn actor Leo Giamani was marketed as straight by Randy Blue, when in real life he’s bisexual. This list could go on and on.
I think they should promote a bestiality week too. Provide some donkey shows, and have a panel discussion to the merits of having a quadruped sexual partner.
“Justmetoo” (I don’t appreciate the name game),
Your student activity fee didn’t pay for this event. It was paid for by the students who were interested in the event and either helped plan it or attended the event. If you don’t like it, fine. Attend a different event and get your money’s worth there.
And sexual orientation is NOT the same as sexual fetishes and paraphilias. Trying to compare any sexual orientation with bestiality is evidence of your astounding ignorance and lack of intelligence, logic, and originality.
What is it that you find so threatening about the Gay for Pay event? Is it that the panelists were men who perform for gay male porn? Would you feel the same way if the panel was made up of women who perform lesbian sex acts for porn? Doubtful.
Same sex relationships are in no way, shape, or form related to pedophilia, bestiality, or any other form of sexual paraphilia. Same sex partners are capable of consenting and entering into legal, binding contracts with each other. They are capable of being in equal, loving relationships and freely consenting to such relationships. None of those characteristics are true of adult-child relationships–or “bestiality.”
As for your suggestion, it sounds like a bestiality event would be far more sexually exciting for you than the gay porn event. Exactly how long have you been fornicating with animals?
College need to stop charging student activities fees for this crap. What a waste of money.
Tim, to an extent, I agree with you. While this specific event perhaps didn’t fit so well with the theme of the week, many of the other events did a great job addressing the issue. This event in and of itself was provocative and informing, even if it wasn’t in keeping with the week.
I am proud of the fact that USC even had a bisexuality awareness week. It is really misunderstood, and it is frustrating to feel like I have to constantly explain myself and my orientation to people who don’t understand. As you said, people assume that being bisexual makes someone hypersexual, when that isn’t true at all. People like Tila Tequila are NOT representative of the majority of bisexual individuals, and it is infuriating to be associated with images like that. Being bisexual does not mean you are overly sexual or that you want to have multiple partners at the same time or that you are incapable of forming committed, monogamous relationships. Being bisexual DOES mean that you could be physically/spiritually/emotionally attracted to someone of either gender–it means that you can fall in love with a man or a woman, that their gender is not the deciding factor in whether or not you have a romantic relationship with them.
I am not ashamed of being bisexual. I am proud of the way GLBTA has brought issues like this to the forefront this year. I am proud of the way they have made LGBT’s feel safer on this campus. Indeed, members of GLBTA are the reason I finally found the courage to come out in the first place. So I am deeply grateful to them for the work they are doing here at USC and the way they are trying to raise awareness and increase the sense of community and safety for LGBT students here.
So props to you, GLBTA. You all are fantastic. :)
The real tragedy here is that bisexuality is often misunderstood, and bisexuals are discriminated against by both gays and straights. This discussion does nothing to further the understanding or advance the dialog about bisexuality. None of the participants even self-identify as bisexual. One of the common misconceptions about bisexuals is that they are hypersexual and will have sex with just about anyone. To hold a panel discussion with straight porn actors who have homosex does nothing to create “bisexuality awareness” only helps to fuel this myth. A major diversity awareness fail for USC.
wolf hudson is lying. reese is lying. they r gay. reese came out at the cybersocket awards and said he’s gay. if u get an erection w/ a guy while having sex and u orgasm from it – u r gay. the allure of the “straight” guy crossing over is completely manufactured. go ask straight guys in porn like keiran lee, james deen or mr. pete if they can get it up with a dude ONLY. no.
straight men who do straight porn. if they do gay porn, they are not straight. sorry.
hello, i am not a student at the university but i am a huge gay porn fan but i have to say it angers me sometimes when these “gay for pay” actors say that it is all mechanical and not personal. i have to believe when you are kissing someone and having sex it is not mechanical. i understand if they have a hard time performing but to use that is a miserable excuse. reese rideout was “unzipped” magazine’s man of the year in 2009 and he was in numerous clubs and events and was hanging around these clubs getting drunk and partying. reese is a guy who loves gay porn and really truly speaks highly of it and let’s be clear gay porn is not even talked about half the time and never discussed in the mainstream media. as to the demeaning part of it i have to say no one is shoving a gun to their heads saying okay you guys will have sex or something bad will happen. i think it is weird that with the industry that women control the straight side and get paid more then any male actor and when you go into gay porn the man is pay more because gay porn is considered a niche market and not really put out there. but, when you look at things gay porn does have a great thing going for it because to be honest some women watch gay porn and like the fantasy of two men having sex. women loved the series “queer as folk”. i mean there is one bad thing about the gay porn industry that has become very popular over the last few years and that is barebacking. a lot of new companies are promoting this part of the industry and it is really damaging the people who watch the movies because now they see two men having unprotected sex as opposed to having safe sex. but, all things considering gay porn is not hurting anyone and if it is a means to take care of bills and to pay for school so be it but i think a lot of these guys are gay and are not willing to accept the lifestyle yet but we will see in the future.
Good for you, Diane. You stick by your guns, Lady!
The preoccupation with abnormal and foreign life styles is the result of Stephen Sample’s inabilitiy to finish a sentence without using the word, “diversification.” USC now has a divirsification of everything but a single pillow-fluffing political outlook. I’m sure glad I’m not having to pay what today’s students have to pay to have the wool pulled over their eyes. I’d be particularly offended when that wool turned out to be cotton. Please tell me, Diane, if you ever have a notion to take up with older men. I have a notion you might work out quite nicely.
Jax4usc
Journ, ’58
Too bad there weren’t people there to call out some of these guys on their BS especially Randy Blue. 80% of gay for pay porn is bs, some companies even have people that will coach you on how to be gay for pay. Sorry Wolf I’ll take the DaVinchi institute’s study about bisexuality over your manfactured garbage any day. Of the sample group of men they examined more then 75% were aroused by male/male porn while the rest of the men were aroused by only straight porn. Wolf you identified as straight then how come you told Michael Lucas on camera that you were bi and went to clubs to pick up men. Wolf didn’t start out in straight porn and frankly the only straight porn he does is low budget garbage. Wolf having sex with men on camera is sexual bub. If you really feel that way then please leave gay porn once and for all. Stop begging your fans to vote for you for every gay award that is out there, stop coming to pride events and please don’t patronize the community by doing the NO8 pictures for publicity. Once your contract at Cocky Boys ends just leave.
Randy Blue considering you marketed Leo Giamani as a gay for pay man, no one should take a word you say seriously. Rob (his real name) was a out man on the east coast who left his male partner to get into the business. “Many of the actors in gay porn are straight” Oh Randy, why do you continue to to fabricate this stuff. I’ve seen a number of your performers out a bars, clubs, and around town with boyfriends and their real life voices and demeanor are nothing like what you film on screen.
Most of the guys that do male/male scenes are gay, claim bi but are gay, addicts, or very very desperate. Sexuality is not discussed and a number of these websites have current/former models act as mentors to these guys to get them to do more sexually.
I wish someone would have asked about being an escort (prostitute). Most of the men in the gay porn industry are escorts. It would have been fun to have asked the performers about if they were worried about future repercussions from doing porn. One of Mr. Blue’s signature models was begging for money on a porn blog because he couldn’t find work in his previous career due to his involvement in porn.
About 90% of what you get from the porn world including blogs, websites, and yes probably this forum is made up. You REALLY don’t want to know the truth about the industry.
This is exactly the kind of “educational activity” that gives rise to scorn directed at academia…and with damn good reason. Pornography is demeaning and inhuman, but even if you think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, this is patently ridiculous as an educational event. Good grief. The professor who arranged it has nothing more to offer his students than the insights of gay porn actors? Really? Why even bother getting a degree? You can engage in some socially redeeming pastime (like gay porn) and come share your great wisdom with college students.
While we’re at it, why a bisexual awareness week? How about a pedophilia awareness week? That’s just a sexual choice, too? Or bestiality week? My point is, why do we have to have a week to celebrate someone’s sexual inclinations? That’s… stupid. Why do we have to hear about who you’re having sex with?
Diane,
While I respect your right to your beliefs, did you at least attend this event?
If not, then how can you say that the event was “uneducational.”
As someone who was there, the event was in fact academic, and dealt with a provocative subejct matter in an appropriate manner. The professor served only as a moderator and did not arrange the event. Bashing of his background and his degree is completely unwarranted.
Furthermore, and this one might go completely over your head, but sexual orientation is NOT a choice.
Fight on Diane, fight on!