I've been thinking of tackling this issue for a while now, but didn't know exactly how to approach it (and honestly, didn't think anyone would even be interested in hearing my views on it). But today, I read a tweet from GayPornTimes about the subject and decided to go for it.
First off, I'd like to state the fact that I generally detest labels of any kind; I believe the only purpose they serve is to put us in boxes/categories, which ultimately limit us. In the world of gay porn, there are many labels: top, bottom, twink, twunk, femme, butch, bear, daddy, jock, boy-next-door, the list goes on and on and on...But the most controversial of them all is Gay-For-Pay. For those of you who might not know, "gay-4-pay" is a term describing a straight man who performs sexual acts with other men on-camera. Yes, it sounds a bit silly - but a surprisingly large percentage of performers in gay xxx do, in fact, identify themselves as heterosexual. It obviously sells; simply take a look at some of the top gay sites of the moment: BaitBuddies, Straight Guys For Gay Eyes, Broke Straight Boys, just to name a few.
The term has always been a hot topic among fans and bloggers, for some reason, and guys like Billy Brandt (who was the first guy I saw in a gay porn, which actually lead me to consider it as a career) or Caesar have used it to add to their allure, to an extent. They've gone back & forth from "I'm gay" to "I'm bisexual" to "I'm just a sexual person" and marketed themselves that way (sometimes rather brilliantly) to keep people coming back for more. There's the element of "Is-he-or-isn't-he?" that keeps everyone talking and interested.
Billy Brandt
As a fan of gay porn (and as someone who is
"strictly dickly" myself), I agree, of course, that the
straight guy fantasy can be a huge turn-on (it's one of the main - if not
the main - fantasies gay porn consumers seek out). As someone pursuing a career in the industry - and who has researched/studied/developed an intense passion for it - I have noticed a recent backlash against performers who fall into the category of
gay-4-pay. There are currently numerous posts viciously attacking Cody Cummings on the
JustUsBoys forums; a
Randy Blue model recently retired to get married (to a female) and raise their kid, causing a wave of controversy; the recent return of Jason Adonis
is being met with some less-than-favorable opinions from fans.
Cody Cummings
From my perspective, there are a few reasons for this:
1) The old saying is true:
"You can definitely have too much of a good thing." For years, fans have lusted after the idea of the hot, unattainable porn god (think back to the success stories of guys like
Ken Ryker or
Jeff Stryker). In the past, it was somewhat of a taboo to openly admit to (or even to be rumored to) being a straight guy in gay porn (and we all know taboos create intrigue and mystery), so there were only a handful who even alluded to it. Therefore, the rare few who actually did were put on pedestals and thought of as
unique, rare gems whose public
persona's fueled the sales of thousands (well, probably more like millions) of copies of gay porn films. But, over time, the label became more accepted by the
mainstream and new
gay-4-pay guys were popping up every other day. With such a large amount emerging onto the scene, the novelty aspect of it disappears and it's simply not so fascinating anymore. It's like me eating Chinese food (which, truthfully, I love more than life) every single day for a year; eventually, I will lose interest and it won't be as special as it once was.
Ken Ryker
2) They are limited in what they can/are willing to do. As previously stated, I'm totally homosexual, but I would be lying if I said I would
never at least consider doing anything sexual with a female -
BUT it would absolutely take
alot (
no, really, I mean
ALOT) of money for that to actually happen. So, I can understand that a straight guy would look at fucking another guy pretty much the same way. It's a commonly known fact that money talks and everyone has their price, and I think it's definitely the first (if not
only) thing that attracts a
gay-4-pay guy when approached to fuck a guy in front of a camera. These guys are almost always very attractive in the conventional sense: handsome face, strong jawline, broad shoulders, ripped abs, bulging biceps; just very much the stereotypical,
"manly" image of what gay porn fans are usually interested in. So, of course most companies will throw extra
amounts of money at them in order to get them to do more and more sexually (because,
after all, that's what the consumer demands and pays for)...
This much to let a guy suck your dick.
This much to let a guy eat your ass.
This much to fuck a guy in the ass.
This much to put a dildo in your ass.
THIS MUCH to let a guy fuck you in the ass!! There are only a few gay-4-pay guys who've actually performed the latter sexual act (
Kurt Wild,who is apparently married with 3 kids, has actually been very successful/popular - AND he almost always performs as a bottom); but the average straight man will barely go beyond the former - even with the wads of cash dangling in their face. For instance, Cody Cummings has yet to even suck a dick on
his site (which is predominantly directed towards a gay audience), a fact that has caused extreme bitterness and anger among his fans (some have even gone as far as to claim he's homophobic; an idea I actually think is quite extreme and ridiculous). Yes, a guy like Cody is extremely
attractive, but according to the feedback I've read, a large portion of his fans are, to paraphrase a few members of the
JUB forums,
"tired of seeing the same scene re-shot 20 times". People inevitably become bored of seeing the same thing over and over again with little to no progression. Of course, there's always the chance that he's waiting to do more sexually with other men in order to keep your interest, as a way to achieve longevity in his career (the age-old marketing tool used by male AND female performers). Who really knows for sure??
**But, on a personal note, I'm glad sites like Cody's exist, because, while it may not necessarily be what I prefer, at least it's there for those who do enjoy it. It also proves that the gay (
and straight) industry is becoming less black & white, growing, and beginning to provide something for
every one's tastes.
Kurt Wild
3) Plain, old-fashion resentment. I genuinely believe a small amount of gay xxx fans actually view gay-4-pay guys as threats to the performers who are very open about actually being homosexual. They feel the "straights" are taking work away from the "real gays"...Now, this may or may not be the reality, but there are definitely people out there who feel this way, considering what I've personally read some people say on various blogs, forums, etc. Maybe they view it as a betrayal when a company puts a straight guy (or, god forbid, 2 or more straight guys) in a scene when loud & proud gay performers could do the same job just as easily. I don't know, it's just an idea....
Like I said from the beginning, I'm not a huge fan of putting labels on people. Unfortunately, though, it's a practice that's here to stay. Who are we, as viewers, to say "So-n-so" is straight or gay or bi in their personal lives?? It's kind of unnecessary, right?
As a fan myself, I couldn't care less what gender any of these guys prefer off-camera. If it's a hot, passionate scene - and there's at least some level of chemistry - I'm going to enjoy it, and it's really that simple.
There are openly gay performers I really like - and those I don't care for so much. On the other side of the same coin, there are
gay-4-pay performers I enjoy (Casey Monroe, who stars in the upcoming Levi
Johnston parody from
JetSet, for example, is the hottest newbie I've seen in a really long time and definitely one of my favorite guys working right now...
Quick side-note: Dear Baileey: If, by a miracle, you're reading this, PLEASE work it out that I do something with Casey somehow!! K, thnx! Bye!) - and those I avoid watching. It all comes down to personal preference and what gets you off.
Casey Monroe
I definitely believe you can be Gay-for-Pay and still be a great performer with a lasting, successful career in the business - it's probably more rare these days, but absolutely possible, as long as you're doing it for the right reasons. I have noticed, however, that the
gay-for-pay guys don't usually last that long in the business. There's a definite
revolving-door-effect going on with these guys. That could be because they look at it as just a hobby; or because they have school debts/families to support & once they make a certain amount of money, they're out; or because it's a quick ego-boost here and there.. Who knows! I am quite sure, though, that it's a case-by-case situation, and we can't really generalize it.
But I also sense a shift on the rise: I think the stigma of it is slowly returning and guys will be more hesitant to freely admit to being a
gay-4-pay performer (or just avoid the subject of their personal sexual preference all together). Then again, maybe I'm totally wrong and this backlash is all just a phase that will eventually blow over. Look at
Mark Dalton, one of the most successful G4P guys of the last decade: He's managed to build a highly successful career,
and he's only done solo masturbation scenes so far. So, there's always going to be that group of people who want to see this particular breed of performers. There's always going to be a market for them somewhere - because, as I said earlier: the "
straight guy fantasy" is, for whatever reason(s), one that will always get our gay dicks hard! Well, the majority of us, at least...
Ok, to wrap this up, I'd like to urge anyone reading this to remember these last few thoughts:
The business of porn, in essence, is meant to fulfill fantasies (whatever yours may be). It's there to stimulate you sexually (and
*ideally* maybe even intellectually on some level as well), so just seek out whatever you're into and avoid what you're not.
That's why there's such a variety of it out there; anything you could possibly be turned on by, you can most likely find it somewhere. And the performers -
yes, even the "straight" guys in gay porn - are there to help fulfill that fantasy (granted, some do it better or put more effort into it than others - but that's for YOU to decide)... And yes, of course all the behind-the-scenes drama/gossip/dirt (and maybe even the personal lives of your favorite performers) is always going to be interesting to hear about; that's just the society we live in today - but please try not to read too much into it all the time and just jack off to it!!
*Hayden*
