In the past couple weeks, the controversy over bareback porn reared its head again. The announcement by Lucas Entertainment that they were starting a bareback line of films (after many years of intense criticism of performers who bareback and studios who filmed it) seemed to be the spark that reignited that controversial fire. The announcement that Porn Superstar Trenton Ducati had been signed as their first bareback exclusive star added to the chatter… both positive and negative.
My first point is about bareback versus condom porn in general. I find it interesting that we only find condom-less porn as being taboo in the gay porn culture. The majority of straight porn has been bareback for years, and with much less talk and scorn for its stars. Bareback straight porn is the norm, and no one seems to question that. In the gay world, after our ranks were decimated by HIV/AIDS in the past decades, we developed an extreme sensitivity to illness exposure and for some reason it was deemed that porn should be forced to carry the burden of being the role model for gay sex. While I understand that porn has an opportunity to teach a lesson, we need to remember that’s not the main reason it exists. PORN IS CREATED TO ENTERTAIN AND PROVIDE A FANTASY, not necessarily as a tool for social activism.
The next point on which I pondered after Trenton’s recent move to bareback porn, has to do with public disclosure of a porn star’s HIV status. Trenton talked about making responsible, informed decisions as to who he will or won’t film with, and caught a lot of negative comments with his first bareback flip-flop scene partner choice of Blue Bailey. As I read through the public comments section of one of the porn blogs that talked about the scene, the commenters spouted mostly gossip, rumor and shock. Many of the folks were making huge assumptions and leaps calling Trenton HIV positive simply because he shot bareback porn, or because of who he chose to shoot with. My point? Unless you are actually having sex with him, his status whether negative or positive, does not directly concern you. Each of us in the industry make informed decisions as to what risks we are willing to take, and act accordingly. A performer’s HIV status is no one’s business except their own and their sex partners both in front of and behind the camera. Again, PORN IS A FANTASY created to entertain, so as long as you enjoy seeing the activities on-screen, then it is serving its purpose.
My third point is this. If bareback porn offends you, DON’T WATCH IT. Here’s another example… While country music isn’t something I enjoy, I don’t rally against it and try to force others not to listen to it. I just choose to change the station to a different type of music. As a consumer, that’s what we can do. Watch what you enjoy, and ignore the rest. But it is not your right to force me to only watch what YOU think is appropriate. I’m not going to limit your choices, so don’t try to limit mine.
My final announcement and point is that I am now also filming both condom and bareback porn. As this article is being published, I am actually on set filming a bareback scene with my special buddy Mike Dozer (@mikedozerxxx). He and I have an amazing chemistry, enjoy each other immensely on and off the set and wanted to take our connection and put it on film. Does me shooting bareback mean that my HIV status will be questioned? YES, unfortunately it will. I can say that I just tested again 7 days ago for a shoot I have in a week with a condom using studio, and I am still HIV negative, not that its anyone’s business but mine and my sex partners. Am I being irresponsible by choosing to film bareback? No, I am choosing based on my own research and the information I have, to do something that I WANT TO DO with scene partners that I WANT TO DO. I am continuing as I always have to take whatever level of risk (or lack thereof) I am comfortable with, and producing FANTASY material for the public to enjoy. I am not attempting to convince everyone to have bareback sex, and I am not saying anyone else should stop using condoms. Will I have people angry and upset that I am choosing to film bareback as well as condom porn now? OF COURSE I WILL. And I tell those folks this: Watch what you want to watch, just like I will film what I want to film. There’s enough porn out there for everyone!