Top 10 QComments
Before you get riled up about the men above barebacking, they're not. It's Justin Christopher fucking Max Schutler in "Mirage" using Raging Stallion's "reduced visibility condoms" developed by Raging Stallion president Chris Ward. It's barebacking light: all the visual pleasure with none of the risk. We're posting it because many of this week's top 10 QCommentors had strong opinions on barebacking as raised in last week's Top 10 and the Dustin Lance Black video.
First, let's start with Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning screenwriter for Milk. Despite some comments made against our doing so, we do not consider posting naked pictures of his consensually made sex-tape as a "tearing down" of a positive gay figure. Yes, puritanical America thinks all sex should be kept behind closed doors and that any celebrity with their cock on camera is a "bad role model," but that's old-fashioned. We actually like Dustin Lance Black and didn't post his sex pics just for prurience or increased traffic, but to acknowledge that he's a beautiful man who likes to fuck. We'd be derelict in our duty as a porn blog if we didn't post them and have been consistently opposed to the idea that sex on film should disqualify anyone from public success.
You may think our position naive or disingenuous, but the fact that Leo Giamani, Colton Ford, Francois Sagat and other porn stars have achieved some mainstream success in modeling, acting, and music despite their porn pasts shows how this attitude is slowly changing. Mr. Black has explained himself, apologized for the pics, and kept his already scheduled public appearances. If anything, the pics render him more of an honest-to-goodness gay man complete with weaknesses, desires, and contradictions. What he filmed, many men (gay or straight) do everyday... he's no different from them and that reality won't likely prevent him from continuing a successful path.
But we'll get off our soapbox and let the QCommentors have at it. First, BklnQueer disapproved of Mr. Black's barebacking (or would that be bareblacking?) for the message it sends:
Lance is one of the Grand Marshals of the NYC Gay Pride Parade this year. While he should be lauded for Milk, showing off barebacking (anyone who tapes anything has to know at some level it's going to surface in the public sphere) is simply a message of death and is not what that proverbial kid Lance addressed at the Oscars needs to see a role model engaged in. Mixed messages? You bet it is. He needs to own up to this fast, say it was stupid (no matter what the circumstances of his relationship were), and press for safe sex loud, clear, and unambiguously.
H. Davila had a similar sentiment in response to last Week's Top 10, although, unlike BklnQueer, he called out barebacking porn studios for promoting "unsafe sex":
What 2 adults do in the privacy of their intimacy it's up to them...BUT, these sites that endorse, promote and condone unprotected gay sex are doing a dis-service to the gay community. After decades of stride, thousands of deaths and still no cure for AIDS, what is the point of thinking HIV and AIDS are not walk in the park? I do feel really upset when these sites hurt the minds and misinform young gay adults who need guidance. Shame on you for promoting unsafe sex. Why these sites do not come up with pictures and forums of these "actors" and models 5-10yrs from now to see how healthy they are? Self-destructing behavior and denial doesn't get you anywhere good. I am a 100% gay, masculine and proud of it. I live an active and healthy way of life with no need of drugs or worry about diseases because I was lucky enough to get well informed and protect myself. You can still live a life of great pleasure and lots of sex without putting one of others in danger. It's the mature and responsible thing to do...I do not buy porn from bareback studios either...
We're curious what our QCommentors make of the picture above. Raging Stallion has said that "DVD's [with "reduced visibility condoms"] will be including footage on special features of the discs that prove that condoms are being used. And a viewer with an large HD screen TV will still be able to see the condom on close up or freeze frame." Is this a good compromise or is Mr. Ward promoting unsafe sex in his quest for greater profits? The debate continues via QComments. QCommenting on the DLB's response, tony diaz made an interesting point by stating the obvious:
Three babies are born every single second on this Earth. Guess where they come from. Heteros having unprotected sex. Is there a double standard?
It'd certainly be naive to say that all baby-poppin' straight couples are getting rigorously tested before fucking. So some amount of barebacking is considered acceptable in society at large, but in gay society? In our conversations with gay porn directors, they've pointed out that straight porn studios rarely use condoms. Of course, there's also been a recent straight porn star diagnosed with HIV, "triggering an industry-wide investigation and fears of a clampdown by the state." In fact, the LA County health department has uncovered 16 other previously unreported HIV cases since.
Yet, some QCommentors see barebacking as a more nuanced issue whose lines are much harder to draw. One such QCommentror, Realitycheck, reveals the shades of grey concerning DLB and his response:
Also wanted to say that the behavior of those who are so vehemently against "bareback" in light of this shows how deluded a small clan of them are. Here is a person who advocates safe sex publicly yet, in his personal relationship engaged in sex without a condom. (happens quite often too, I'd bet) Imagine that - a person being against wanton unsafe sex, but not against condomless sex at any and all times. Oh, could it be it be because the world isn't black ans white and condomless sex doesn't mean unsafe sex ipso facto and vice versa?
We agree, it's not so easy an issue to breakdown as barebacking = bad, condoms = good. QCommenting on last week's Top 10, Jay called all the hue and cry about barebacking a form of "panic propaganda":
You know, it's sad reading these comments. Really, it is. It's almost as if even the LGBTQQ community believes, along with the majority, that HIV/AIDS is exclusively a homosexual issue. Do you know how many straight studios do unprotected sex? It's actually rather weird to see straight porn that DOES have condoms, but no one says a damn thin about it! Really, explain to me what the risk is to either model who has tested negative for HIV/AIDS? If neither of them are infected with an STI, does it really matter whether they use a condom or not? Truly, this is an excellent example of the result of panic propaganda and self-perpetuating homophobia.
It's worth mentioning that gay author, Tim Dean, recently released a book entitled Unlimited Intimacy that concludes that "HIV animates the controversy around barebacking," and that "intimacy makes us vulnerable, exposes us to emotional risk, and forces us to drop our psychological barriers. As a committed experiment in intimacy without limits—one that makes those metaphors of intimacy quite literal—barebacking thus says a great deal about how intimacy works." In the end, Roma suggested a compromise about Dustin Lance Black that we can all agree on:
I think I speak on behalf of everybody ever when I say that this situation would be rectified best, if Dustin created another sex-tape, shot in HD with multiple angles, positions and condoms - you know, to emphasise the importance of safe sex...or something.
Sean Cody's 1 in 125, the real winner of the Fratmen wrestler scandal, and more after the jump!
OK, just two last bits of controversy. Sean Cody's black model, Geoff, got a good round of QComments, especially since Sean Cody usually features milk-fed white boys. Mike noticed:
He's VERY attractive. :) And it is nice to see Sean Cody making even a small gesture towards ethnic diversity. This makes, what? Two African-American models out of 250? lol
We agree that there's not nearly enough diversity in porn in general and we wish that SC would bring the chocolate more often. We're not sure if it's a question of audience tastes, because QC readers seem to love it whenever they bring in a stud like Geoff. But the film industry has always been one of the most discriminating fields in the world. It's an issue that black porn stars Tre Xavier and Diesel Washington have both taken up repeatedly and that we hope to see more progress on. In the meanwhile, if you'd like to see more of Geoff, you can check him out at Model Mayhem.
Catching onto all the Fratmen wrestler madness that has sprung up around ESPN's coverage on "Outside the Lines," Tony threw his two cents into the wrestling ring:
LOL.... I think that Fratmen.tv should throw both of these guys some extra cash just for the added advertising they're getting from this whole thing... I mean, how many other gay porn sites (or any porn sites for that matter) are ever going to get this type of main stream press coverage. ESPN? Come on! This is the equivalent to a gay porn site commercial during Sports Center. They're going to get a shit load of added traffic form CORN FED COLLEGE BOYS in Mid America... PLUS a ton of hot farm boys that would jump at the chance to jerk off for a couple thousand dollars.... just my 2 cents....
We'll conclude now with two parting shots that conjure up different celebrities in a bitchy way. First, Dave felt unsettled by the smile of Aaron Mark from Drake Rock:
Whether he's channeling Andy Warhol or the Joker, I'm gonna have nightmares about that freaky smile...
Don't fret Dave. If the face isn't doing it for you, concentrate on the rest of his amazing body, just like we do in bed. And lastly, Alan seems to have a love-hate relationship with Brad Pitt. One that he'd love to consummate, with a brush and bar of soap first:
He stinks, really stinks. BO is not a good thing. He needs to shower more. Who wants to take a cock in their mouth and almost pass out, not from pleasure, but from the nauseating smell. And he's not small, nor big - it's an average dick. Honestly - I'd love to bathe him and then let me mouth loose on that cock, those balls, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
There were a lot of other great bitchy QComments from our readers this week, but the barebacking stole the show this time around. Just goes to show that style's not the only thing that matters when it comes to adding to QC's awesome ongoing dialogue about porn and gay culture. Throw your two cents into the ring next time and we'll see what shines out next week.
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Reader Comments
Your 2¢, in chronological order — add your comment below.
I do definitely see a double standard between gay and straight porn. Just the other day I saw a comment on VideoBox made in response to a video with condoms that said, "Condoms don't belong in porn" and indeed the vast majority of straight porn videos don't feature them.
In the interest of disclosure, I do prefer videos that feature barebacking. The reason (for me) is that porn is almost all about what you see on screen. Some videos that use condoms are great and the actors are so hot that I simply don't care. Other times the condom is either too opaque, it's bunched up, the top must continuously hold the base so that it doesn't slip off, you can see the collected air bubbles, it's too shiny, etc. etc. The condom itself becomes very distracting. It's weird that if you just want to see cock, you almost have to rely on straight porn.
I fully understand the health risks of HIV and other STDs, but I also know that condoms only reduce those risks, and that unprotected sex does not necessarily pose a risk between individuals who are clean. I'm curious how receptive the gay community would be to a site that featured unprotected sex between long-term monogamous couples.
Sigh, my comment about Leo's weird posing on RB didn't get a mention. I'm utterly disappointed. Whose dick to I have to suck on to get props for making fun of lame model pics?
I was last week's "realitycheck". Just a point of clarification, I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a bareback "advocate". Maybe I'm just quibbling on words, but I am definitely not the type that says "bareback only" just as I am obviously not the type that says "condoms only". I just don't see it as that simple when dealing with human relationships. That said, I actually am a little biased against some kinds of bareback porn, that is to say I do not enjoy watching it, but I won't attempt to stop people from making it. The type I'm referring to is the type that focuses less on the erotic appeal of flesh on flesh, and more on "seeding" and "breeding", deliberately spreading disease.. IMO, that belongs in a totally separate category, so as to keep people from inappropriately defending or criticizing the wrong thing. And again, while I don't attempt to ban the more fetish-like condomless porn, I don't feel compelled to defend it either because it exceeds my own comfort level.
(PAPERBAGWRITER: We meant "advocate" as one more accepting of barebacking in this case, but we've inadvertently have made you sound like a doggedly pro-bareback rather than one with a nuanced opinion. We apologize for the mislabeling, have changed the wording near your comments, and thank you for bringing it to our attention.)
side of the
@ JEREMY, " sex does not necessarily pose a risk between individuals that are clean" I'm HIV positive so does that mean I'm "DIRTY" I'ts that kind of attitude that makes us feel like shit. So by all means stay away from us dirty leppers! I guess some people are just mean.
It getting overly hyped to be something of a controversy. He was in the privacy of his bedroom, and didn't make these photos public for people to see intentionally. So I give him a pass.
I can ascertain that I don't know what the circumstances were for these photos. Was it a consensual choice between partners to not use a condom? Where they in a monogamous relationship? Were both individuals tested negative? These are issues for Dustin to deal with and not the public.
As for the barebacking in the porn industry comparison... a very far stretch to associate these two incidents.
As so you've eloquently pointed out: the straight industry has a no condom policy.
So the argument your presenting seems to indicate that because people may do it in the privacy of homes in a consensual manner, and the straight industry does practice a non-condom policy, that it is okay because in these cases it occurs. It seems your providing these facts of comparison to dignify bareback performances as ethically okay. If the performer is okay with it, then why bother? But this recent outbreak, between a series of straight performers, seems to present a problem with this thinking. Let me emphasize the word OUTBREAK. It is not just one person infected from a partner, it is a series of people.
So basically your saying, 'barebacking is okay because everyone is doing it'.
Absolutely not. I disagree.
Everyone in the industry claims that Porn is just another form of a capitalist enterprise. Porn is argued to be corporate. In my opinion it is because insiders want to find legitimacy and acceptance in society. Which quite frankly will never happen. Sexuality is a subject to which it effects us all, but none can come to an agreement on. It is just too personal of a subject and there will never be a consensus on it....but I digress.
While my opinion differs. I will entertain the idea of porn as a corporate entity:
Unregulated corporations are not concerned with the well being of their employees and are primarily focused on making profits. So porn, if you argue that it is another form of a corporation, this no different. And exposing your employees to unsafe work practices for the sake of profit is wrong. This has been established in countless court cases in a wide variety of industries. This hasn't included porn...yet. The safety of the performers must come first. As an employer is obligated legally to the welfare and safety of its employees, so to do the studios who employ sex workers for films.