March 19, 2007 | The Biz

The socially responsible pornographer

Porn is meant to entertain, but for gay men it means more. After all, our sexual orientation is what sets us apart from the majority; we are frequently made to feel “different” and porn is one way of re-confirming our sexual identity. This begs the question: should those who make gay porn consider its social effects? Or should gay porn studios, membership sites and Web portals only be concerned with offering what sells best and rake in the cash?

Colt Spencer, speaking from his own substantial experience as both a consumer of erotica and someone who knows many gay adult business owners, makes an eloquent argument for social responsibility in gay porn.

Writing for AVN Online, Spencer is disappointed that for most adult webmasters “porn is simply an avenue through which they are able to make money; it is of no socially redeeming value at all.”  For these business operators, porn is pure entertainment and they are quick to dismiss the idea that they might be held accountable for any “messages” instrinsic to the content they produce.

Spencer challenges some of the most popular niches in gay porn, including bareback, muscle, and straight guy sites as  exploiting the gay community’s ongoing struggles with issues of body image, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and internalized homophobia.

It's unusual to see this level of critical analysis in an adult industry publication such as AVN Online. Check out Spencer's thought provoking editorial here.

•  The responsibility factor: AVN Online’s resident homo talks gay porn and social responsibility [AVN Online]