Do You Think Webmasters In The Gay Industry Are More Socially Responsible?

Thanks Michael for that post.. you helped clear up a dilema for me on how to be able to promote the bareback videos (which most big outfits do have in their list) and not be a hypocrite...

I have an extensive list of sites on one site for health resources and i even have on one story where it deals with suicide a help line and numbers listed as well... bottom line though is that this is an individual choice and why it might be that gay sites do this more often, it could also be that we have more first hand experience with the results of actions such as barebacking... like friends who have contracted or died from AIDS.. so it makes us more aware than our straight brethern perhaps.

Ian

Yeah Ian, I think it's actually a more appropriate way to deal with this. Time and again we've proved throughout history that commanding people act a certain way or prohibiting certain behaviours or substances doesn't work. The men who visit my site are not going to practice safer sex 100% of the time just because all of my action galleries feature condoms, nor is anyone visiting my site going to run out and fuck someone without a condom just because they saw a bareback gallery. If you're willing to engage in unsafe sex there are already other factors at play.

I think educating people and providing them with information is ultimately all we can do.

Ian, I'm glad I sparked a new idea for you.

dzinerbear

i see a LOT of gay sites out there full of bareback videos, and plenty of dvds are being sold including - or even featuring - unprotected sex. and a lot of gay webmasters promote sites with bareback videos, or have videos in their own sites or plugins including them.

and there are str8 porn companies like vivid that have been condom-only for years.

i think the gay companies are more prone to announce when they are condom-only, where the only reason i know some str8 companies are condom-only is because an ex of mine was in porn for years. i sure didn't read any big announcements from those companies.

I have absolutely no problem with bareback videos at all.

We are selling fantasy to consumers, so they wont go out and do it themselves.

Yes there are people that will be stupid enough to try things they see on T.V., there always are, society is not responsible for those idiots.

I think a positive message about safe sex is a good idea, but decreases the movies fantasy value.

I don't produce this kind of content so I haven't really had to iron all these things out but I think if a straight company thought they were doing something wrong, they'd do the right thing in the end, depending on the integrity of the people running the company. my .0002 cents

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Originally Posted by Dzinerbear

Everyone is talking about donating money to charities, which is fine. But I know where this thread came from, so I'm going to change the direction.

This thread came from a discussion about some bareback sex galleries produced by a straight company. Some gay people freaked about them. The straight webmaster was like "what the fuck's up with gay people being so sensitive, it's just bareback sex." And I brought my perspective to the table.

On the issue of bareback sex, this community is fairly clearly divided and there are a lot of emotions involved. I see vast differences between how the straight and gay side of the business approaches this issue.

As I see it, the straight side apparently tests a lot of their porn stars. (I don't know if you can say mandatory testing because I don't know if that's true.) And then, from there, porn stars aren't necessarily required to wear condoms. I suppose some straight production houses require condoms and others don't. And I'm sure some individual stars make their own demands. But by and large, it does appear that condoms play a big part in straight porn.

Whereas in gay porn, we use condoms more often than not and did for a number of years. With the advent of drugs to treat and slow the onslaught of AIDS, people's position on condom use started to change. About the same time the circuit party culture was on the rise. And we all know that circuit parties and drugs pretty much go hand in hand. And when you're high and having sex, you're not always making sound decisions. So all of this combined created at atmosphere where bareback sex seemed to be more acceptable, popular, and in some circles even celebrated.

So, on this particular issue – bareback sex – I think the gay side of the business is more socially responsible than the straight side. Straight porn is largely relying on blood tests to ensure the safety of their porn stars. And this is flawed because a blood test taken last month doesn't guarantee that the porn star hasn't sero-converted inbetween blood tests (there is a window period) or that they haven't engaged in unsafe sex with an infected person.

If anyone knows of any straight companies who are doing other things, please let us know. I'm not as familiar with straight porn as I am with gay.

In the gay sector, we have companies like Titan Media demanding that all of their porn stars use condoms not only on Titan productions but any production. Failure to do so will mean the porn star never gets to work with Titan again.

Maleflixxx does not promote bareback movies on their site. They don't demand webmasters have sites totally free of barebacking, but they will not promote it on their site and they will ask you to remove banners from any page on your site if it's being too closely linked with barebacking.

Universal Bear has a number of bareback galleries and on every one of them is a warning button that says the following: "Hey guys, this gallery is a fantasy. AIDS is a reality, so talk to your partners and make informed decisions. Don't make assumptions with barebacking. Ask first. Want more information, click here." And the link takes the surfer to a page discussion my position on barebacking, which is that you need to talk to your partners first. If two consenting adults decide not to use condoms, that's fine with me as long as they've been completely honest with one another. The page on my website also contains links to some AIDS service organizations around the world. I feel that I've done more than most porn sites on the planet to deal with this issue, so I make no apologies of hosting bareback galleries on my site.

There are other production houses that make movies for the bareback market, like Hot Desert Knights and Treasure Island Media. And I'm cool with that, too. I don't know what their process is with regards to communication with their stars before the shoot. I just hope there is one.

So, on this one issue, I see lots of evidence that gay companies are putting principles before dollars. I'm not seeing the same thing on the straight side. But to make a blanket statement that we are more socially responsible I think is wrong because I think generalizations are dangerous places to venture.

dzinerbear

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Actually the straight side of the business is doing more then blood tests...And Jenna Jameson herself set up www.adultfund.com to help out performers with HIV.. Also being close friends to people that work for straight studios I know that certain straight studios not only teach new performers about all STDs they also demand condoms... Yes, there are some straight studios that do bareback just like gay but I do not think one side of the business is more socially responsible then the other!
By the way NakedSword does not promote bareback either.