Gay-for-pay

Gay-for-pay describes male or female actors, pornographic stars, or sex workers who identify as heterosexual but who are paid to act or perform as homosexual professionally. The term has also applied to other professions and even companies trying to appeal to a gay demographic.[1][2] The stigma of being gay or labeled as such has steadily eroded since the Stonewall riots began the modern American gay rights movement in 1969. Through the 1990s, mainstream movie and television actors have been more willing to portray homosexuality, as the threat of any backlash against their careers has lessened and society's acceptance of gay and lesbian people has increased.[3]

In the gay pornography industry, that uses amateurs as well as professional actors, the term gay-for-pay refers to actors who identify as straight but who engage in same-sex sexual activities for money or sexual gain. Some actors who are actually gay or bisexual will be marketed as straight to appeal to the "allure of the unattainable," because straight men (or those newly coming out) are virgins to sex with other men; scholar Camille Paglia declared that "Seduction of straight studs is a highly erotic motif in gay porn."[4]

  1. ^ Phillips, James (September 19, 2006). "Blazin Squad, gay 4 pay?". Pink News. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  2. ^ Palmer, Brandon (September 19, 2006). "Gay Webmaster Resources: Gay 4 Pay". klixxx.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  3. ^ Pew Global Attitudes Project (June 3, 2003). Views of a Changing World 2003. Washington, D.C.: The Pew Research Center. OCLC 52547041. Retrieved 2007-07-11.Full report Archived 2017-05-19 at the Wayback Machine (126 pages)
  4. ^ "No Law in the Arena: A Pagan Theory of Sexuality," in Paglia's Vamps and Tramps (1994, Vintage ISBN 0679751203), p.87.