Sasha Grey, Porn Actress
Each week, a developing sexuality professional that works with The CSPH reviews a sexuality or gender-related issue that appears in the media and reflects upon how it challenged them in ways they didn’t expect in an effort to show the process of growth they undergo while becoming sexuality professionals. This week Jaclyn Boudreau is responding to an article from Salon, “Ethical Porn.”
Former gay porn actor Devon Hunter has created his own pornography production company, AnterosMedia, in an attempt to remedy some of the problems he encountered in the industry, by creating what he calls “ethical porn.” For Mr. Hunter, the central tenet of ethical porn is to create porn that has a social conscience. Towards this end, Mr. Hunter’s production company has instituted a number of policies aimed at ensuring that his porn does no harm.
For one, all of his actors wear condoms, not only for their own safety, but also to ensure that porn consumers are shown examples of safer behavior. He also makes sure that his actors have a chance to meet and interact with each other before a scene to make certain that they are comfortable with each other. A key identifying characteristic of ethical porn is this practice of developing chemistry between actors to create a more relaxed and authentic scene. Additionally, he only hires homosexual actors to perform in his gay scenes. It turns out that the majority of actors in gay porn are actually straight, and Mr. Hunter finds this disturbing. Not only are straight actors less likely to enjoy performing in a gay scene, but employing them also sends a message to the consumer that straight men are somehow better than gay men, even at gay sex. In a similar vein, he also shoots scenes involving men of various ethnicities and body types to avoid fetishizing a particular look.
I’m in a bit of a tricky spot here, as I think that some of the policies that Mr. Hunter has put in place for his production company are unnecessary and perhaps even harmful. I don’t see why straight actors shouldn’t be given a shot at acting in gay porn if that’s what they want to do. As a former waitress, I held many jobs that went unloved but I never thought that disliking my work made it unethical. And although I admire porn that advertises STI prevention, porn actors and actresses are having sex for much longer than the average person and prolonged condom use can result in discomfort or injury, an oft-cited reason for not mandating condom use in straight porn.
But really, I think it is beneficial that Mr. Hunter is doing all this; while I may disagree with some of the particulars, I entirely agree that the porn industry, like so many others, has abandoned its duty to society in favor of increased profits. And it is absolutely great that consumers have the option to watch gay actors of various ethnicities and body types who are enjoying their scenes engage in safe and realistic sex.
As sexuality professionals, we should aim to promote this sort of socially aware pornography in our conversations, presentations, and media. When the only available type of porn is the traditional busty blonde being rammed for an hour by someone named Rock Hardslab, consumers might find themselves thinking that this is how sex ought to be. Consumers deserve choices; there are all sorts of sexualities, and there should be porn to reflect each and every one of them. And this porn ought to be produced, as much as is possible, in a socially conscious manner. But we must also remember that Mr. Hardslab and his buxom companion are a trope for a reason, and enjoying traditional porn is neither better nor worse than enjoying any other sort. Our job is to promote sex positivity in all of its guises, and right now that means showing that porn, and by extension, sex, is wonderful when performed by people of all different sexes, races, and body types and in all varieties of positions and settings.
Jaclyn Boudreau
