Gay Male Porn Can Be More Than Just a Fantasy
Gay porn has much to offer beyond sexual entertainment, not only its uncensored material. Jonathan Agassi has worked in this business for seven years and appeared in 67 porn films; “it can provide a way of belonging,” according to Radio 1’s The Psych Show. Additionally, gay porn is appealing because it celebrates masculinity rather than demolishing it – something many men may appreciate.
Initial pornography production aimed to aid gay men’s liberation from public spaces such as bathhouses and sex clubs, through film such as Nights in Black Leather by Peter Berlin (1973) or Erotikus by Peter Berlin ( 1973). Over time, pornographic production expanded further still, including more heterosexual women joining its ranks – producing films like Erotikus.
Women make up the second highest viewer demographic on Pornhub after gay male viewers, yet why are women flocking to gay porn? According to Pornhub data, female viewers make up two out of every three users on their platform! Is this due to them wanting to escape the stereotyping seen in mainstream heterosexual porn, or simply looking for something different and exciting? Heterosexual porn can often be exploitative, degrading, and display troubling gender dynamics – it should come as no surprise that female viewers turn towards gay porn instead for something more nuanced?
Though most participants in Neville’s interviews reported a strong affinity towards homosexuality, they were unable to self-identify as homosexual. Instead, they saw using gay porn as being positive because it did not threaten their sense of identity as straight people and helped them explore how best to approach sexual activity with female partners.
Neville’s interviews also revealed that many of the women she interviewed did not find anything wrong with the fetishization of gay male porn, since they did not perceive themselves as victims and saw how it helped explore romance and sexuality while breaking down heterosexual men over-representation in pornography.