Gay Porn, also referred to as pornography or blue porn, depicts sexual activities between males for the purpose of stimulating viewer sexual interest.
Early hardcore gay pornography featured images of athletic men and bodybuilders sold through physique magazines to both gay and straight male viewers.
History
Gay porn has a long and complex history. Its roots date back to France’s publication of L’Ecole des Filles in 1540 – which means „School of Sex”.
This anonymously-illustrated text discusses sexuality at length and was published by someone with surprisingly liberal attitudes towards sexuality. It may have had an influence on early films that depicted sexual acts more openly.
Many early porn films were secretly distributed as magazines or mail order packages of pictures, reflecting current attitudes about sexuality. While some were more explicit than others, many often reflected prevailing notions.
One early film that stood out was The Surprise of a Knight, widely considered to be the very first gay porn film ever made. Released in 1929 and featuring no „clean-cut” characters or scenes depicting homosexual sex scenes at all, The Surprise of a Knight portrays homosexual sex in an extremely graphic and disturbing fashion.
Peter Berlin was one of the key figures in gay porn. A German from Poland who settled in San Francisco as a youth and became one of the superstars of the porn industry during the 70s. His 1973 movie Nights in Black Leather became a must-see feature at cinemas worldwide and helped define an entire subculture focused on gay leather wearers.
The 1980s marked a major turning point for gay porn when awareness of HIV’s dangers spread rapidly and was widely acknowledged. Gay porn suddenly transformed from hobby into business; actors and producers became celebrity stars who sold merchandise bearing their images for millions each year.
At that time, some pornographers began encouraging their performers to wear condoms in order to reduce the risk of HIV and this resulted in an immediate surge of production.
In the 1990s, more and more men began using condoms during performances, giving rise to bareback videos featuring performers who remained naked during their performances. Although initially considered transgressive by many viewers, these images became part of mainstream pornographic culture and quickly gained in popularity.
Genres
Gay porn is an erotic film genre featuring sexually suggestive scenes. While originally this subgenre was predominantly associated with men, it has since expanded to include women as well.
Straight-identifying women often watch gay porn for various reasons. Some believe it allows them to explore their fantasies freely without feeling judged, while others watch simply for enjoyment, according to Brook education and well-being/health care coordinator Ruby Stevenson.
Other women may find male-on-male sex to be an escape from memories of male sexual violence, turning to it instead of other forms of fantasy such as female-on-female sex.
Neville reports that male-on-male sex has helped some women deal with trauma and move forward in life, while others have even taken to fighting for LGBTQ+ community rights as activists.
Neville believes that art is also a form of self-expression and may help women better understand the problems in their community, leading them to use that knowledge to fight for change.
Some heterosexuals watch gay porn for another reason – to observe how similar their bodies look to those of other men. According to BBC Radio 1 sexual health expert Alix Fox, watching is also an interesting way of exploring other body shapes among male viewers.
Even though some heterosexuals might find it embarrassing to admit they watch gay porn, it is essential that we understand why they do it. Men often enjoy exploring various sexual spheres within the comfort of their own home environment.
As Public Health Solutions Doctor Martin J. Downing states, straight-identifying men may benefit from watching certain erotic content because it provides them with an outside view on life and what other people are going through, according to Dr. Martin J. Downing’s observations.
Most heterosexuals do not consider watching homosexual porn to be sexually stimulating; rather, it provides them with an opportunity to mix up their viewing habits and be curious. Furthermore, watching such material provides them with an outlet to explore fantasies prior to entering into real sexual relationships.
Production
Production of gay porn is comprised of numerous elements. These include the models who appear in films, fluffers on set who assist actors in maintaining an erection, makeup artists who create characters’ looks and film directors who oversee production.
As the industry grew, so too did their roles. Many film directors were gay themselves and embraced the image of homosexual men as sexual icons, representing sexual liberation within the gay community at that time.
Throughout the 1970s, more studios released films designed specifically to appeal to gay adult movie theaters. Their production reflected changing social climate for gay men at that time and many were inspired by emerging leather culture within gay communities at that time.
Some of these films also reflected the rising popularity of bathhouses and sex clubs as public spaces for gay sexual lifestyle. Many featured bareback scenes (videos showing penis penetration without condom protection), provoking criticism by LGBT health advocates.
In the 1980s, video recording technology proliferated and more producers entered the market to produce pornography videos more cheaply; as a result, this industry transitioned from theater-based viewings to home video.
Online streaming platforms have played a critical role in expanding the gay porn industry. Through premium memberships on these sites, viewers are now able to access ad-free content at any time from anywhere around the globe.
Another emerging trend in the industry is more fetishized sex, commonly referred to as twinks. This involves bottom producing cream-like substances from their anus in response to experiencing pleasure from the top, such as producing more milk from their anus when sensing pleasure from them.
„Creaming” has become a familiar feature of Black gay porn shows and often used to express pleasure felt from insertive partners. There has been some discussion as to whether creaming constitutes an appropriate response for such pleasure being experienced.
Distribution
Gay porn has become an industry, providing hot straight guys, bisexual scenes or more exotic fetishes in abundance for viewers to consume. There is a plethora of studios dedicated to gay content on offer today that you can tap into for your entertainment needs.
Falcon Studios is one of the oldest and largest gay porn production companies worldwide. Established in 1999, they are best known for producing hardcore gay videos featuring some of the most desirable muscle gay actors and manage several top hardcore gay websites.
Raging Stallion Studios, founded by Chris Ward and JD Slater, is another major producer of hardcore gay porn. These producers include Alpha Wolfe, Beau Butler, Cole Connor and Colby Melvin among many others.
Muscle Bang boasts over 200 titles to date and remains one of the hottest hardcore titles available today. Additionally, High Octane and Hairy Boyz operate two of the biggest hardcore sites available today.
BelAmi and Active Duty studios are also highly acclaimed within the gay porn scene. These films often include twinks or straight men as part of their content while other films focus more on bisexual relationships.
Although mainstream porn sites generally do offer gay erotica content, it should be remembered that most are created for heterosexual male consumption – which often uses toxic stereotypes and misrepresentations to promote queer people as objects for fetishization.
In the 1990s, the gay porn industry saw an expansion of „gay-for-pay” actors. These performers typically perform for small fees ranging from $70 to $120 per session.
San Francisco quickly become renowned for its pornography industry, where many gay-for-pay men made money through this form of sexual exploitation. San Francisco became the first American city to legalize it and it quickly became part of queer culture.
Porn production and distribution created a host of jobs unique to itself, including fluffers who help actors on set achieve and sustain an erection for their scenes.