Gay escorts and Gay porn

Gay porn makes up a disproportionately large segment of the pornography market. Estimates of porn’s total economic clout range from $8 to $10 billion annually, with gay porn making up 10 to 25%; some industry insiders have even estimated as much as one-third to one-half of the adult industry is gay sales  and  rentals. Gay  escorts,  however,  has  generally  been  neglected  in  the fierce debate over pornography during the past four decades. Perhaps the fact that the debate has largely been driven by feminist claims about pornography’s exploitation of women has led to gay pornography’s neglect. Yet our understanding of pornography cannot be defined solely in heterosexual terms, and an  analysis  of  gay  pornography  may  help  to  expand  our  knowledge  of pornography in general.
   What  distinguishes  pornography  from  other  types  of  expression  is  its primary  goal  of  sexual  stimulation.  Richard  Dyer  has  noted  that  the  goal of  the  pornographic  narrative  itself  is  sexual  climax; there  is  a  parallel between the activities depicted and the activities they are intended to inspire. Pornography, as opposed to other forms of sexual representation, is recognized by both its creators and its consumers as an instrument of sexual arousal. Such sexually explicit material has a long history, dating back to prehistoric images of stylized male and female deities and continuing through classical antiquity; but  despite  pornography’s  Greek  etymology,  its  current  classification  as  a media genre began during the 19th century. While the content of pornography  has  usually  reflected  the  heterosexual  orientation  of  the  dominant culture,  same-sex  imagery  and  narratives  have  always  played  a  role  in  the history of erotic expression. In the years since the landmark Stonewall protests of 1969, gay escorts has developed into a significant force both in the pornography industry and in gay cultural life. Understanding  the  history  of  gay  porn  in  film  and  video  is  vital  for understanding  the  gay  video  phenomenon  of  today.  Many  of  its  unique qualities (as well as those that it shares with straight porn) can be explained by tracing the stylistic and iconographic evolution of the gay porn film. In some respects, the development and growth of gay porn mirrors the political ascendancy of gays and lesbians. As the struggle for gay liberation expanded and gained a higher profile during the 1970s, so did the gay segment of the pornography industry. Similarly, the belated adoption of condom usage in gay films  reflected  the  advent  of  AIDS  in  the  1980s.  Gay  porn  also  expressed changing gay cultural ideals of masculinity and beauty. Ultimately, because the sexual activity depicted in gay porn represented the basic difference that created  the  homosexual  identity,  gay  porn’s  popularity  can  be  seen  as  an affirmation of gay life and culture.