This weekend, the gay adult film performer Hugh Hunter turned down each of his nominations for The GayVN Awards, an annual awards ceremony.
In a lengthy Tweet, he called out both the organization and the industry as a whole for racism.
Related: Students shocked to discover their math professor used to be a muscle daddy adult film star
“The gay porn industry has always been a place of veiled racism and bigotry,” he writes.
“It now appears as if the GayVN Awards have chosen to make this racism and bigotry more blatant in their return to the awards arena. As I browsed through the GayVN award nomination categories and its endless list of nominees I noticed a category which immediately struck my sensibilities as wrong and, quite frankly, turned my stomach.”
Hunter is particularly angry that there’s a separate “Ethnic” category for “black, Latin, and Asian” actors:
“Why? Why were these scenes not just included in the best scene category? Why would a gay porn company choose to separate minority groups into their own race at an event that is supposed to celebrate the gay industry in its entirety? Why would this category be created in 2017 when the political climate is so thick with racial divide in this country? Why would they call it ethnic? Who uses the term ethnic?
I want to be remembered for stepping forward and starting a movement to eventually end racism and bigotry in this beleaguered industry. We are members of the LGBTQ family. This family includes all colors of the rainbow and all people from every corner of the world…For so many we are the educators of sexuality. Let’s be the best educators we can be.”
Read the complete statement below:
The @gayvn awards announce nominations including a BEST ETHNIC SCENE category for black, Latin, and Asian models. Meanwhile none are nominated as best actor or supporting actor.
My response, “…I am respectfully declining my nominations in all categories…”
Full letter here. pic.twitter.com/CQPxZFRuZ6
— Hugh Hunter (@theHughHunter) November 25, 2017
UltimateSin
I am impressed by his actions. Thank you for being a decent person and not only calling out calling out that crap, but actually doing something about it. Standing up to what you see as a wrong and ignoring those who can only respond by being dismissive and reductive simply because of your job, as though that somehow negates what you are attempting to do.
fur_hunter
Excellent comment.
Kangol
I agree, and it’s important that others keep speaking out, especially gay/LGBTQ people.
stanhope
What a remarkable thing to do. Bravo!
Ummmm Yeah
Oh look another Social Justice Warrior hoping on a trend like this old porn ho on the biggest dick the studio could rent for the day. Maybe he should start a new career at BET or trying out for the next Miss Black USA pageant.
Asher23
It’s funny because you can’t spell.
Stache
Actually it is quite funny and a very good analogy.
dre23222
All I’m going to say is you sound so stupid and dumb.
Kangol
Poor little predictable snowflake (one of your team’s favorite terms), you always respond with an outburst when someone calls out racism. Can’t you just deal with it and get help for your hate?
Brian
What about this? What about that? It’s all just illogical distraction. This guy isn’t commenting about BET. There’s no substance to your argument.
ejmac
Did you just become stupid or were you born that way?
stanhope
LOL another bitter queen who can’t get dark meat without a commercial transaction.
Stache
You go porn guy. Stand up for the truth.
Paco
Remember… It’s not racism. It’s “preference”.
2ndcoming
Well it maybe someone preference that gay men not be able to marry, adopt children, work for certain companies, eat at certain food establishments, live in certain neighborhoods or use public restrooms does that their preference make it ok?
Paco
It was sarcasm, dear.
Brody
Ain’t no rest for the triggered.
tdh1980
I’ll be checking in periodically to see the inevitable barrage of comments from the usual suspects who mock the “triggered social justice warriors” while having an absolute meltdown any time someone even mentions racism in the LGBTQ community.
Kieran
Gay porn award? What category was he nominated for? Best puckered asshole?
Kieran
Hugh Hunter. If that isn’t a made up name for porn I don’t know what is.
am_psi
The producers are in a no-win scenario. Don’t have enough minorities in your awards show and you’re racist. Give them their own category and you’re racist. Put them in with the other nominees and they don’t win… you’re racist. Give all the awards to minorities and you’re not racist (*cough* Oscars), but you’ve delegitimized your awards program.
spacecadet
Um, having a best ethnic actor award is the most racist option at all. That BS would never fly at something like the Oscars and it shouldn’t for any kind of awards ceremony that recognizes talent of a people as a whole, not broken down into whatever race they belong to.
Ummmm Yeah
Exactly psi
dre23222
What are you talking about? Please let it go
Kangol
No, there’s a win-win solution. You select actors of all races and ethnicities (ALL) based on their performances, and get rid of the bias in favor of white actors, whether it’s the Oscars or these porn awards. It’s called being anti-racist. How does that sound? I know, it’s hard to grasp because it’s so simple, but it would solve the problem!
UltimateSin
Kangol, thank you for that intelligent reply. You would think that such thoughts would be obvious to most people, but some (I won’t say why only because I can’t read their minds) people just have such blinders on that they can’t see the obvious. It is kind of sad really and I usually just feel pity for them.
glasshole
That “Ethnic” award is just a left-over from 15 years ago when there were a bunch of tiny “ethnic” sites that just featured Asian Men, black men or latino men. Those sites didn’t have the ad budgets that the big studios had, so they created a category for them so they had a chance of winning (and would therefore buy ads and show up to the awards). The GayVNs are just a very old award show that’s been gone for years and now haven’t deleted a category they don’t need anymore. I think hugh is just looking for racism where it doesn’t exist.
Kangol… you say to “You select actors of all races and ethnicities,” But it’s not the GAyVNs who come up with those names. They just email the marketing people from the studios and ask them who they want nominated… they studios will just name off their top-selling stars (and usually their own exclusives). So that’s why you just see names like Rocco, Johnny V and Trenton Ducati.
demetreus
I am sorry, but anyone that uses (*cough*) in a written comment, may have a mental problem.
Brian
While he’s not wrong, has this guy ever been on Pornhub or in an adult video store? Ethnicity has always been a way of categorizing porn, and quite often the race of the performers is part of the title. It doesn’t happen at the Oscars because Viola Davis isn’t starring in titles like Black Cum Sluts in Heat.
Ummmm Yeah
She should have taken a roll in that instead of Suicide Squad. She was awful.
gravityyaoi
I was thinking this myself. If I get on Netflix to watch a comedy I go to the comedy section. If you want golden showers you go to the fetish section. Besides where would you put the all black porn companies that don’t hire other races. I’d think in the black category. He’s just hurting himself by not taking the nomination.
russdog
You’re right. Ethnicity has been a way of categorizing porn. The reason is that porn producers historically reflected their own social and cultural influences with regards to who they determined to be attractive. Many major photographers from the 60s and 70s, and mainstream porn producers throughout gay porn history refused to hire or depict black models or other non-white performers. There were exceptions, but very few. As those who frown on “whiners” say, “If you don’t like it, make your own movies.” That’s just what some in the industry did. Not just to address the overt racism, but to also serve the need that did exist to see all types in gay porn. Industry racism created the segregated nature of porn films, and as a result, special labelled sections in porn stores dividing mainstream porn (white) and “other” interests (black, Asian, etc…).
The issue for some, those not in the mainstream, is the implication that if they’re not white, then they are singled out, separated, marginalized. If a black or Asian performer shows up among an otherwise white cast, his existence must be explained; it’s “interracial”, “fetish”, “exotic”. He’s rarely just another guy in the group. It’s either that or the film or scene is segregated altogether, giving you your “Black Cum Sluts in Heat”. I don’t mind black cum sluts; I was one for many years. I just don’t want to feel as if my existence has to be justified in order for me to be welcome among all the other cum sluts.
Kangol
“Ethnicity” has not always been a way of categorizing porn. Look at porn titles from the 1970s and early 1980s. And do most porn titles include “white” or “Italian-American” or “Greek” etc. in them? Those are racial (the first) and ethnic (the second and third, which is also national) categories.
MJRants
Brian’s got it right… exact thought I had when I first read this. Actually, no, that’s not true. The first thought I had was, “Boy, it’s gonna take me a lot longer to find the “just right porn” on my XXX websites if they have to get rid of the “categories or tags” such as “Ebony, Blacks, Ethnic, Asian, Interracial, BBH Guys, etc… ” And that… really ticks me off !!
am_PSI had a comment above to, that I agree with 100% as well, basically saying it’s a No Win scenario, and either way you go, some people will cry discrimination.
In all seriousness, I applaud Hunter for voicing his opinion, and he has every right to, and I say good luck on trying to effect the changes you feel are needed at the GayVNs and across this “beleaguered industry”.
With that said… come on guys, this is GAY PORN we’re talking about !! If Hunter is taking this stance because he truly believes this is an injustice, or it’s being done to increase the # of likes, tweets, retweets, facebook friends, followers, fans, etc. etc I don’t know, and I’m not sure I care. I’d suggest to him that if he’s looking for social/political cause to get behind and try to effect real change, he better pick a different cause, because this isn’t it. In particular, Hunters statement above… ” I noticed a category which immediately struck my sensibilities as wrong and, quite frankly, turned my stomach.” made me think, “Is this for real, or is this a joke.” Again, everyone has the right to voice there views, opinions, and what bothers, them, but… sorry, even if I agreed with this, I wouldn’t believe that he’s being honest and forthright in his statements. I know he wasn’t born yesterday, and I know he’s not new to the gay porn industry, whether performing in it, or a consumer of it, so I find it odd that just recently this category at the GayVN’s invoked such a mental and physical reaction. I’d be more shocked and amazed that there wasn’t a category along those lines, and probably would have thought that they must have made a mistake and totally forgotten it. Same reaction I would have if I logged into my favorite porn sites, and could no longer find those search categories.
We’re all getting a little too sensitive is some areas, and quite frankly many are to quick to jump on the “band wagon”, while some are desperately trying to find their own “Me to” social cause to start.
The real social decay is elsewhere. I’d be more concerned about how it’s possible for a politician who’s clearly a child predator and has been for a long time, still successfully mount a campaign to represent us in Congress, and how a segment of our society seems to think this is ok…
Let’s keep out eye on the ball, people…. we’ve got bigger problems.
Creamsicle
I’m actually kind of glad that porn is becoming political. The fact of the matter is that we all, but gay men in particular, get some of our sex education from porn. That’s only increased since the Internet and smart devices have made accessing porn ridiculously easy.
We get a lot of our expectations of sex from porn. Why else would anal sex be such a consistent expectation in the gay community? Not everyone is going to enjoy the same kind of sex. We don’t need penetration to be part of our sex lives, and it would have been smarter to promote non-anal sex during and after the HIV crisis in the 80s, and yet it’s considered bizarre when a gay man is just not into anal sex even as a top.
The same could be said of how porn shapes our sexual expectations of people. We expect a muscle jock and twink couple to be top and bottom, respectively. We expect that a shorter man will be submissive to a larger one. We expect that all black men will be sexually dominant, have a big penises, and into roughing up guys. We expect that Asian guys will be submissive bottoms and have little to no body hair.
We have all these baseless expectations because of porn and we very often make fun of men who don’t meet our porn-sculpted expectations. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen comments on this very site complaining about “masc guys with fem voices.” Gay culture and porn are intertwined because that is where much of our (furtive) early sexual education comes from, and the hypersexuality of gay culture expects people to use porn jargon on a regular basis. It makes us see each other as potential porn scenes rather than as people.
dre23222
I’m glad he took a stand. It’s already enough racial divide in this country now with the new President in office. He is giving these racists hope that it’s ok to be racist and bother with people. It’s 2017, instead of dividing, let’s work together and love one another. Stop worrying about skin color and look at the character of a person. As a black man I love all people no matter your skin color. Always have and always will. Racism needs to be kicked and gone!
Blackceo
Bravo to this guy. Its of particular importance when White men make these statements because they benefit directly from such systemic issues so good for him for calling it out. Then of course you have your usual suspects who have never experienced racism and don’t care about its effects who take issue with what he said. Whatever. Thanks Hugh!!! He’s definitely getting an invite to the cookout.
Leoncefalo
Very rarely does a porn star rate a comment, but Hugh Hunter has distinguished himself for his open minded and Brando-ish rejection of the porn awards. Not that these ‘coveted’ prizes really mean something to the buying public. . .Or do they???
Porn is still, since everyone has slightly forgotten, the selling of the human body as a commodity. It would not be the multi-billion dollar industry it has become otherwise. Like all used commodities, once it has served its usefulness, it is discarded for the newest models. Strange that we should broadcast such a prudent attitude in today’s totally permissive society.
And, since we are on the subject of images, remember – that IS ALL IT IS – an image, -colored, moving, sound, set, lighting. To the person on the other side of the tube, that is all it will ever be – and not a real, live human being with which to make contact, however it results.
No apologies or comments confirming or denying are necessary – and maybe Hugh Hunter will have another epiphanic moment about the entire industry itself.
We can only hope.
am_psi
Wow. Woke level: over 9000.
jhon_siders
Whoopee do another snowflake taking up for people that would just as well AND will turn on him in about 2 seconds play the knock out game and take his wallet .
Kangol
You are so racist it’s beyond disgusting.
demetreus
THE COMMENT POSTED BY @jhon_siders IS A DESPERATE ATTEMPT FOR ATTENTION AND ITS SOLE PURPOSE IS TO SOW DISCORD & HATE ON THIS SITE.
PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME ENGAGING THIS TROLL.
Bob LaBlah
It seems SEVEN years has passed since the last GayVN Awards show. What does THAT tell you as to its importance? Take a look at the lineup and see for yourself if this noble gesture really matters. I see the name of a twink (Corbin Colby) in the new comer category who was paired with Austin Wilde. Their video was on Pornhub.com. Colby was so high Austin had to actually smack him across his cute little ass to wake him up. Since then every video he has been in he looks more and more wasted. I ask you does gay porn really matter that much where one should actually give a damn about an award show who’s winners are the companies whom contributed to the overall cost of this spectacle of a show? I’d suggest you pass on this one folks unless you just had/happen to be in Las Vegas at the time its given.
https://avn.com/business/articles/gay/avn-media-network-announces-the-2018-gayvn-awards-nominees-752085.html
IWantAFullBeard
Dude, we pay you to see you in action, not to think.
surreal33
The foundation of America is racism until that changes all will remain status quo.
Jack Meoff
I still can’t get over the fact that there are awards ceremonies for porn. That’s the real head scratcher for me.
Kangol
In America there are awards ceremonies for everything. Just look around, and you might be surprised.
mhoffman953
There is no solution to this issue. If there wasn’t an “ethnic” category or whatever you decide to call it (“ebony”, “black”, etc), then people would complain that non-white people aren’t being recognized in a category and claim it’s because of racism.
If you keep it, they’ll complain because non-white people have their own category and claim it’s because of racism.
If you remove it and just award on performance, people will complain that a non-white didn’t win, or there weren’t enough non-white nominees, or there weren’t enough non-white films, or there wasn’t enough non-white talent, all because of racism.
Then you begin going into the realm of no longer basing things off of performance but instead basing it off of skin color and giving out awards solely based on skin color and not performance. That would actually be racism, but no one would cry racism if non-whites dominated the awards, go figure.
demetreus
Did you say “non-white” people would complain? I thought the porn star in this article COMPLAINING was white?
mhoffman953
@demetreus
No, I didn’t say that. You should go back and re-read what I wrote. I said people would complain, I never specified who the people complaining are. I specified what people would complain about
Sort of dumb to ask someone, “did you say that?” when it’s typed above and you can verify for yourself without asking
SiamSam
Can they invent a “No Stupid Tattoos and Fugly Piercings” category?
Brian
You mean you don’t feel inspired to stay triumphant?
tham
I agree that the category is terrible, BUT there’s an interesting topic that pops out of all of this for me….
Certain minority groups (black, Latino and Asians) that are culturally VERY Very very homophobic. Which leads a lot of them to not go into the gay porn star industry. A lot of the time, they’re on the DL, and don’t even watch produced porn (ametur porn is their outlet).
So, if you don’t have much of a minority audience or very many minority players…what do you do?