I just this minute sent the following email to Sean Cody:
===
To the producers/owners of Sean Cody
Im writing to say that Im enormously disappointed in you for your recent decision to start filming unsafe sex scenes.
I have been for 10 years a professional porn reviewer, writing as a paid critic since the days of VHS. It is only in the past couple of years that I have decided I simply cant do it anymore mostly because of the increasing popularity of bareback porn in the marketplace. I find the complete irresponsibility of it depressing to the point where I cannot bear to be a part of the industry any longer.
I have also followed your site since its launch. You were one of the first studios to launch the straight-to-web format, along with Corbin Fisher, Randy Blue and Chaos Men. I went off CM almost immediately over their decision to promote unsafe sex. CF followed eventually over their likewise decision. That left you and RB as the only ones I was still prepared to give my own money to, even after I no longer received free memberships and screening copies as a critic. I stuck with you through the accusations of homophobia, of favouring your straight models over your gay ones, and through your rather childish and bitchy response of revealing the real name of the model in question. I stuck with you because you had not succumbed to the money-over-morals bareback trend.
But now you have. And why? Do you think you have to, to remain relevant? Consider this your selling point could have been that you are the studio that cares more about its models AND its viewers than that. We are the ones who will not give in to the almighty dollar, the ones for whom setting a good example for our fans is more important. That could have been your niche. Now what are you? One of the whole crowd of studios who dont care. Wallowing in the mud with the rest. In an attempt to keep up with the times, youve given up what made you special and respectable.
Yes, youve got a lot of blog chatter out of it. And all press is good press, right? You may get a few more memberships out of this too, but really, theyll be from people whose money I wouldnt want to have, and it will come at the expense of your high ground.
And thats not even considering the fact that you have now given up the chance you had to educate your audience. You may think its not your responsibility to educate, only to entertain. That porn is only a fantasy, not anything that people might try to emulate in real life. I think thats a fantastically naïve perspective. Of course entertainment educates at the same time. People see murders all the time on TV it doesnt mean theyll go out and murder people, youll say. Well, they have the whole of society telling them not to murder anyone. No-one is telling young gay men how to have sex. The educational system doesnt even like to admit gay people exist, so theyre certainly not teaching them what they need to know about safe sex. In that absence, porn producers take on an educational responsibility by default. Up to now, you were doing it well. Now you have apparently decided its not necessary.
Even if you think its NOT your responsibility, that you dont HAVE to do this, dont you at least feel that you OUGHT to do this? Why not take the chance you have to teach your viewers good habits, ensure they keep themselves safe to enjoy more sex in the future? Do you not think thats a good thing to be doing, something you should want to do?
Yes, you placed the disclaimer at the front of the clips, written by a highly paid lawyer to make sure youre legally covered Im sure. Three points on that. 1 you wouldnt have to do that if you just kept using condoms. 2 if you really think anyone is going to stop to read a safe sex disclaimer and consider what it says before going on to the sex, then I can only assume youve never been a teenage boy with a hardon. 3 the disclaimer itself is hypocritical in the extreme. You claim that you do not support or recommend unprotected sex, yet thats exactly what youre doing by producing this scene in the first place, upon which the disclaimer is placed. You even say it was the hottest thing wed ever seen, glorifying it above all your other productions right there while having the gall to say you dont support it.
And you claim you do not recommend unsafe sex even within a relationship, and yet in the two scenes in question (so far), you also then go on to clearly say that the models have only just met each other. Within a relationship is bad, but complete strangers is good? Yes yes, they all had tests. So you say. What proof do I have of that? Your word? Do you not realize how many HIV infections in the world came as a result of people trusting another persons word? I cant see those tests or those negative results. You know what I can see? A condom.
Test all you want, its great that you do. But why not use condoms as well? It is really so difficult or unpleasant or troublesome? Is it really better for you to spend all the money of tests and lawyers and arguments on the internet than it is for you to just slap a condom on your models and provide a good example for your audience as well? I disagree in the strongest possible terms. Because the fact is, you had the opportunity to be part of the solution to the continuing rise of HIV infections. Instead youve chosen of your own free will to become party of the problem. When the next innocent gay boy tests positive, you could have rested safe in the knowledge you did nothing to contribute to it. You cant do that anymore. I can't prove that watching a bareback porn clip will force him to go out and have unsafe sex, but you cant prove that it wont. Why not err on the side of caution?
I hope you can see that this email, assuming you have read it through, is attempting to provide rational arguments to persuade you that you have made the wrong decision. I am not some crazed internet ranter just spouting off without having thought about it. I feel very strongly about this, and I hope Ive given you some food for thought.
Regards
Ed Woody
