February 21, 2008

Open Letter From Jesse Santana - Not All Porn Stars Escort

Below is an open letter from a 21 year old gay porn star from Texas named Jesse Santana. He was just in San Francisco for the GayVN Awards where he collected an award for Best Threesome for Jet Set's "Just Add Water". He was also a presenter and I have more photos in the VIP Room.

Jesse Santana's agent forwarded this open letter directed at... I'm not sure who. By reading between the lines, I am guessing that the attractive young man not only received some recognition for his efforts fucking on camera for money, but he apparently had some old troll(s) making unwelcome advances at him, too. So vile were the advances, that it prompted young Mr. Jesse Santana to point out that he ONLY gets paid for sex if there is a camera in the room.

He is correct that virtually every gay porn star also has a real job outside of porn, though in many cases, that other job is escorting. Okay, okay we get it. Someone too old, too ugly or with bad manners offered him a few bucks for a quickie, and now he's offended. To me, it's just another reminder to us aging, overweight nerds that we should just shoot ourselves to make things nice for prettier people.

Oh yes, and his MySpace page says he is into "...shopping, clubbing, working out, tanning, swimming, adult film...". The photo of him below (he's the middle guy) I shot at the GayVN's attests to the tanning part.

Pornstar / Escort: Where to Draw the Line

Escort, model, pornstar...these are simply job titles, all of which should be respected in their own right, but not to be confused. Individual pornstars may also have separate job titles. Some are doctors, some are teachers, some are bartenders, waiters, dancers, professional ice skaters, Olympic swimmers, and some...are escorts. But more often than not, most pornstars have to struggle under the consistent assumption that all porn models are prostitutes as well. Why should one title create another? It's honestly a shame that a porn model can't be proud of his or her job, without it also being assumed that sex and/or services are up for sale. And why is it that a large percentage of models are told, at one point or another, that in order to be a 'bigger star' they need to keep some would-be clients happy? It's the sad truth, but it's wrong. Pornstars should be liked for their performances on-screen, not off-screen.

First, let me simply say that my standpoint is not at all against escorting or escorts, but against the misled presumption that simply being a pornstar in today's society automatically links you to being an escort as well. Whereas, most of us pornstars would rather be associated with what we truly do as a profession. In saying that, I only mean to offend the certain individuals who think that a room full of pornstars is the equivalent of a buffet with a complete carry-out/to-go menu.

Some may argue that both parties are paid for sex, but consider this...pornstars choose how to express themselves, whereas escorts are at the mercy of their clients desires. Pornstars are selling a finished product, a scene or a DVD. An escort's product is his/her own body or time. Adult film is completely legal and an honest form of acting, or entertainment rather. The hard truth is that the core of most every escort's business is prostitution, which is illegal in all but two states in the United States. Porn models are paid by check by legitimate companies, whereas escorts are usually paid in cold hard cash by free-standing individuals. It's a free country, do what you choose...but many pornstars would rather not be directly categorized with illegal jobs and situations, such as prostitution.

Lately, I’ve been setting the gay porn world On Fire. I have a strong relationship with a wonderful Guy and this topic means a lot to us, and certainly heavy on the minds of any other non-escorting pornstar. We’re regular guys who enjoy our career as gay adult entertainers, but that where the line stops. It's depressing, infuriating, heartbreaking, nauseating, and most of all, sadly discouraging, that the general public and the porn industry itself, can't realize that not all of us sell ourselves in such a way. This specific, misconstrued perception of porn models is an extremely unsettling and disrespecting misconception that needs to be put to light and set straight, for the sake of every self-respecting pornstar's morals and integrity.

Being asked to sell ourselves is not a compliment or flattering to us in any way. Even if a certain pornstar were to escort as well, they probably don't want to be approached for an escorting job while they're representing themselves as a pornstar...I mean, a doctor doesn't want to go to a party and be asked to give a woman a breast exam. We're not just a bunch of pretty faces, bubble butts, and big dicks...we pornstars have our own ideas, views, and voices...all of which need to be heard! If you're a pornstar who escorts, be proud of it. But if you're really looking for a good hott escort, please try rentboy.com

~Jesse Santana

Posted by lavenderlounge at 6:58 PM

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