He continued: “I believe voices like his should be heard. In a statement released to PinkNews, Falcon/Naked Sword president and CEO Tim Valenti said: “Let me start by saying I respect Race Cooper for sharing his experience working at Raging Stallion.” “Racism takes many forms, and our thoughts on racism and sex need to change.” Falcon/Naked Sword president Tim Valenti says they will ‘listen and work to do better’. We can’t claim empathy when Black people are killed in the streets, considering we currently treat them differently in the sheets. “It’s not enough to only care about Black people in public, but still reduce them to objects we hide under our bed at home. While Black Lives Matter focuses on police brutality, how we view and treat others sexually and engage with them, must also be addressed. “However, as a gay community that wants to truly be anti-racist, and support all of our brothers, sisters and cousins, we have to clean house. “What I’ve come to understand is this: it’s easy to say racism is only elsewhere, such as police brutality, or in actors who have espoused racism on social media,” Cooper says. He would also like to see the gay porn industry end the preferential treatment of “gay for pay” actors and stop shunning HIV-positive porn stars. He would like to see porn studios hire diversity mentors to help with casting, and says these mentors could help to advance the careers of porn actors of colour. Race Cooper also wants companies to acknowledge that many have cast white men – and, in some cases, straight men – over Black and gay men.įor Cooper, there is a clear path forward. Instead, he wants to see companies sever ties with “known racists” – something many have been reluctant to do.
He wants porn studios to do more than release blanket statements about diversity. Many major gay porn studios have responded to Black Lives Matter protests by releasing supportive statements – but for Cooper, it’s not enough. Race Cooper wants to see gay porn studios sever ties with ‘racist’ stars. Some have called out white gay porn stars for past racist remarks and for their open support of Donald Trump. Since the death of George Floyd, many sex workers of colour have criticised the porn industry for its lukewarm attempts at stamping out racism. That impact stays with Black people who feel their worth is only in the sexual gratification they can provide to white people.” “Fetishisation diminishes the person of colour, uses them for only personal sexual gratification, and discards them when done. It’s another example of fetishisation.”Ĭooper also says Black men in the gay porn industry are frequently cast in “thug” roles, which play into offensive racial stereotypes. “Chocolate is a delicious treat, a guilty pleasure we are all expected to renounce in public and enjoy in private. He also notes the pervasive description of Black men in the industry as being like “chocolate”. “A human with a soul is reduced to a Black dildo like those you buy and own, hiding it away under your bed until you’re horny and lonely.” He says that Black men in the porn industry are often reduced to nothing more than a body part – as is the case with the degrading porn category “BBC” or “Big Black C**k”.
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But when your fetish is any interchangeable ‘Black guy’, you are taking the human component out of it, and just treating them as objects based on their skin colour.” “Fetishes like fist play or sling play have nothing to do with race or skin colour. “When you fetishize a person, you are dehumanizing that person into a thing,” he says. He also notes that Black men are still fetishised in degrading ways within the industry, and the impact on the actor is severe. I was also the only Black person on staff.” The fetishisation of Black people in the gay porn industry is a persistent problem. “I was the only person laid off at that time. He says he was told they had no need for two casting directors. “I was made to feel like I was not worthy of praise, validation, and definitely less valuable than all of the white actors.”Ĭooper says his time with the company ended when it merged with Falcon Studios.