Friday, June 02, 2006

A Very Sad State of Affairs: Bareback Video Rentals and Sales Skyrocket

Before I get on my soapbox, here's the article describing the surging demand by gay men for bareback porn flicks.

Bareback sales booming (Gay)Some video stores, porn producers ignore pleas of AIDS activists
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. Friday, June 02, 2006
Despite strong objections from AIDS activists, the production and sale of adult videos for gay men in which the actors don’t use condoms is expanding at a rapid pace, with more studios and retail distributors jumping on the “bareback” bandwagon.
Some AIDS activists, who expressed concern three years ago when gay bareback videos first reappeared on the scene, say they are even more alarmed over the recent trend by porn studios in using younger models, age 18 to 21, in bareback films.
“The message in that kind of imagery and entertainment should be to reinforce safer sex, and that includes using condoms during sexual activity,” said Ronald Johnson, an official with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, one of the nation’s oldest AIDS advocacy groups based in New York City.
“The imagery is a very powerful one,” Johnson said. “I think this industry needs to recognize the power of that imagery and the responsibility they have.”
Representatives of gay adult film studios and retail distributors, including the increasingly popular online sales outlets for gay adult videos, express mixed views over the bareback phenomenon.
Some refuse to produce or sell bareback videos, saying the industry should hold to the practice it established in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when condoms were required for all depictions of anal intercourse.
Others say that, as businesses, they find it difficult to buck a market demand for bareback videos at a time of great competition in the adult gay entertainment industry. They also say businesses that serve gay people, an historically persecuted group, should not be engaging in a form of censorship by denying customers the right to choose the form of entertainment they like.
“Barebacking has become an issue of, if you can’t fight it, join it,” said Todd Brown, a buyer for Blue Ribbon Entertainment, Inc., which owns the online businesses GayVideoStore.com and BarebackVideoStore.net.
Brown said his company places disclaimers in the descriptions of all bareback videos that warn buyers that the practice of barebacking can lead to HIV transmission.
Industry observers say the creation of online distributors specializing in bareback videos, and the recent formation by studios of divisions specializing in producing bareback films, show growing demand for bareback products.
Doug Lawrence, editor of Gay Video News, a subsidiary of the trade publication Adult Video News, estimates between 10 to 15 percent of the gay adult films being produced are bareback movies.
“All the major companies are safe-sex, condom companies,” he said in describing the larger studios like Titan, Raging Stallion, Falcon, Cult, Hot House and All World.
Brown, the buyer for BarebackVideoStore.net, said the larger gay adult studios, while professing opposition to bareback films, have been capitalizing on the bareback demand by re-releasing their pre-AIDS gay porn flicks, where condoms were never used. The videos are then marketing as “pre-condom” films.
“They are making a big push to re-release their old titles without condoms,” Brown said. “They want to get a piece of this money coming from barebacking.”
A spot survey of gay adult video stores in several major cities shows that nearly all are selling bareback videos.
Capitol Video, which operates three video stores in D.C. that sell both adult and general entertainment videos, includes some bareback titles, according to manager Tim Snyder.
Stores selling adult gay videos in New York, Fort Lauderdale, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Boston have each reported selling bareback videos during the past few years.

This all means that guys want to have unprotected sex at whatever cost. They live for the moment, whatever the consequences of their actions, they don't want to take any responsibility. Such self hatred. And all this for not wanting to take 15 fuckin seconds to put on a condom.

And it also proves that gay porn has failed to provide steamy hot safer sex. The blame goes all around. The producers and directors don't have their heart or cocks into it. The actors are so noninvolved and stoned out of their minds that they don't force the issue, instead they perform like zombies. No wonder the pre-condom sales are rising. Those guys while dead now for the most part, really knew how to have hot sizzling sex with each other.

It seems as if hot foreplay, hairy muscle sex and sizzling nipple play just doesn't do it for these guys. A very sad commentary.

9 comments:

Teddy Pig said...

I will someone finally give Joe Gage the money he needs put out directors cut versions of all his old porn movies PLEASE!

Spider said...

I am just wondering Buff, how much of those sales are from younger guys who have never seen a bareback movie, or have never barebacked themselves...

I can only hope that this is accounting for a lot of the sales...

Teddy Pig said...

I think half of the reason so many of these "bareback filmes" sell so well is they were made back before every porn star was shaved from head to toe having the same look as any other porn star on the screen.
These films if you go back to the late 70's early 80's also would have more than one or two actors and more than say one or two scenes involving some fetish. They would in fact be all over the place having everything but the kitchen sink thrown in making them pretty long movies by todays standards but also having no particular bent in mind.
I think things such as variety and creativity are no longer part of the reasons people make these movies much less act in them anymore.

I think the porn stars back then were probably just as drunk and or stoned as any these days. They were however much more into what they were doing, much less pre-packaged and pre-processed to appeal to everyone if that is possible and not just another product sold on just another grab for your bucks.

cola boy said...

A sad state of affairs. What are the odds that the viewers of bareback videos are just watching it for the thrill and actually using a condum in real life?

The_Gay_Dude said...

I JUST DON'T GET IT!!!!! AND WHY AREN'T PORN COMPANIES LIABLE?????

madhousesix said...

fuckin' internet - i had a tremendous post to reply and i lost my connection right as i tried to post.

i'll just shorten my comment to thank you for raising this topic... there isn't an easy answer, and the gay community needs to take a good hard look at itself and have a serious conversation.

torontomenatwork said...

There are two main causes of this issue:

Barebacking has been so frowned upon in the past decade that it has become the forbidden fruit. People are watching it out of curiousity and seeing 'what it's all about.' Just like banning books or movies oftentimes increase their interest and cause their sales to rise.

The 18-21 year olds doing these porns and those growing up in the 90s didn't see the strong HIV/AIDS reports and ads. The prevalence of HIV meds since 1996 brought about complacency as we see fewer guys die and thus have the misconception that HIV/AIDS is less of a concern. There is still a lack of education about contracting HIV/AIDS and STDs and their effects.

I share my porn with friends and never share bareback films as it gives the misconception that barebacking is okay in real life if these pretty boys can do it on the screen.

TOS said...

I have a split take on these movies... I'll cop to buying some of the older titles. I'm a younger guy (30) so I didn't grow up with these and for me it's part of the gay history lesson (why should wacking off not be an educational experience too ;-) but I don't think it is these "classic" videos people are worried about (for the most part)

I personally have a BIG problem with the studios like ActiveDuty.com, Treasure Island and the other ones that make bareback the central theme of the movies. Instead of just being porn movies they are special features that not only showcase but really glorify barebacking. I'll cop to having seen some of these on the net as well. They're gross and not sexy (imho). They all make a determined effort to be completely unsafe - i.e pulling out and them cumming right back into an open, well you know, hole. No redeeming value at all.

I get chills when I see titles like "Planting Seed." I really think people have forgotten what AIDS looked like. Nice drugs ads feature happy and healthy characters which to me seems to downplay how bad the disease is... they really need to show the models sitting on the toilet for hours from all the nasty side-effects... Maybe that would wake some people up. I don't advocate against people who are positive at all but I think many would agree that the drugs are lifesavers but NOT fun, cheap or convenient...

Bottomline, something needs to happen to really stem the tide of apathy and that goes for both young kids and older kids (I've seen plenty of those BB videos being hawked at MAL and other leather events catered towards an older crowd).

Leonard said...

"This all means that guys want to have unprotected sex at whatever cost. They live for the moment, whatever the consequences of their actions, they don't want to take any responsibility. Such self hatred. And all this for not wanting to take 15 fuckin seconds to put on a condom."

Whoa...Buff I have to disagree with you on this one. I love bareback videos...why? because it's fantasy. In the real world I put the glove on and I don't compromise that, but in fantasy...bareback is hot. Porn is about fantasy (to most of us) and while I live in the real world and do what I need to do to protect myself, it's nice to have an outlet where I'm not in charge, I'm watching a fantasy. As for the bareback industry, I'm hoping there are very rigid rules on getting tested before you are allowed to work in the bareback video world. I'm hoping that testing is ongoing also. There are some men out there who wouldn't *think* of being with a black man, but they love that type of movie. Or the person who likes bondage...but could never indulge. I watch the bareback films, but I know I can't do it. I guess it's about responsibility and knowing reality from fantasy. Great post! ;-) peace