Eclectic Views on Gay Male Pornography

by Todd G. Morrison (Editor)

A unique, multifaceted look at the meaning (and the specifics) of gay male pornography

Open any gay lifestyle magazine (even the serious ones) or go to any gay bar, and you’re likely to encounter something related to pornography, be it an image of a porn superstar or advertisements for pornographic magazines, DVDs, calendars, etc. Eclectic Views on Gay Male Pornography Pornucopia examines this phenomenon with a series of provocative essays, in which experts in history, law, media studies, and psychology, as well as laypeople and gay porn insiders explore the complex world of male pornography and the various ways in which it has permeated gay culturefrom the 1970s until today.

This first-of-its-kind book examines the phenomenon of self-writing and performance for gay men in the last century, specifically looking at the lives of modern-day performance artist Tim Miller, who has received national recognition for his one-man shows portraying his struggles as a gay man; Wakefield Poole (born 1936), the first producer of gay pornography (Bijou, Boys in the Sand) in the era accompanying the emergence of the gay rights movement; gay adult film icon Scott Spunk O’Hara (born 1961); and Aaron Lawrence (born 1971), who worked as a gay escort, actor, and producer/director of his own sexually explicit amateur videos.

In this groundbreaking analysis of gay men’s relationship with pornography, you’ll also learn about: In addition, Eclectic Views on Gay Male Pornography presents two fascinating chapters about the case of Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium in Vancouver. In this landmark case, the Canadian Supreme Court was asked to determine whether gay male pornography violated the sex equality protections guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court also examined the way that Canada Customs treats international shipments to gay and lesbian bookstores. In addition, the book provides a revealing insider’s perspective on the gay adult video industry that contrasts the workaday reality of making porn with the glamorous mythology of the skin trade.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 16, 2004

Reviews

[Carlos]

I have to admit that I’m rather disappointed with this book. About half of the essays seemed almost irrelevant, from a pseudo-fictionalized account of the author’s experience with gay porn to an essay that transitioned quickly from gay porn to calling for the end of capitalism. Perhaps I had hoped for too much, since the topics I had imagined to be discussed - i.e., creating body-image issues on the viewer, praising toxic masculinity, etc. - were indeed discussed only to cease after the briefest considerations. I’m not sure that this collection would serve for more than just exposure to the topics the interested reader might want to explore further.

[Gareth Schweitzer]

I bought and read this in the naughties and have read it again in 2023.
It’s very eclectic and the shifts between subject and approach can feel disorienting. It’s also very much of its time ie. when the internet was new…and the debates and theory … and pornography have moved on considerably since then.

This book is published as part of The Journal of Homosexuality, a series of monographs and studies exploring homosexuality in its widest contexts ranging from biology, to history, to art…and in this, is commendable.

Food for thought…some new and comparative studies on what porn now means to people, particularly gay men would be interesting.