Everyone loves an industry event, and those of us in the porn business are no exception. It’s a fun time to hang out, have a drink and do some networking.
However, there’s an upcoming ceremony that everyone of good conscience who is connected to porn in any way should not only ignore, but openly boycott. It’s the “1st Annual Str8UpGayPorn Awards”, the brainchild of one of the fiercest critics of our industry, Zachary Sire, who at the same time manages to profit from it.
Many well-intentioned people such as Sandra Bernhard, who’s agreed to host, and various writers, filmmakers and performers, are planning to participate. They are, no doubt, unaware of Sire’s vile history, and perhaps think of this as just another fun porn awards event of the type Kathy Griffin hosted years ago for the GVN Award.
But this is very different. Sire’s website is a vicious forum filled with negativity and venom, unmatched by anything else in the industry.
As I have said in the past, the list of his offenses is seemingly endless, but allow me to review some of the most egregious things he’s done over the years:
Sire reveals the real names and addresses of porn models, along with exposing the identities of their relatives and boyfriends, even if those people have no connection to the industry. He often tweets and sends his posts to these relatives.
Sire posts mug shots of people in the industry, (e.g. “the top 53 gay porn mug shots of all time” …
and gleefully details their arrest records. He revels in humiliating and shaming those in the gay porn business.
Sire often speculates about the HIV status of porn stars, and wants gay people to fear those who have HIV.
Sire provokes and mocks current and former porn stars about everything from lack of awareness of news events, to their physical appearance … a particularly sensitive topic for those in porn.
Then there is Sire’s years-long harassment of adult film director Nica Noelle. Sire has to a large extent succeeded in destroying Noelle’s personal and professional life and reputation due to a petty dispute. He has even stooped to publicly writing about her autistic daughter.
In perhaps the most chilling example of his malignance, Sire infamously revealed the identity of his competitor, the Queer Me Now blogger (a true fan and supporter of the industry) the morning after the blogger won the “Best Blog” Grabby award. Since the blogger lives in Thailand, this put not only his career, but his freedom and his very life in danger.
Sire’s blog depicts the gay porn industry as a drug-infested nest of STD infections, a business filled with criminals. He essentially has created an online catalog of accusations that will delight every anti-porn crusader. He continually provides ammunition to our enemies.
There are many well-established industry awards shows that we should support, such as Grabby, Cybersocket, and GayVN, which will return to Las Vegas next January after an absence of several years.
But those of us in the porn industry and our supporters should stay away from Sire’s ill-conceived event. We should neither acknowledge or encourage his atrocious behavior. We should not give a bigger platform to someone who hates the industry he writes about, and detests those who work in it.
As I’ve said before, Sire has been biting the hand that feeds him for far too long. We should do nothing to legitimize him.
I like to think that Sandra Bernhard hasn’t looked into the matter. I’d add my other two-cents, but I think you called it, ML.
Well-written, concise, and spot on. This needed to be said and Michael Lucas has the credibility and balls to do it!
One of these times this jester is going to open his mouth and someone’s going to put more than a dick in it. And that will be the last time, the last show, the last blog he writes. I’m waiting patiently till he’s gone. The gays that support his site and these awards have real problems. Sandra Bernhard is putting her rep on the line with her fan base. Boycott this laughable show.
Zach Sire sucks and is nothing but a gossipy, hateful pos. I can only hope Sandra Bernhard isn’t really doing this.