ABSTRACT

Gay porn makes up a disproportionately large segment of the pornography market. Estimates of porn’s total economic clout range from $8 to $10 billion annually, with gay porn making up 10 to 25%;1 some industry insiders have even estimated as much as one-third to one-half of the adult industry is gay sales and rentals.2 Gay porn, however, has generally been neglected in the fierce debate over pornography during the past four decades. Perhaps the fact that the debate has largely been driven by feminist claims about pornography’s exploitation of women has led to gay pornography’s neglect. Yet our understanding of pornography cannot be defined solely in heterosexual terms, and an analysis of gay pornography may help to expand our knowledge of pornography in general.