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Gay Porn Awards Dump Racist Category

Gay Porn Awards Dump Racist Category

It’s no secret that the queer world, especially the queer porn world, are not free from charges of racism and discrimination. Recently, the GayVN Awards officially removed a racist awards category after an actor refused his nomination.

According to New Now Nextporn actor Hugh Hunter turned down nominations due to the fact that the GayVN Awards have a “Best Ethnic Scene” category that segregates out actors of color into their own category, instead of including them in the overall nominations.

“Why were these scenes not just included in the best scene category?” Hunter Tweeted in an official statement. “Why would a gay porn company choose to separate minority groups into their own race at an event that is supposed to celebrate the gay industry in its entirety? Why would this category be created in 2017 when the political climate is so thick with racial divide in this country?”

In addition, he called for fans to boycott as a way to stand up against the racism and bigotry prevalent in the GayVn Awards and the industry in general.

“I want to be remembered for stepping forward and starting a movement to eventually end racism and bigotry in this beleaguered industry,” he added. “For so many we are the educators of sexuality. Let’s be the best educators we can be.”

As a response, the category has been removed and merged with “Best Duo,” meaning all the nominees are still in the running, but they won’t be categorized as “ethnic.”

“This category was never intended to restrict performers of any non-European ethnic background from competing fully in ANY other category,” their statement explained, “whether in the judged categories or the ‘Fan Award’ categories.”

They also explained that their original intent was to create different categories for different tastes, similar to the “Best Fetish Scene” and “Best Bear Scene” categories. Of course, the issue with that is the painting of “ethnics” as a fetish comparable to leather or facial hair.

It remains to be seen if this change will convince actors and fans to back down from a boycott and give the awards another chance, but it does represent a motion of good faith towards a less racist, more inclusive GayVN Awards.

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