Devon Hunter

At the end of June, 2010 I gave a substantial interview to Jayson for his podcast. He interviews a variety of people, and I just happen to be one of the porn models he has interviewed. Jayson has a wide variety of conversations with many interesting people, and I would definitely encourage you to visit his site and peruse the archived conversations. I particularly enjoy the way Jayson injects witty, gay humor into EVERYTHING. He really is wonderful to talk to.

If you have 30 minutes (and the requisite interest in anything I would blab about), I suggest you listen to our conversation. We discussed so many different topics (in no particular order): Stripping, male and female poles, and the economy; DC FUK!T and safe sex; sexual objectification vs. dehumanization; spirituality and guilt; desperation; dating; pricing yourself as an escort; instinct vs. advice; and the list goes on and on. (Which reminds me: One of the very first blog entries I ever wrote came up in this conversation: Your Dollar is Worth About 88 Cents to Me)

I was speaking without a microphone close to my mouth, so I apologize if there are a few moments when Skype had trouble picking up my voice. Other than that, however, I feel that Jayson did a great job of asking a variety of pertinent questions. I welcome any responses here, and I’m sure Jayson wouldn’t mind if you stalked him.

Click here: Cock-2-Go Interview with Devon Hunter

Josh O’Hara was a porn model for Titan in the early part of the ’00′s, and after becoming acquainted with him, I decided to take advantage of a scenario I’d not yet encountered: Asking someone WHO HAS DONE PORN AND THEN LEFT IT BEHIND. Most of the people I meet are CURRENTLY involved, and I wanted to talk to someone who could look back after some time and distance had separated him from the experience. Here is the conversation I had with him (click pics to enlarge them):

Devon Hunter: OMG! Titan was the company I discovered when I first started watching porn back in 1998. That stable of Titan models from 1998 – 2002 were the ones that fueled my fantasy of doing video one day… They are still amongst my favorites, and I include them on my “Who would you love to do a scene with?” wish list when people ask… And you got to work for them! That’s just fabulous. How old were you when you decided to do adult video, and what were your reasons for doing so?

Josh O’Hara: Hehe. Hi Devon, I definitely love your enthusiasm! Should I answer your question with a question? Would I be on that list of guys you’d want to do a scene with?

DH: Yes, actually you are… I’m just sayin’…

JO: HA! I think Titan men are extremely sexy – at the time they had been known more for sexy bigger and hairy types. I was definitely a departure for them.

It was a great experience all around – though, far more work than I’d anticipated! Well, I was 15 when I’d first thought I’d want to get fucked on film, since you asked. What can I say? I started maturing sexually much earlier than some guys I know. Keep in mind that I hadn’t actually been fucked until a few years later when I was 17…. It was another few years after this that I did my first film! So, in my mind it was a long time coming!

DH: Can you describe the recruitment process? Who/What/When/Where/Why/How?

JO: The recruitment process was a fresh experience for me. I actually was referred over by a friend and then went in for an interview with the founder, Bruce Cam. Contrary to popular belief, there was no “casting couch.” It was completely professional. I was actually very shy about taking off my clothes, so that he could see me naked and take a few photos!

I then met with the casting director, and we completed a profile for me (i.e. activities I’m into… stuff I’d try… types of guys I like).  It was all strictly professional, and I felt that each person in the process took great pains to explain to me the nuances of the industry, what was acceptable and unacceptable behavior on set. Details like, don’t jack off for a few days before shooting… and how to properly “prepare” yourself the day of the shoot… absolutely no drugs on set, etc. (which was, again, another stereotype that was blown out of the water for me).

It was all such a wonderful and exciting process! I couldn’t wait to get in the driver… er… passenger (?) seat. Of course I was cast as a bottom, which just happens to be something I love! I started off in the “training” ground by filming a Manplay video. I’m actually not sure if it was ever released, but I do remember being thrown onto a box and being fucked by 6 guys back-to-back… talk about EXHAUSTING! I was sore for days afterward.

I guess they liked me… I returned later to film “Slammer” in 2002, then “R.E.M.” and “Exhibition” in 2003. Wow, putting that in print makes me wonder where all the time has gone! All three feature films (as well as the Manplay) were directed by Harold Creg and shot by Brian Mills, who are two extremely kind, talented, and professional men!

DH: Although you were (and still are) a stunning man, you ultimately did only three videos. What was it like working for Titan Media, and why ultimately did you decide to opt out so early of your career as a porn model?

JO: Are you always this nice? LOL. I’ve never thought of myself as “stunning,” but thank you for the compliment! My brief experience with Titan was a great one!  I’ve heard stories from other friends who were in the industry at the time (working for different companies) that their experiences were pretty much the exact opposite. Guys showing up to shoots high, or not showing up at all… non-professional behavior on the sets, etc. I suppose I was very fortunate to have had the experience that I did, even if only for a brief time.

I decided to put the film career on the back burner, because at the time I we just getting started in a relationship with someone I completely fell in love with. We had actually just started dating around the time I went in to film “Slammer.” I just never really got back into it after “Exhibition” in 2003.

I started doing fitness modeling for local photographers soon after, because I  had gotten more serious about the gym. So, I put my energy and focus into my daily life and hobbies, and using fitness modeling as a means to express myself physically, though, mostly just for fun.

DH: What had your life plans been before you did the videos?

JO: Well, this is quite the question, isn’t it? Gosh, I was so much younger then… I’m not sure I gave much thought to how life would be when I was in my 30′s (as I am 31 now). At that time I was wrapped up in the novelty of being gay in San Francisco. Going out every weekend, go-go dancing on occasion, partying with my boyfriend and our friends. I was still figuring out life in many ways at that time!

DH: Did the videos help or hinder your goals in any way?

I don’t think they’ve hurt my goals or life in any way… at least I can say that until I try to run for public office, right? Hmmm… maybe they’d actually be of some help!?

DH: Yeah, the ethics in South Carolina’s politics lead me to think that it’s a free-for-all. Do these videos pose any problems for you now? If so, how have you adjusted your life to accommodate them? If not, do you think they ever might?

So far I haven’t experienced any problems at all. If anything, it makes for an interesting conversation when someone tells me that they saw me in films. I enjoy the attention, and I am not shy at all about having done them.

I’d imagine that if I continued a career in film that it might pose some problems. I’ve read your blog, and lived some of what you’ve experienced at different events… when people learn that you’ve done films, then they automatically have this (sometimes negative) view of who you as a person. They seem to forget that it’s all a fantasy. I’ve also found that a lot of guys are quite hypocritical… as those same people who snubbed me more often than not tried to get into my pants. Life is completely different now, and while I have no regrets for having done them, I know I’m on the right track.

DH: So many people say adult entertainment ruins the lives of the people who do it, but I just can’t imagine that being so. But I will admit it, if I’m wrong. Do you regret doing these videos? Are you ashamed of them? Is your life ruined?

I can absolutely understand if some people have their lives ruined by doing films, as I’ve seen it happen. Personally, that hasn’t been my experience. I see sex as a beautiful expression between two (or more) people. I’m not embarrassed to share that side of me with the world. Sexuality is only one component of who we are. We are all so much more than what’s inside our pants.

DH: Do you watch these videos and see how beautiful you are, or (like me) do you find yourself unable to watch your own work? Are you content with, proud, or critical of your appearance in them?

Oh, no no no. I don’t watch them when I’m by myself. One of my friends talked me into watching “Slammer” when it came out, and I was mortified the entire time! Let me just say that we are all our own worst critics, and I am definitely not immune.

DH: Will you autograph my ass? Please? With the pen in your mouth while you’re scribbling your name? Oh, and speaking of flirtation, sex, and romance: You are in a long-term relationship. I, personally, have not found dating to be any harder than it already was. Any tidbits you’d like to share about what being in a relationship has been like, in light of the existence of your video work?

I’d gladly autograph your ass… if you’d only come a little closer… I have my pen right here in my pocket.

Relationships are all about communication and respect. Our pasts have helped shape us into the people that our lovers (or future lovers) fall in love with. Though it’s not an issue with my partner now, I have had problems in the past with boyfriends being insecure, and kind of “throwing it back in my face” that I’ve done films; however, my partner now is amazing, and he embraces my past experiences. We recently watched one of my films together, and we ended up having the most amazing sex (on the coffee table and many other places!). My video eclipsed anything that we had playing on the TV. So, while it’s nice being part of the fantasies of other men… I have to say that I’m living my ultimate fantasy right now!

A reader/client/friend sent me an email making some observations about the scene I recently completed with Rusty Stevens for Dominic Ford. This reader brings up the valid point that

“Knowing you, I know pretty well that you would not do anything without thinking it through very well first, including working with a guy with the barebacking experience Rusty has. Was seeing a ‘clean bill of health’ enough to convince you to work with him? Again, the guy is an incredible turn-on and someone I’d love to get it on with safely, but it’s making me think again about what the background is of any person I might get together with. As you know, I have never had unprotected sex, and I never intend to, but I am wondering again about what I am willing to put into my mouth! Your doing this scene with Rusty Stevens has brought about this thinking on my part.”

I have spoken with my agent at Fabscout, and his position is that the agency does not work with models who currently perform in raw videos. Models with a background in bareback videos have to show they have not done any projects without condoms for six months before becoming part of the Fabscout stable, and they must undergo full panel screening for all STD’s.

My personal position is this: I will not do a scene with a model who has not passed a recent screening, and I will not do a scene that engages in the riskiest behaviors (bareback anal sex, cum shots on the face, etc.). I have no control over a model’s past, and I often don’t know who my scene partner is until right before the shoot (so I wouldn’t be able to perform due diligence anyway). And so, the best I can do is the best I can do: Treat each person as if he were POZ, and follow the rules of reducing risk. There is no such reality as safe sex, there is only safer sex.

There are many ways a model can mask his bareback history in video (e.g. changing stage names, altering appearance, etc.), and Rusty has done none of these. He has been quite admirable in his approach: He has kept his name and his tattoos, he has spoken about his background, and he has committed to doing scenes with condoms. He has not done a bareback video since 2007, and he is screened for HIV every 28-30 days. He takes all of this very seriously, and (like ChiChi, Brent Corrigan, and many others) has amended his practices within adult video. The whole point of using condoms after not using them is illustrating that life habits and behaviors can change. I do not think it is fair to refuse to let go of a raw past, especially if it is a mark of evolution from naïvité to responsibility.

Is it unfortunate that Rusty did several bareback videos? Yes. Has he adjusted that behavior? Yes. Does he respect himself, his partners, and his scene-mates enough to diligently monitor his health? Yes.

I definitely appreciate the concern this reader expressed, but if you are going to have sex, then it is important to recognize that it is impossible to do anything more than reduce and manage risk. The only alternative is abstinence. Each person has to decide for himself whether or not sex with others is worth more than the potential risks it brings.

When I was a college professor one of the only writing assignments I gave to my Dance Appreciation classes was the following: Write a two-page paper explaining how your major is connected to dance, and also why taking my class was not a waste of your time. Something that I wanted to drive home to my students was that everything in this life is connected. Everything. I can show you dance, but only you can show appreciation for how it benefits or enhances your world. That was my students’ task, and the life lesson I wanted them to take from me: There is no such reality as “useless information.”

With that in mind I want to look briefly at one of the ways in which gay men dismiss and abuse one another.

Before I begin, let me say that a short list of the people I love most and who most deeply inspire me or command my respect (in no particular order) includes my mother and grandmother, Janet Jackson, my dance partners and classmates, Jen, various queer performance artists and activists, and my cat. There are SO MANY others, of course, but I have a point to make here: Most, if not nearly all, of these beings I mentioned are women. I grew up, came of age, and became a trained dancer/choreographer in an almost exclusively female world. I love girls. I am very comfortable with them. I admire them very much. And so it is rather foreign to me that calling me names that feminize me should be insulting. The terms themselves aren’t nearly as infuriating as the intent behind them.

When gay men use she/her terms to each other in a friendly, joking, or coy manner, it is arch. It’s camp. It’s fun and funny. It illustrates the bond many gay men enjoy with their own fluid senses of gender and identity. When people use those same terms in a pejorative manner, however, something else comes into play. It is far too common a presumption that all that is not masculine must therefore be feminine, and (by extrapolation) unpleasant, dirty, stupid, or weak.

When gay men “diminish” me by calling me a queen, bitch, pussy, or diva (and when they use these terms in some kind of aggressive or dismissive tone), what they are doing is reinforcing the notion that since women are “obviously” less than men; and since gay men are “obviously” not masculine (and therefore feminine, and thus less than); and since gay men (who “must” be non-masculine) are thus “obviously” less than straight men, BECAUSE of a perceived “femininity;” then it is alright to treat other gay men with disdain (or conversely, to “reduce” gay men who have angered them by first making the target of their anger female), despite having the very attributes that are “repellent.”

What I want to say is this: Calling me names that turn me into a woman do not offend me. At all. Making comments that I am a “bitchy diva” or a “pussy, flaming queen” do not function. Although the people who use these terms against me (or any other man, gay or otherwise) may have scored some kind of point in their own minds, they haven’t really affected me. I love women. I don’t want to have sex with them, but turning me into one of them as a form of attack is a wasted effort.

Ultimately, the idea that “no one is free until everyone is free” is what is at stake here. And it’s true, since everything is affected by everything else. There is only one reality, and you can find (if you look closely enough) the degrees of non-separation between any departure and any destination. Issues of social equality are interconnected between women and the LGBT community. There are also many overlapping issues concerning race, age, health, and wealth. People who are marginalized can’t afford to invest in the idea that they will be empowered at the expense of another minority (or, in the case of women, disempowered majority). If you do not respect women, it is impossible to respect other gay men. Think on that.

And then consider why it is a false assertion to say “porn doesn’t matter.”

This we know to be true: The Earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the Earth. This we know: All things are connected, like the blood that unites one family. All things are connected.” – Chief Joseph

I have been asked repeatedly how I decided to use the name Devon Hunter, and in the aftermath of the Sean Cody discussion I should finally tell this story. You see, someone has decided (in a fit of revenge) to release my legal name to the public. I have been waiting for someone to finally expose my personal business to the world, without consideration for my safety (and all because I have dared to describe the ways in which gay-for-pay pornography is destructive to gay men). Shame on you, sir. Shame on you. You are my gay brother, but I am ashamed of you.

Fine.

My name is Jack Kirven. My entire family knows about my career, as do almost all of my friends. I chose the name Devon, because I knew a man by that name who was beautiful but humble; I chose Hunter, because I knew one who was not particularly handsome, but confident nonetheless; and I thought putting them together in one person would be the ideal for which I would strive. So, now if you want to waste your time looking all my private information up, you can knowing that internalized homophobia has put me at the center of the target, but that I’m still here and I won’t stop blogging about my experiences in the adult entertainment industry.

I do not back down from intimidation.

I don’t have anything to hide. Shame on you, sir. Shame on you. I hope this decision you have made will further illustrate why models should NOT work for your homophobic company.

Click here to see how Sean Cody may try to hurt you if you speak about their homophobic practices.