Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
OnlyFans reversed its decision to ban porn and sexually explicit content on its platform Wednesday after days of backlash from sex workers whose content has been key to the company’s growth. Continue reading “OnlyFans U-Turns On Sexually Explicit Content Ban”
After making millions of dollars as a platform for sex workers to create and charge for their own content, OnlyFans has announced it’s getting out of the pornography business. Continue reading “OnlyFans To Ban ‘Sexually Explicit’ Content”
Some news items you might have missed:
• The Gaily Grind: The U.S. embassy in Russia (above), along with the British and Canadian embassies, hoisted rainbow Pride flags on their buildings in Moscow, defying the country’s “gay propaganda” law signed by Vladimir Putin in 2013.
• Kenneth-in-the-212: Former gay porn guy Paul Wagner is reportedly attempting a comeback on OnlyFans. More at the link.
• New York Post: Reps for Donald Trump approached the social media platform Parler in January with an offer to have the then-president move his social media presence to the platform in exchange for 40 percent of the company’s gross revenues and a promise to “ban anyone who spoke negatively about him.” The owners said ‘no.’
• CBS News: Champlain Towers South was reportedly facing $15M in repairs before it collapsed on June 24. A 2018 engineering report warned of damage to the concrete, and a contractor gave multiple photos to the Miami Herald showing evidence of corrosion and cracks in the building just days before the collapse.
• Edge Media: The Spanish Cabinet on Tuesday passed a draft bill on LGBTI rights that will seek parliamentary approval to allow transgender people over 16 to freely change their gender and name without doctors or witnesses intervening in the process.
• Vogue Magazine: First Lady Dr. Jill Biden covers the August issue of Vogue Magazine. Annie Leibovitz snapped the gorgeous cover image and Jonathan Van Meter wrote the article titled, “A First Lady For All Of Us.”
.@flotus @drbiden stars on the cover of our August issue! Read the full profile: https://t.co/nxKE4csnjT pic.twitter.com/gopBPIxCff
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) June 29, 2021
Some news items you might have missed:
• Outsports: A gay surfer started an OnlyFans page to feel sexy, and apparently it’s working. Nick Vallejo (above) finds inner-peace in the ocean and confidence in front of the camera.
• Pink News: Arizona Republicans have passed an anti-LGBT+ bill that would allow parents to stop their kids from learning about queer people. The bill would also prohibit schools from providing sex-ed classes which include information about AIDS and HIV without parent’s permission.
• Instagram: Ivanka Trump celebrated getting her coronavirus vaccine shot on social media, and Republicans lost their minds leaving ugly comments. I’m still surprised they oppose the vaccines so much considering their lord and savior the Donald says he created them with his own two, itty-bitty hands.
• New York Times: While it is rare for the police to mistake their sidearms for their stun guns, it is even rarer for charges to be brought against them in such cases. A Times review of 15 other cases of so-called weapon confusion showed that only five of the officers were indicted. Just three received guilty verdicts.
• WIS News10: Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott confirms Sergeant First Class Jonathan Pentland had been arrested and charged with third-degree assault and battery after viral video footage showed him assaulting a young Black man on a public sidewalk. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a $500 fine or 30 days in jail.
• The Hill: A Minnesota man was arrested Wednesday for assault after he allegedly drove away while a police officer’s arm was trapped in his truck window. An officer was standing on the truck’s running board when Oeltjenbruns is accused of rolling up the window on his arm. The suspect then allegedly drove away at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, leaving the officer hanging off the vehicle. Note: the accused was neither tased nor shot.
This happened yesterday in Minnesota, the suspect was a 61-year-old white man fleeing police. He wasn’t shot or tased. pic.twitter.com/FEq39kssC9
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) April 15, 2021
The powers that be at OnlyFans, where adult entertainment performers share their own content to subscribers, recently changed its rule that prohibits one certain genre of content.
The change, made without fanfare to the site’s terms of service in February, effectively bans any content that “was recorded in or is being broadcast from a public place where members of the public are reasonably likely to see the activities being illustrated.”
Ok, so, that makes sense. In most states shooting adult content in public would fall under public lewdness and/or indecency laws, and OnlyFans doesn’t want to have anything to do with that.
The problem, however, arose for some creators who shot content outdoors deep in the forest or out on country property they own.
Vice spoke to one creator, Aspen Eden, who only became aware of the change in policy when she received an email saying her outdoor content violated the terms of service and was removed from the platform.
The email informed her that even photos or video shot in areas “far away from populated places” would still constitute “public nudity.” The only outdoors content with nudity allowed is “if it is a private territory only,” like as a private ranch or beach.
In those cases, though, creators have to provide proof of ownership or permission from the owner to post those images to OnlyFans.
Eden told Vice that since most of her content is captured outdoors, she’s now forced to rethink her focus.
“All of my content was either created on private property, secluded areas deep in the mountains/deserts or national forests,” she explained. “None of my content was ever made in a public area with people around or the chance of people walking up. No parking lots, busy streets or public parks. I’ve never and would never want to put someone in a situation where they haven’t consented to seeing me nude.”
Eden surmised the change in policy probably was due to pressure from banks who do business with the platform. Those entities are probably uncomfortable aiding in the sale of content that might have been created illegally.
Last year, credit card companies like MasterCard and Visa stopped doing business with PornHub when concerns of underage videos on the adult site arose.
OnlyFans has an extensive list of what isn’t allowed on its platform including baby-themed content using bottles, diapers or baby powder; anything involving bruising or spanking unless it’s “not violent” (but that’s kind of vague); or promoting the sale of alcohol.
Just months after launching an OnlyFans account, actor Tyler Posey (Alone) says the experience has been “bizarre” and “draining” (no pun intended).
“It’s really, sort of mentally draining,” Posey shared in an interview with E!’s The Rundown.
”You really feel like an object on OnlyFans. I’m trying my hardest to be artistic as possible with the content I put out ’cause I don’t want it to just be porn, you know? That’s not what I do and I don’t want to take it away from the people that are doing that.”
The 29-year-old added, “I just want to be artistic and stay in touch with my fans.”
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Posey launched his OnlyFans account in September 2020 in part, he says, because he wanted to start embracing his body.
“I’m nude a lot and I wanted to be more open-minded about social media, so I just started posting,” he told his ex-girlfriend Bella Thorne in a candid video chat.
“I love being nude because… you’re not born wearing clothes, so I want to go out the same way that I came in,” he continued. “I want to die naked, and since 2020 has been a little scary, I feel I could die any second now, so I want to be ready.”
That said, Posey does have boundaries when it comes to sharing his nakedness. “If I’m going to be somewhat nude, I want to not take myself seriously and be kind of funny.”
“I just can’t pose naked and take myself seriously,” he added. “It’s weird, it feels stupid, I feel like an object. I’m still figuring out my footing in it and we’ll see where it goes.”
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The former Teen Wolf star also shared in the new interview that he’s explored sexual role-play as a way to gain confidence in the bedroom but it usually leaves him “self-conscious and a little embarrassed.”
“It’s never been done for me, it’s always been done for my partner,” he said. “So I’m not always wanting to role play that hard, but I’m always down for it.”
Speaking of being down for things, last fall Posey opened up to his social media followers explaining that he considers himself somewhat pansexual and “has hooked up with guys.”
He explained his coming out in an interview on SiriusXM’s The Jason Ellis Show.
“I woke up one morning and I saw all this stuff on Instagram about these transsexual women who were being beaten and harassed, and there were a bunch of people that were filming the whole entire interaction and laughing at them,” Posey told Ellis.
“Originally I was just shedding light on that, through whatever way that I could,” he added. “And, then I was hit with wanting just to come out myself with that whole thing and be honest about it.”
A few days later, Posey was even more forthright during a Q&A with his OnlyFans followers. Let’s hear it for brevity!
anyone: h—
tyler posey: pic.twitter.com/ZNqxRHqRdU
— Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) October 19, 2020
Some news items you might have missed:
• KIT212: Kenneth’s new regular feature, “Mask4Masc,” offers some ‘hunky highlights’ (above) for these otherwise grim days. More at the link.
• Gay Star News: New data shows 1 in 6 adopted children in the UK are finding homes with same-sex couples. The number of ‘rainbow families’ has increased for three years in a row now.
• YouTube: From the description – “The von Trapplings have so far only been singing about Covid. But current events compel them to add their sound of music once more, to farewell a president who just doesn’t seem to want to leave office after being democratically fired.”
• NewNowNext: The pop culture site spoke with four queer performers at different stages of their OnlyFans careers to get a better sense of the labor and investment they put into their business models. Regular readers know I find the financial possibilities of OnlyFans fascinating.
• Variety: A “True Blood” reboot is in the early development stages at HBO. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Jami O’Brien are attached to write the script and executive produce, with original series creator and showrunner Alan Ball also attached to executive produce. At this time, none of the show’s original cast is attached to return.
• The Hill: Sixty percent of voters don’t want President Trump to run for president again in 2024, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll released Wednesday. The survey found just 32 percent of respondents think the president should run for a second non-consecutive term.
• CNN: While Donald Trump continues to whine about his epic fail in his quest for reelection, First Lady Melania Trump is already making plans for ending her time in the White House. According to sources, she’s begun inquiring about “what was available to her in terms of budget and staff allocation for post-White House life.”
First lady Melania Trump “just wants to go home” https://t.co/xRDfAVV3lp pic.twitter.com/Zlh79i85Dj
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 10, 2020
Some news items you might have missed:
• KIT212: Kenneth wonders as to how much ‘seasonal sentiment’ is really attached to some InstaHunky posts like the above pic from Arrow star Stephen Amell?
• Boy Culture: Matt Rettenmund’s list of his ‘Top 50 Sitcoms’ is pure gold – I especially agree with his Top 10.
• The Tonight Show: Jimmy Fallon and Andrew Rannells recap the year 2020 through Broadway songs like “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, “Memory” from Cats, and “My Shot” from Hamilton.
• Orlando Sentinel: Florida man coughed, sneezed, spit throughout a Best Buy after refusing mask. He told the police he’s “been going through a lot this year and got carried away.”
• World Of Wonder: Porn performer Reno Gold donated a week’s worth of his online earnings – over $27,000 – to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which is awesome. p.s. if you do the math, Reno makes over $1 million a year, so, wow…
• Instagram: A 21-year-old fashion/lifestyle photographer in Mexico City shared the emotional moment he told his mother he was marrying his boyfriend and his religious mother denounced him for being gay. The video quickly went viral.
“The day I die you are gonna be the one who kills me because I’m always thinking about all the stuff you’ve done wrong,” she told him. “You do wrong. You sin. Think really hard about what you’re doing. Think about it and don’t sin for Satan.”
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An OnlyFans performer who was arrested for secretly recording a sexual interlude with his boyfriend and then uploading the clip to his account without permission has changed his plea from guilty to not guilty.
Fabricio Da Silva Claudino, a former flight attendant for Emirates, reportedly filmed the video last year in July at their home in Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.
As Instinct previously reported, Claudino pleaded guilty this past June to 11 counts of recording and distributing without consent several explicit images and a video clip.
At the time, the police report entered into evidence read, “The victim is clearly unaware of this activity being recorded and can be depicted in the recording as face down throughout.”
“At one point the defendant positions the mobile phone towards a mirror where his face is depicted … at no stage, did the victim consent to the defendant taking this recording.”
But the amateur porn performer changed his plea during a video hearing this week to not guilty.
Claudino admitted to recording the episode and distributing the images but says he did so with his ex-boyfriend’s consent.
He also told the court he only pleaded guilty because he was advised to do so by solicitor Brett Galloway.
“He said, ‘If you continue to plead not guilty your case will be adjourned to December 2020 or maybe longer to set a new hearing date because of the COVID-19 pandemic’,” said Claudino according to ABC News Australia.
The 32-year-old reportedly felt a guilty plea would speed his return to Brazil so he could care for his mother, who is currently facing cancer.
“I said, ‘I am the only financial support she has had since I was 18 — she is my priority at the moment,'” he said. “If this is the only way out of the situation, I agree to plead guilty.”
Claudino claims he turned to OnlyFans after his breakup (the relationship lasted about five months) as a means to earn the money to travel back home. Without a work visa, he was unable to secure legal employment.
After finding new legal representation, Claudino was apparently informed: “a month’s worth of WhatsApp messages had been deleted from his mobile phone.”
His new lawyer, Alex Maroulis, told ABC News he is working to retrieve a text message chat about OnlyFans between his client and the ex-boyfriend.
Claudino says the missing text messages “would be in the period where the text messages have not been provided by [the alleged victim] or deliberately deleted by [the alleged victim].”
“With [the alleged victim’s] consent, I posted on the website ‘OnlyFans’ sexually explicit material of us and I did not show [his] face in any of the sexually explicit images that I posted on OnlyFans.”
Claudino also referenced a conversation he had with his ex in which he also obtained what he considered ‘verbal consent’ regarding sharing the video clip on OnlyFans.
“He said, ‘If you post any of our sex videos make sure my face does not appear — I will see how it goes for you and how much money you make, and I might join myself to make some money and get out of debt,'” says Claudino.
The alleged victim vehemently denies he gave consent regarding making the video or sharing it publicly.
The Australian ex-boyfriend told ABC News in February he discovered the videos while Claudino was visiting a friend in Melbourne. Apparently, distinctive body tattoos made it evident it was him in the clip.
Those tattoos, which he says he used to display proudly, now “feel like branding. I feel dirty … I lost my identity forever.”
Despite being granted bail in September, Claudino remains incarcerated. His next court appearance is scheduled for next week.
For those who may not know, Cameo is a website where you can pay to have a famous (or infamous) person record a personal greeting for a birthday or celebration of whatever sort complete with negotiated script.
Matthew Camp, the woofy go-go boy turned adult performer turned entrepreneur, recently tweeted a video clip of Donald Trump’s former lawyer and “fixer,” Michael Cohen, extolling the fabulousness of Camp’s OnlyFans account. The clip was reportedly ordered through Cameo.
“I just want to say how amazing Matthew Camp is on OnlyFans. Having a blast enjoying every minute with you guys. Good luck. Love it. Stay safe. Stay COVID-free. And again, OnlyFans, having a blast with him.”
Cohen apparently charges $100 per message on Cameo.
I’m going to guess that Cohen has no idea what kind of content is on Camp’s OnlyFans page. As I’m sure my readers know, OnlyFans is a website where subscribers can pay – usually between $5 to $15 a month – to access photo and video content uploaded by models and porn stars.
Back in February 2019, Camp told the New York Times that he was clearing more than $10,000 a month on his OnlyFans page which he described as “online go-go dancing.”
Michael Cohen, I’m blushing 😊 : https://t.co/O5yHFihOf8 pic.twitter.com/kRIRUCGRSf
— Matthew Camp (@MatthewCampNYC) November 9, 2020
— chilldenverdude (@chilldenverdude) November 9, 2020
— DA’VONNE STAN ACCOUNT (@norrisj23) November 9, 2020
— Brad Walsh (@BradWalsh) November 9, 2020