But thanks to social media and industry blogs, those “preferences” are being exposed, shared, shamed, and retweeted to such an extent that studios can no longer pretend to be oblivious. So what made Diggs special? White men with sexual “preferences” working in gay porn is nothing new. And in my nine years of reporting on the gay-adult industry, a studio (let alone two studios) has never removed or canceled content due to a performer’s personal beliefs-that is, until now. In the past, scenes featuring gay porn stars who have committed statutory rape and even murder (Mike Dozer and Sean Cody’s Addison, respectively) have not been pulled down from studios’ websites, even after news of their convictions spread. Diggs did not respond to multiple requests for comment. NakedSword still refuses to comment on Diggs, his tattoos, his remarks, or why they pulled the scene (the studio’s head of production, Pam Dore, would only tell VICE that she was “out of the office” when the decision to cancel the release was made). On July 25, NakedSword abruptly canceled the release of a Diggs scene that was scheduled to go live the next day, even after it had been advertised for months as the grand finale to the studio’s “International Playboys” series. “His statement does not represent the basic values of mutual respect and acceptance that is the mission of CockyBoys.” “We removed Cameron’s scene after reading his response,” CockyBoys director and CEO, Jake Jaxson, told VICE. Hours after the remarks were published-which were not run by NakedSword first, the studio’s publicist confirms-porn studio CockyBoys removed a Cameron Diggs scene that had been on its site since the middle of May. Why is that so wrong? Does that make me a racist?” It’s nothing hateful towards any race, it’s just what I believe.
“I feel like we are suppose to continue our race and our culture… When it comes to having kids, I prefer to stay inside my race. “I believe people should want to be proud of who they are and where they come from,” an account using Diggs’s name wrote on Str8UpGayPorn on July 14. The Iron Cross, for example, is often used in surfing and skateboard culture in a completely non-racist manner.īut then, on or around July 13, NakedSword suggested to Diggs that he could issue his own statement-by way of a comment on a Str8UpGayPorn blog post-to “clear his name,” as NakedSword’s publicist told VICE.
It was entirely possible, of course, that Diggs wasn’t a racist at all, and the tattoos were just a very unfortunate coincidence. As the controversy continued to grow, neither NakedSword nor Diggs responded to multiple requests for comment on the tattoos’ significance, or lack thereof. (Disclosure: I was employed by NakedSword as a blogger and screenwriter between 20.)ĭespite the backlash, NakedSword (the company for whom Diggs filmed the majority of his scenes) continued to promote his work, as well as a live appearance in Chicago at an industry awards ceremony last May. Upon the release of a scene for San Francisco–based gay porn studio NakedSword last April, commenters on gay porn blogs (including industry news blog Str8UpGayPorn, which I’ve been the editor of since 2013) excoriated Diggs for the tattoos-specifically the Iron Crosses on his chest and the SS Bolts on his hips, both of which are classified as hate symbols by the ADL. Yet gay porn is exactly where you’ll find Cameron Diggs, a Dallas-based male stripper and gay-for-pay porn actor whose torso is drenched in tattoos, several of which are symbols popular among white supremacist groups. Than a bat mitzvah, gay porn is about the last place you’d expect to see someone tattooed in symbols affiliated with white supremacy.