[UPDATED] Ryan Rose Threatens Sean Duran Over Rentboy Parody Video
[Update: Sean Duran’s Rentboy parody video is posted below.]
Late last night, gay porn star Sean Duran tweeted a short, homemade video in response to last week’s Rentboy raid and arrests. The video featured a series of gay porn star/escort images (including Ryan Rose, Eli Lewis, Boomer Banks, Leo Sweetwood, and two or three others) set to Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.”
Along with the video, Duran wrote, “For just a few dollars a day, you too can adopt an out of work Rentboy in need.” The tweet and the roughly 10-second clip were clearly a spoof of Sarah McLachlan’s infamous ASPCA video, which has been parodied countless times:
Str8UpGayPorn, along with hundreds of other Twitter users (including other escorts and Rentboys), favorited and RT’d Sean Duran’s Rentboy parody video because it was a funny video. The fact that the video was funny does not detract from or lessen the seriousness of the Rentboy raid and the very real impact the shutdown has had on sex workers. Both things (a funny video and a serious situation) can and should co-exist.
The video was funny because it injected a small dose of humor and silliness into a serious situation, which is often the intention of good satire and comedy. The video’s humor was harmless, in good fun, and a welcome bit of levity after an otherwise shitty week for sex workers.
Unfortunately, performer/escort Ryan Rose disagreed:
I truly have no idea where my colleagues heads are right now. I personally have been trying to distance myself from the civil injustice that happened in NYC now referred to as the RB raid. Do you have any idea how hard it is not to come to you friend’s/family’s aid during their time of need in fear of prosecution. Meanwhile some of my more simpleminded colleagues poke fun of and post such things on social media like children not knowing Uncle Sam is always watching, listening, and recording.
Let’s not forget that studios are also distancing themselves from anything related on the topic in fear that that could possibly be linked to what homeland security deems as a threat & punishable by prosecution. Thus by bringing up related topics you yourself are limiting the potential studios you might be excepted to work with. Are you seeing where I’m going with this?
Now let’s talk about the fallout of being an actual RB and being so public about your discrete affairs. Forget for one second that there is a currently open case and investigation being conducted and that the prosecuting attorney would absolutely love a high profile name such as a GAY porn star to add more to the media hoopla. Forget all that but what about all your clients? Do they think it’s alright to be drug into your thirst for attention and possibly a headline somewhere because no one else is stupid enough to to touch the topic. Probably not but who am I and what do I know?
Sean Duran’s video was created in response to the government’s draconian actions, which adult industry trade group FSC has called a form of censorship. Ironically, this was Ryan Rose’s response to Sean Duran’s video:
This morning, Sean Duran (who himself is an escort and was thus making light of his own situation with the video) deleted his video and the tweet promoting it. He also apologized to Ryan Rose:
Str8UpGayPorn has asked Sean Duran to re-upload the video, and this post will be updated if he does.
UPDATE:
An anonymous tipster has sent Sean Duran’s video to Str8UpGayPorn, which you can watch below in full. And, remember the accompanying text that was tweeted with the video:
For just a few dollars a day, you too can adopt an out of work Rentboy in need.
What do you think of Sean Duran’s Rentboy parody video?
