Gay Pornography Stars and Criminal Risk: An Illusory Relationship?

Abstract

Anti-pornography advocates have asserted that the pornography industry is dangerous and increases performers' vulnerability to criminal outcomes such as prostitution, theft, fraud, and substance use. This narrative is often non-empirical, grounded in anecdotal accounts of limited generalizability. Thus, the goal of the current study is to quantitatively examine the porn-crime link using a publicly available database entitled Porn Star Mugshots. Further, we seek to explore whether career-related variables such as the number of scenes performed and studio type are associated with criminal changes for specific types of crime. The overall findings suggest that contrary to the harms-based pornography framework, performing in gay pornography and criminal risk do not appear to be strongly interrelated. Limitations of the current study and the implications of our findings for future research examining performers in gay male pornography are outlined.