Former porn star reveals industry stigma around doing both gay and straight porn

A former porn star has opened up about the industry stigma he faced as an adult performer for starring in both gay and straight adult films.

Christopher Zeischegg, who appeared in about 600 scenes under the alias ‘Danny Wylde’, made the surprising revelation in an interview with The Independent, in which he revealed what life was really like during his 10 years spent working in the adult film industry.

Zeischegg, who began appearing in porn as a student, claims he rarely faced stigma over his choice of career from friends and family, but that he did often face prejudice from straight film studios over his appearances in gay porn films during the early years of his career,

“I hadn’t yet learned about the stigma of ‘crossover’ male performers [those who have done both gay and straight porn],” he said.

He explained that the stigma stemmed from issues surrounding sexual health testing of performers, and that despite being tested during appearances with men, several studios then blacklisted him from working with female performers.

“When I listened to many people talk about why they were against ‘crossover’ performers, it seemed to have more to do with homophobia than anything else,” Zeischegg said. “But whatever. People have the right to have sex with whoever they want. If my attraction to men bums someone out, we don’t have to have sex.”

Zeischegg later quit the porn industry on medical advice after suffering from recurring bouts of priapism – a condition in which the penis remains erect for hours in the absence of stimulation – related to a dependence on erectile dysfunction medication.

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