Tell the GayVN Awards to Cut the Racism: End Ethnic Categories!

Gay adult film actor Hugh Hunter has declined his nominations in all categories for the GayVN Awards, which honors work done in the gay porn industry, saying the organization and the gay porn industry as a whole are racist.

Hunter took issue with the separate category for “ETHNIC” performers, segregating “black, Latin, and Asian” actors to a category of their own.

“Why? Why were these scenes not just included in the best scene category?" Hunter wrote. "Why would a gay porn company choose to separate minority groups into their own race at an event that is supposed to celebrate the gay industry in its entirety? Why would this category be created in 2017 when the political climate is so thick with racial divide in this country? Why would they call it ethnic? Who uses the term ethnic?”

Hunter is right: there are times when it's appropriate to honor different ethnicities and cultures, but this is not one of them. Imagine if the Academy Awards had a "Best Black Actor" category! The GayVN Awards ought to focus on the performances, not the color of the actors.

Please sign this petition to ask the GayVN awards to end its ethnic categories!