Let’s start with a few positive notes! DeAngelo Jackson is featured as a model in a mainstream magazine spread by Office. The article highlights the work of artist Christen Mooney, along with photography by Ruth Ossai, styling by Ian Bradley, and a write-up by Next Model Management president Kyle Hagler. Some of the images are downright gorgeous.
The spread is accompanied by a brand new porn scene on MEN.COM, in which DeAngelo is reunited with his recent Noir Male costar Derek Cline for another bareback romp. The scene appears to be far more erotic than other recent releases on the site that veered into artistic territory. It’s called “Angel Cum“, and yes, it involves rhinestones, angel wings, and sex atop a giant tiger sculpture.
Unfortunately, the scene has debuted on the site with a 52% rating, making it the fourth scene in a row that hasn’t performed well with members. While I’ve been unusually harsh about the past few MEN.COM updates, the poor response to this particular video is upsetting.
On an entirely superficial level, it would be great to see the lines further blurred between art and pornography. The art world seems to be opening their arms to erotic content—even more so than in the past—but it feels like porn fans are consistently slamming the door on anything that doesn’t follow a familiar script. It does not help that MEN.COM thrives on formulaic gay porn tropes, so scenes like this feel off-brand and out of nowhere for their regular paying members.
The more upsetting aspect of this low rating is that it is clearly rooted in racism, toxic masculinity, and the cross-section of those two topics. Hagler writes in the Office piece that Mooney’s work “speaks to an internal dialogue that many of us gay black men have, trying to reconcile desire, inherent motivations of self, and socially imposed understandings of blackness, masculinity and acceptable sexuality and sexual expression.”
The rejection of this work on a mainstream porn site only serves to further complicate that internal dialogue, when in reality… The people rejecting it should be looking within themselves and questioning the role they expect gay black men to take in pornography.
Scroll down to see DeAngelo and Derek in action…
