Should past participation in gay porn disqualify a potential enlistee?

[CommunityEditor]

A Marine Corps Reserve corporal whose star has been rising in conservative circles over the past few months — including appearing on Fox News and being photographed with right-wing firebrand Ann Coulter — has acknowledged appearing in gay porn films.

[Read: Reservist acknowledges gay porn past]

You may recognize Cpl. Matthew Sanchez, 36, from national headlines when, as a student at Columbia University, he stood up to war protesters who publicly vilified him for his military service while administrators there refused to intervene, citing freedom of speech.

Sanchez is currently a member of the Inactive Ready Reserve.

While Sanchez says he has put his gay porn past behind him, the Marine Corps hasn’t.

Should past participation in gay porn disqualify a potential enlistee? How do you think the current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy might apply?


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[cryan71]

It's lovely how this character fudges the facts. 15 years ago? More like 9 years ago according to IMDB. It also wasn't several films, it was like 15 films. Brief tour? More like a film career spanning 5 years.

I have to now seriously doubt the incident he claims happened at Columbia. It seems like that incident probably wouldn't have happen to an inactive ready reservist.

As for whether it disqualifies you to be in the service, I'm not so sure. The military has lowered it standards so much as to let in those without a high school education or with past criminal behavior There is no indication that he joined the marines at the same time making adult videos. There is a possibility that he is or recently was participating in prostitution as an escort. If such is the case, and he was involved in prostitution while being a member of the military, then yes it makes since for disciplinary action.

As for the current Don't Ask, Don't Tell-- it still applies, if the military can prove he engaged in gay acts while in the service. While I may disagree with that policy, it is current law.

[mas2178]

Scenes from a film are often re-used in several films for several years. Many scenes are shot at one time and released over an extended period. I have to be blunt about this but rest assured that I take this issue very seriously.

I'll be writing another opinion piece on this subject to address this matter in my own words. I'd appreciate it, if my fellow Marines gave me the benefit of the doubt until then. If any Marine has a personal statement for me, please write me at matthew.a.sanchez@gmail.com

mattsanchez.blogspot.com

[graymatter]

Should it? Yes. Not because of issues of personal morality, but because Marines should be free of any character issues which might render them vulnerable to manipulation. Sanchez (may we call him "Dirty"?) was a refrigeration tech, but imagine if he were in intel or an MOS with access to classified technical data. His past could be used to manipulate him.

Matt, you had every right to speak up against those you consider anti-military. But that doesn't mean you need to throw in with a party of hate, intolerance and worse, a complete disregard for our guys on the sharp end of the spear. As Gen. Eaton has said, "the GOP is the worst threat to the Army and Marines".

Now you'll find thatr those who loved you hate you and those who you thought hated you will support your right to serve.

One more thing - you did the gay porn. It wasn't an isolated incident, it wasn't some fluke and you weren't drunk or drugged. Don't try to equivocate in the face of criticism. It's not as if you were in "Against Their Will: Men Taken By Force", dude. It was Jawbreaker... Touched By An Anal... you were an obviously willing participant. You may not be proud of it, but don't fudge dates and call it a learning experience. Plenty of men of character manage to learn life lessons without being filmed sodomizing other men.

[William Wilson]

I'm a gay civilian who registered on this site to comment on this topic. At the age of 49, I've seen a few things and think I can offer some insights to others here. I apologize for the length of this posting, and hope its content is worth the time it will take to read.

Mr. Sanchez's story, as I understand it, is this: He is a former "actor" in gay porn. He is also former prostitute. He says he left the porn business because he found it liberal and soulless. He says he was never gay, and is not now gay. His military status is IRR, which I understand to mean that he is not attached to any unit. I don't know how long he's been on IRR status, but his self-identification as a Marine Corps reservist seems to be something of a stretch. To most people, the term "reservist" connotes someone in the active reserves, not a former marine, soldier, sailor or airman. This is not to put down anyone on IRR status, but rather to make things clear.

The reason I am dwelling on the IRR designation is that I believe (but could be wrong about this) that Mr. Sanchez has told people that his reserve unit might soon be called up to Iraq. If so, then he's been fabricating. It would be useful if Mr. Sanchez would post here and say whether he has made such a statement. It would also be useful to know when he left active duty; whether he's ever been an active reservist; when he's been an active reservist, and in what capacity.

I've done a bunch of clicking around the Internet in the last two days, and two things stand out beyond what I've just mentioned. One is that Mr. Sanchez appears in 34 gay porn movies. It is true that, in the porn business, various movies are assemblages of clips from other movies. From what I was able to find out, it appears that he "acted" in about a dozen original movies.

All of this is significant because it suggests a different motive for Mr. Sanchez's conversion to the ranks of non-porn, non-gay conservatism. If one reads the "reviews" of those films, one would find that Mr. Sanchez got a decidedly mixed reception. People liked his handsome face and they especially liked what they saw between his waist and his knees, but they were less enthused about many of his performances. Mr. Sanchez (a/k/a "Rod Majors") never had top billing in any porn flick. He was always a supporting "actor." Yet, with appearances in 34 porn videos, he was thoroughly exposed to the subculture of gay porn viewers. Porn viewers of all orientations are notorious for wanting a constant supply of fresh faces and bodies. Porn is also notorious for its emphasis on youth. Once he reached his mid-30s, Matt Sanchez/Rod Majors needed to find a different line of work.

The same might be said of his prostitution activities. Regardless of a prostitute's gender or sexual orientation, it's a grueling and hazardous business. Hours are late and irregular. Clients are physically and emotionally demanding. There is a constant threat of arrest for prostitution, and of assault from clients. And, while male prostitutes can be older than females and still be in demand, at some point age becomes an issue. As a result, there aren't a lot of male prostitutes in the business past their mid-30s.

The second notable item is that Mr. Sanchez appears to maintain a profile on Manhunt, a gay website aimed at sexually active men. It is what's known as a "hookup" site. There is some prostitution taking place via such sites; the profile in question doesn't indicate that its creator can be hired, but when prostitutes use Manhunt they do not openly solicit as prostitutes. It is more subtle than that; such arrangements are worked out via private messages or e-mails.

Mr. Sanchez's face isn't shown in the Manhunt profile, but his picture there is similar to others that do include his face. One gay website has said that it verified that the Manhunt profile belongs to Mr. Sanchez. That profile shows that Mr. Sanchez last logged in 14 days ago. The reason I mention this is to impeach Mr. Sanchez's claim that he is no longer gay. As for his claim that he was never gay, aside from the photos that never lie, he gave a long "interview" to a porn studio in which he named two male porn "actors" who he found attractive and desired to have sex with. Even if he's switched his orientation to straight -- a claim I do not believe for a microsecond -- his claim that he was never gay is absurd.

I hope what I have written offers some insights into the nature and character of Matt Sanchez. I believe that his incarnation as Cpl. Sanchez, conservative marine, is nothing more than a new role. If there's one thing that his "past" (which might not be as remote as he'd like people to believe) taught him, it is how to create illusions. Conservative Republicans are the perfect clients for a handsome, virile black man who poses as a conservative marine upholding the uncomplicated virtues of patriotism and military service. It was a con game, and it worked.

Finally, to the question of whether a former porn "actor" should be excluded from military service for that reason. I have two things to say about it.

First, once I finished laughing about all of this, I found myself offended by Matt Sanchez's posings. I consider him to be a liar and a phony, and a discredit to the many gay people I've known who have rendered honorable military service. Those of you who are not homosexual who read this ought to know that he is not representative of the gay servicemembers I've known. In particular, I know a gay marine who was horribly wounded in an IED explosion in Iraq. Every day is a struggle for this guy, and it bothers me to think that a phony like Matt Sanchez might become the public face of gay marines. It would be a real injustice to my friend, who I consider to be a hero. That word gets thrown around too causually these days, but my friend is cut from the same cloth as the marines who climbed up Mt. Suribachi with knives in their teeth. He is one of the best this country has to offer, and is a credit to the Marine Corps.

(Details removed to protect this guy's identity. When he saw this he was concerned that people might connect the dots back to him. Think about that one for a second: Matt Sanchez a/k/a "Rod Majors" prances around, confident of his backing by various right-wingers, and an authentic battlefield hero asks me to remove the details of his heroism because he worries that the Marine Corps will learn that he's gay. That, my friends, is an ugly shame.)

I have this to say to Matt Sanchez: You go to hell where you belong, faker. You are not fit to so much as stand in my friend's shadow, you phony. It's up to marines and the Marine Corps as to what to do with you, but in my opinion you are not worthy of membership in the Corps and you never were. It's not about your politics, its about your character and your honor, or more to the point your lack of either.

Second, I know of, but never actually met, someone who "acted" in some porn movies in the 1970s and later joined the Marine Corps. To my knowledge, he served honorably. He kept a low profile throughout. I think the porn "acting" was a brief interlude for him, as opposed to Mr. Sanchez having become a professional prostitute and "actor" in the business. Therefore, I do think it would be possible for a former porn "actor" to serve honorably. But I can't say that I would blame the Marine Corps for thinking otherwise. I'd hope that any screening out of people for that reason would be done on an equal basis, i.e., without regard to someone's gender or sexual orientation. If I were making the decision, I'd look at the duration of the candidate's involvement in the porn business and whether it was accompanied by prostitution. Basically, I'd be inclined to accept an amateur and not to accept a professional.

Finally, my attitude about this would be exactly the same if Mr. Sanchez were a Democrat who posed as an anti-war marine. For me, this isn't about his politics. I've never had much of an appreciation for liars and phonies, regardless of what else they might be. I have a great respect for the Marine Corps, whose members are the first in and the last out and who always suffer the highest casualty rates in our wars. You deserve a hell of a lot better than the likes of Matt Sanchez. I only hope that actual marines who might read this can distinguish between fakers like him and others who are gay. Believe me, there's a big difference.

p.s.: A side note. I didn't capitalize "marine" in this post, as is often the custom among marines. This is not out of disrespect to the Marine Corps. Standard English says you don't capitalize the word marine unless it's part of the name of the organization or someone's title. But when I write e-mails to my friend, I always capitalize the word, Marine. I think my fifth-grade English teacher would understand. Also, in discussing Matt Sanchez's reserve status, I used the phrase "active reservist" to descibe someone who attends drills as opposed to being on IRR status. It occurs to me that this is the wrong terminology. I don't know what the right term is, but I think my meaning is clear in context.

[mas2178]

Well, this guy obviously has no ax to grind against me.

mattsanchez.blogspot.com


Matthew.a.sanchez@gmail.com

[William Wilson]

Answer the questions, Matt. A real marine wouldn't be afraid to tell the truth about himself.

[mas2178]

Answer the questions, Matt. A real marine wouldn't be afraid to tell the truth about himself.

Lady, how the hell would you know what a real Marine is? spare me. I'm only interested in hearing from my fellow Marines. You are the internet version of an IED.

matthew.a.sanchez@gmail.com

mattsanchez.blogspot.com

[mas2178]

LOL

I'm not even sure what the question was any more.


Matthew.a.sanchez@gmail.com

Mattsanchez.blogspot.com

[unpoetaloco]

Mr. Sanchez seems to be suffering from the "have your cake and eat it too" syndrome.

In the big scheme of things, gay porn is much more of a detriment to morale than being gay, which Mr. Sanchez disingenuously (and self-servingly) claims he isn't.

Perhaps Mr. Sanchez isn't gay in the strictest sense of the word. He's not the first man who can justify having anal intercourse with another man and claim that he isn't gay. Hundreds of thousands of men do. Perhaps our language lacks a sufficient construct to describe whatever Mr. Sanchez and thousands like him insists they are: men's men, straight-acting, guys-next-door, who just happen to like to get it on anally with their buds.

He can parse words all he wants. The bottom line is he's an impostor. He has created a house of cards based on falsehoods, deception, and fantasy. He wants to write his own rules in life, which is fine. Just don't expect the United States Marine Corps to play by them.

I don't know why Mr. Sanchez joined the Marine Corps. My suspicion is that it fit well into the persona (the fantasy) that he has created. Let's face it, the Marines are the epitome of masculinity, virility and machismo. They are also the epitome of honor, which Mr. Sanchez does not seem to have.

I don't fault Mr. Sanchez for acting in porn. I fault him for trying to capitalize on his Marine reservist status to advance his own agenda. I fault him for joining the Marines knowing that he did not possess the qualities that a true Marine exemplifies. I fault him for continuing to dissemble in the face of the truth. I fault him for being arrogant enough to think that his case deserves special consideration.

Go to Iraq, Mr. Sanchez. Fight like a Marine. Then I'll fight for your right to remain one. Otherwise, you're just acting -- which is what you seem to do best.