I’m completely infuriated, appalled and disgusted about the Rentboy arrests and the site being shut down.
First of all, what the fuck is the Homeland Security Department doing, going after gay male escorts? Don’t they have more important things to do, like going after the fucking terrorists!!??
This bust had nothing to do with terrorism, money laundering, sex trafficking or illegal exploitation of minors — all of which should be stopped, unquestionably. Rentboy was as a safe, reliable way for CONSENTING ADULT MEN to connect with each other. They had been operating openly for almost two decades.
Personally, I am going to miss the site very much. From time to time, I have hired guys off Rentboy. Why? Because the escorts who advertised on Rentboy paid a subscription fee and were reviewed by their clients, I found it was a FAR SAFER way to find what I needed than relying on Craig’s List or a phone line or somebody off the street. (And, truth be told, sometimes I just enjoyed browsing the guys on Rentboy and fantasizing, beating off looking at their pictures and reading their profiles!)
A lot has been written already about this stupid, anti-gay attack. If you have not already done so, you might want to read various articles and blog postings and view videos posted by Matt Baume, Dirk Caber, JamesMichael Nichols and Matthew Ebert. There are many others. Even The New York Times has editorialized against the raid.
Perhaps the most compelling account yet is from our own Rob Yaeger. You might recognize him from some of his bondage-themed porn shoots that have been featured here on Metalbond. The video below featuring Mr. Yaeger is a must-see:
UPDATE: YouTube deleted the video, but you can watch it by clicking here.
Rob, thank you for telling your story!
On the money.
I can’t help but think that someone wants to get their hands on the list of subscribers. There has to be some influential people on it.
I have to echo Bob’s comment (above). But with regard to the whole issue: It makes me very sad, because, from my perspective, the site was (as you said) about connecting with people, not about money. And for some of us, it was an ideal way to do that. As an older gay man living in a remote part of the country, for me it was (among other things) a way to connect with a whole new generation of younger gay men, and to share our respective stories. My experiences with it were all positive, in a very real, affirming way.