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Everybody knows the internet is full of porn. There are few gay men who don't surf for sex now and then. Millions world-wide cruise sex chat rooms, visit live sex sites, and survey the ample "boy" shots available free as enticements to buy videos, sex mags, and photo sets. There are specialties from foot fetishes to S&M, and there is standard beef-cake porn with pumped up models.

But the "boy next door" is a best seller. These are "barely" legal, as more than one site boasts, but "boy" can mean anything on these sites from 18 to 35. Of course, one has to take care, because the sex cops are lurking to ensnare the unsuspecting lonely guy in Omaha who stumbles on under-18 amateur photos and downloads them, or answers a 17-year-old who turns out to be a middle-aged vice cop.

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The straight media portrays all this as filth. There are constant campaigns to 'clean up the net.' Last year, as part of a deal with Master Card and Visa, the Bush gang pushed through bankruptcy laws providing a windfall of billions for the corporate giants. In return, U.S. credit card companies agreed to "police the porn," that is, to deny banking services to all porn companies. Bush pleased his puritan allies, but porn sites simply re-arranged credit. One porn producer told me, "Now the money goes through Europe instead of the US-- but it's still Master Card and Visa."

Such Puritanical efforts, though, don't change the fact that sex on the net is mostly a healthy outlet and a good time for consumers and producers. There are big companies like Falcon and Bel-Ami-- who produce sexy, professional porn. There are also many sites hosted by horny young men who like sex and use their own pleasure to earn spare cash

Entrepreneurship

One of these sites, based in Montreal, has a unique approach to porn. The site www.videoboys.com (which includes www.squirtz.com and www.montrealboyslive.com) consists of two guys shooting the footage and a bunch of "boys" (all demonstrably over 18) from the neighborhood shooting off in live sex shows and steamy porn. The cameramen are Bruce and Ian who began as lovers, and have been friends and business partners for 12 years. When they met, in Hamilton, a working-class city near Toronto, Ian was a teenager. Bruce in his late 20s, was completing a master's in cultural anthropology-- his thesis was on the "third sex" of a group of Zapoteca Indians in Oxaca, Mexico. Ian experimented in high school with his own web site-- it skyrocketed. Soon after, a skeptical Bruce joined in. Three years ago, Bruce and Ian moved to Montreal and began MontrealBoysLive.

Bruce says, "We came to Montreal because of the tolerance and the sexy guys. At first, we had to go to strip clubs to meet cute guys, but then it took off! The guys passed the word and their friends were calling us." Dakota-- an early Squirtz boy-- said, "We felt comfortable with Bruce and Ian, and we helped find more models." Now the 'boys' come to Bruce. Sasha turned eighteen this month. The next day he sought Bruce out. Within days he was doing a solo for the on-line service and for a future solo pack. "I really like sex, and if I can get paid at the same time, that's great!"

Bruce told me, "It's been a great community building experience. It's fun to hear the chat during live sessions-- it's not all about sex, though there's plenty of that. The regular visitors to the site ask, 'How's your boyfriend? How're you doing in school?' The customers let each other know they're coming to Montreal, and they get together, have dinners: get to know each other. Many of the boys were friends, or got to know each other on the job, and now they hang out together. It is a community."

Holistic approach

I asked Bruce over coffee what he and Ian were aiming at, besides making money. "We're outsiders to the porn industry-- when I look at those anonymous body parts and beautiful men posing, it's not what I like to see. We're not willing to go to the lowest common denominator-- we would never show bare backing, for instance, or couple sex with drugs. We feel good about hard core sex, but it should do what it's designed to do-- create stimulation, not just visually, but emotionally. You need to see faces, eyes, expressions; hear voices and giggling. We keep in accidental gestures, even a fart now and then. We're not aiming for 'high art,' though we both love the French porn-maker Jean Daniel Cadinot. I guess you could say we want authenticity. That's why we do duos on the live site only when the boys want it. We want young men whose desire is to entertain with their own pleasure.

"My philosophy is I don't want to separate sex out as anything other than a social interaction with many meanings-- like conversation. Sex is not exclusively about 'love' yet it's not just 'dirty,' though it can be both. When I see a sex scene, I want to know the person-- he shouldn't be perfect. It's something about the way he talks or acts. Even with a hustler for a brief encounter, it should be real. If he's rude, it's better that he's himself. We just let the boys be who they are."

The attempt to be "real" has an impact: fewer fancy camera shots and no editing out the blemishes (skin and otherwise) on the models.

I commented, "You generally have boyish models, but now and then there's an older guy." Bruce responded, "We wouldn't start featuring beefy body builders because that's a different niche, and our customers would be surprised. But we also don't exclude guys with a different look. There is no objective standard of what is 'good looking.' Sometimes we have a model who is not cute in the usual sense, yet a lot of viewers love him."

"Could it be that the guys you choose fit your own desires?," I asked. "That's usually very true!"

I wondered how the models feel about their work and being seen on the net. Bruce said, "The boys do well-- they make good tips. I think all of them would say we are honest, up front and fair. Most of them aren't worried about the exposure-- they're mostly out, and the bisexual ones have told their girlfriends, and sometimes their families. The web is so big now, it's not likely that someone will see them accidentally. There is stress some times for guys in this age range who are into sex work of one kind or another. Some of them have issues in their lives, and we try to help-- but you can only do so much. After all it's their lives. We have done well in attracting guys who are on the level, not into drugs-- which can be a real problem here, as I guess it is everywhere. We interview the guys carefully for the live site-- and so far, it's been great. They don't go over the line, but they're at ease with their bodies and with sex."

The oeuvre

I talked to a former Squirtz model, from Solo Pack #3. Iannick told me, "I did that when I was in the fast lane. I regret some parts of that life, but not the sex. I like sex and I like showing off my body. I enjoy being appreciated by older men. Now I'm a student, and I work full time at a regular job. I live with my boyfriend in a small town. We see a couple of other guys for sex. When I see myself on squirtz.com, I like it! I hope I'll do another session someday-- maybe a porn film. I'm getting horny just thinking about it!"

There are three Squirtz hard-core porn flicks. Hardcore Marathon Part I included stunning newcomers Eric (just turned 18) and muscular but boyish Pierre. Harcord Marathon Part II has lots of new talent, including sexy young Oneil.

Pierre is featured in Pierre's After School Special, with four horny friends between 18 and 22 who enjoy sex with each other (Pierre, Xander, Jeremy, Niko and Benjamin; 4 scenes, 80 minutes). Pierre came to Montreal this year from bilingual Cornwall in Ontario. He was stripping at Montreal's Taboo within a couple of weeks. He also found Montrealboyslive and Squirtz. Now he has his own website as well: www.pierrecam.com.

This hard-core flick has no pretense at art-- it's simple and fresh-- just young guys getting it on-- with raunchy live sound. The plot is kitchy, but believable-- as the guys drop by Pierre's apartment "after school." Xander, who is in two scenes, is quintessential Quebecois teen innocence, with a turned up nose and a delicious smile. Pierre has a classic Greek face, with dark eyes, long eyelashes and full lips. Both young men have tattoos.

It's the last scene which makes this film memorable: Benjamin and Pierre take over completely from the cameraman. Their banter is wonderful, and the dialogue flows naturally, as they play a video game, with the winner getting a blow job. Benjamin is coy and claims to be new at all this. "They say guys are better than females, right?" and "Go slowly, it's my first time." The English is with charming Quebec accents.

Among other Squirtz videos, my favorite is Dakota: A Day in the Life-- with a heart-felt description of the star's real life, full of violence in gritty Hamilton, Ontario, where he met Bruce and Ian. Dakota is a rapper who identifies with Eminem. What makes this porn great is that these are real guys enjoying authentic sex.

These sites are safe ones-- there are never the pop-ups from dubious sites one sees when surfing, and all actors are verifiably eighteen or older. The cost for membership in www.videoboys.com is $15 U.S. monthly. That includes live sex sites with live conversation four nights a week, plus free access to the last six months of squirtz. models. There are now 12 solo packs with 8 models per pack, shorter taped clips of some of the live sex duos, plus Dakota and the porn films (video or DVD). Only available on-line.