The Academy Awards of Porn

GayVN honors the best of the best

The Academy Awards aren’t the only awards show in February that gay men have a soft spot for. Also happening this month is the 10th Annual GayVN Awards on February 16th.

The GayVN Awards — the Oscars of the gay adult industry — honors the best of the previous year’s work in a number of different categories.

The awards are given out by AVN Magazine, which is the parent publication of GayVN Magazine and creator of the AVN Awards that honor the entire adult industry. Initially, the gay awards were integrated into AVN’s annual ceremony. “Back then, [gay]winners were simply recognized as part of the show, but over time it made sense for the gay awards to have their own ceremony,” says Susan Clark, AVN’s chief marketing officer. In 1998 the GayVN’s were held separately for the first time. The GayVN Awards skipped 1999, but since 2000 it has been an annual event. The initial venues were hotels in Los Angeles until GayVN organizers moved the show to Rage nightclub for several years. Although these events were well-attended, fans weren’t able to come because of the limited amount of space.

Last year the event was moved to San Francisco’s Gift Center for the first time. With the growth and popularity of the gay adult industry, the move made sense. The generous seating in the new auditorium also allowed fans to attend. “That was the real reason we did it,” said Clark. “Fans asked us to be able to attend, and having the show in San Francisco allowed them to be able to do so. San Francisco is also such a hub for the gay community, it just made sense.”

In 2007, comedienne Kathy Griffin hosted the GayVN’s. Griffin arrived in a limousine, nominated performers walked a red carpet, and the paparazzi was everywhere. Griffin taped spots that later ran on her award-winning reality show, “My Life on the D-List,” giving the event even more of a mainstream push. “Last year, everything was raised up five notches or so,” says Clark. There was some minor controversy, she admits, but nothing serious. “We had a few picketers and protesters in front of the auditorium before the event but overall it was very successful,” she says.

Last year’s show was popular with both fans and industry members — helped by the fact that many of the major gay adult studios are now based in San Francisco.

The new location has not been the only change to the ceremony. Over the years, the event has broadened its nominations to include specialty categories honoring bear films, amateur releases, and more. This year, 39 awards will be handed out. A Performer of the Year is named each season and Francois Sagat won the trophy last year. Several industry members are also inducted annually into the Hall of Fame. Past winners in this category have included Jeff Stryker, Ryan Idol, Peter Berlin and Wakefield Poole. Bel Ami’s Lukas Ridgeston created a near media frenzy when he made a rare appearance in the U.S. to attend the 2001 ceremony as part of his induction into GayVN’s Hall of Fame.

Harker Jones, GayVN’s Editor in Chief, feels that a GayVN award can mean a lot to a studio as well as a performer. “I feel like it gives them a certain prestige,” he says. “It’s hard to say exactly what it may mean in terms of money, but it can certainly help in the future. It always helps for a performer or a studio to have the phrase ‘GayVN winner’ listed in front of them.”

Much like the Oscars, this event has become big business for the studios and performers involved. As such, studios often campaign hard for what they believe is an award-worthy scene or performer. “There has definitely been more campaigning over the years. It’s about prestige. Studios are competitive and they all want to win. It certainly increases their visibility when they do so,” Clark says.

Over the years, famous faces such as Bruce Vilanch and RuPaul have been involved in the ceremony. Chi Chi LaRue has also been in attendance as an emcee, a presenter, and a frequent winner. This year’s emcee hasn’t been announced.

The GayVN awards conclude the three day long GayVN Summit, which begins February 14th and includes various educational, networking, and social events.

Last year Michael Lucas’ La Dolce Vita swept the GayVN awards, winning every category in which it was nominated — a first in the history of the awards. Films nominated in multiple categories this year include Raging Stallion’s Grunts, Chi Chi LaRue’s Link V: The Evolution, and Michael Lucas’ Gigolo.