The Huffington Post has published a controversial article about gay prostitution.

Sex For Tuition: Gay Male College Students Using ‘Sugar Daddies' To Pay Off Loan Debt

GLAAD objects to this piece, and they have started a petition.

Tell Huffington Post To Stop Masquerading Anti-Gay Stereotypes As Journalism

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Some of my thoughts on the subject:

Oddly enough, I had just finished watching a film adaptation of Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome when I read this article and GLAAD’s reaction to it. Like many of Wharton’s works, Ethan Frome deals with the fact that people are often torn between doing their duty, doing what is expected of them, and following their hearts. But unlike most of Wharton’s other stories, the characters in this one are working class, so there is also the added burden of doing what one has to do in order to survive.

I think that there is something sad and disheartening about the fact that so many have to do things they don’t want to do for someone better off than themselves in order to earn money. All of my life I have watched the spirit drain out of people who have to engage in work day in and day out that they fundamentally find distasteful or unsatisfying. Of course work is a part of life, but it would be nice if our labor provided us with more than a paycheck. Those who can’t take pride in their work, those who don’t feel like they’re providing something useful to their community, for those who are just doing it--working 40, 50, or 60 hours a week--for the paycheck, are living in a kind of hell, I think. They are spending the greater part of their lives engaging in an activity that goes against their grain. That has to have an effect. But this is the way the world operates, so I don’t think it’s surprising that some would trade sex for money, especially if other forms of work are hard to find. I also think that it’s important to note that people have been taking money into account when selecting a mate forever. Even the characters in Wharton’s works that focus on the wealthy are concerned with maintaining standards of living and status, and many of the characters aren’t above marrying for money rather than love. You see this in Jane Austin’s novels, too, and many other works of literature. This is a subtle, more understated form of prostitution in my view.

If what the author claims in this article is true, if a significant increase in the number of young men and women are turning to prostitution in order to pay for college tuition, then that is surely a sign of how serious our economic crisis is. (Not to mention the ever widening gap between the rich and poor.) But the author claims that many of these young men and women are engaged in prostitution because they want to go to overpriced schools, live in overpriced apartments, and buy overpriced clothing. And the author claims that many of these young people come from middle class and upper middle class backgrounds. That suggests that some are not really doing this out of desperation, and that’s surprising. When you have people who are willing to prostitute themselves not out of necessity but for trumpery, then, I think, that says something about how out of control capitalism has gotten. The “little people” have always had to toil for “the man” in order to get by, but when they start giving much more of themselves than what is necessary so they can buy things they don’t really need--like $500 shoes--then perhaps our culture is veering way too far in the direction of materialism.

The article raises some important issues and gives much food for thought, but I can see why GLAAD objects to this piece. It is not wholly without merit, and I don’t think the author’s intent was to be homophobic or to advance homophobic attitudes. But several troublesome remarks were presented without qualification. For instance, that awful term “the gay lifestyle” makes an appearance in the article, and it is used in a way that gives the impression it is common for gay men to live extravagantly. Some gay men might live extravagantly, and those men may get a lot of attention, but by no means do all gay men live in a Manhattan loft, buy designer cloths and eat in fancy restaurants. And not all young gay men insist on going to expensive private schools either. It was also suggested that in the gay community, your only value comes from either your looks or your bank account. Again, that stereotypical idea was presented without qualification, and there was no mention of gay guys living in rural America who work at Home Depot. There was no mention of the gay guys out there who know that there’s more to life than money and a pretty face.

The author also suggested that gay men are more accepting of prostitution. I think it’s probably true that men in general, not just gay men, have a more relaxed attitude toward prostitution. And having been on the receiving end of harsh moral condemnation, gay men may be less likely to dole it out. They may very well be more accepting of young men who prostitute themselves. I don’t know. I’ve not taken a survey or anything. But I would find it hard to believe that an inordinate amount of gay men would think that it’s okay if a young man feels the need to prostitute himself in order to pay for college.