IML Founder Chuck Renslow Responds

We were grateful for the opportunity to speak with Chuck. Here’s the original story about IML’s surpise announcement that it will ban bareback companies from participating in its leather market.

How large is the scope of the ban? What about companies who distribute bareback porn but produce only safe sex porn?

Whatever a company does is their business. The only control that I have is over what they advocate or promote in the marketplace. I can’t reach beyond that. I’m not a censor. I do feel that it’s my duty to promote the health and welfare of the community, and when the CDC and the local health department asked me to step up to the plate and do something about the horrible rise in infections, I agreed.

What about bareback studios who want to send their stars to hang out and meet fans, but who don’t distribute materials or explicitly promote barebacking?

If those guys are hanging out, then they’re promoting.

Will the ban on bareback companies extend to a ban on the private barebacking parties that take place?

I’m out to stop the promoting. There’s a big difference. If people go down and advertise and say, ‘There’s a party in room so-and-so and we’re barebacking,’ then yes, that’s a problem. But everyone has a right to do what they damn well please. If some adult men want to get together in a room and they know what they’re doing, then that’s fine.

Did you receive pressure from any other vendors to enact the ban? Did any non-bareback gay porn companies play a role?

No. Absolutely not.

One of our commentors accused you of hypocracy, saying that the sex clubs you own in Chicago have long been breeding grounds for HIV infections.

That’s simply not true. We were the first to cooperate with the Department of Health, we’re the only bathhouse in the city that does not have glory holes and we have promoted safe sex from the very beginning. Condoms are everywhere to be found, as far as drugs go, anyone caught with drugs will be expelled and arrested — and we have had people arrested.

Do you feel that IML has sacrificed anything by enacting the ban? Did you forsee any negative repurcussions?

People told me that we would probably lose various vendors at the market, which will probably hurt us financially. Believe it or not, we’re operating on a very thin profit margin. But my commitment to the community surpasses my commitment to our revenue. When I made this decision I talked to a lot of people, I did a lot of research. I even read the Constitution. It says that congress can make laws to promote the health and welfare of the people. And I can do something too. My whole career has been a fight for the gay community.

And what is your response to people who argue that there’s no connection between watching bareback porn and having bareback sex?

I would tell them to present that argument to the local health department and the CDC, who will violently disagree.

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0 thoughts on “IML Founder Chuck Renslow Responds”

  1. Kudos for Chuck. Putting your money where your mouth is may not make you Mr Popular, but it again reminds me why i have so much respect for a man who has been there for the community time and time again.

  2. Just a reminder, HIV isn’t the only STD Renslow and the CDC are talking about. There’s a whole lot…from herpes (I know, everyone forgot about that one) to syphillis…which don’t get headlines. They may not specifically kill you, but they can be reduced by safer sex methods.

  3. It’s interesting that Chuck claims this comes form the CDC, while the CDC itself admits that new HIV infections are dramatically down:
    http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/factsheets/transmission.htm

    It’s also interesting that he sort of dodges the “extent of the ban” question. For instance, s he really going to ban Fort Troff, which was the single largest vendor on the exhibit floor for a number of years (though they had a smaller booth this year)? On the one hand, it’s hard to imagine banning such a large and popular vendor, a vendor responsible for a lot of the profitability of the event in recent years, a vendor with high-quality, innovative gear. On the other hand, it’s hard to come up with a way to exclude them from the ban, since they not only sell bareback DVDs but have their company name in the title of several that were shot in their playspace.

    1. You are looking at overall numbers, not at Gay men and particularly young gay men…those numbers are up.

      http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/sexualbehaviors/pdf/hiv_factsheet_ymsm.pdf HIV/AIDS and young men who have sex with men.

      http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/factsheets/MMWR-incidence.htm MMWR Analysis Provides New Details on HIV Incidence in U.S. Populations

      “The new analysis underscores the severe impact of HIV among gay and bisexual men of all races and ethnicities, African Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos. It also shows us that, within these groups, the impact is most severe among young black gay and bisexual men, white gay and bisexual men in their 30s and 40s, and black women.”

      “The alarming number of new infections among young black MSM underscores the need to ensure that each new generation has the knowledge and skills to prevent HIV infection beginning early in their lives. ”

      “In addition, high HIV incidence among gay and bisexual men in the middle age groups (30–39 and 40–49)—especially white MSM—highlights the importance of programs that keep MSM HIV-free throughout the course of their lives. It is not safe to assume that men in these groups are no longer in need of HIV testing and prevention programs. ”

  4. Good for him. As far as Man’s Country goes, it is not promoting BB. What some fool does when they get there is not in his control. The most obvious truth for anyone who goes to a bath or hooks up on line is that if someone tells you that they are negative and wants to BB – that person is positive-because they have been having unprotected sex-you are not the first person that they have barebacked with. We all need to take care of each other- SAFE SEX ONLY. As far as the BB movies and performers etc They really do make people feel that maybe BB is OK-these movies lower the barrier and combine that with a little (or a lot) of alcohol and other stuff and you have trouble. I have dumped friends when I found out they were bare backing and would not stop. They are all positive and I am negative and at 50 that is an accomplishment that I am proud of.

  5. Michael McCallian

    Chuck Renslow is a MAN in every sense of the word. If you agree with him or not, we can all learn how to be better citizens of the world learning from him. He has never been afraid to take up the protection of our community, be the danger from outside or as in this case, inside the gay community. Love is not in the giving, but in the sacrifice. I think he has made it clear he is willing to sacrifice all for the community he loves. Mr. Renslow, I salute you, I honor you, and am proud to have lived during your lifetime.

  6. Thoroughly agree. You have my total and complete support.

    Frankly, the one time I went to the marketplace, i was so disgusted by what I saw going on that I got out of there as soon as I could and haven’t been back since. This decision might pull me back in.

  7. Chuck- Thanks for having the courage to stand up and do what you think is right. IML has always been a leader within the community and you have shown true leadership yet again. It’s not alway easy doing what you think is the “right thing” to do. Hopefully others will gain strength from your example.

  8. Congratulations for your fortitude to both IML and Mr. Renslow. We all need to take a stand and be there for the betterment of the community as a whole.

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