President & CEO of Falcon/NakedSword Tim Valenti just released a statement regarding recent tweets from Race Cooper, a former exclusive model for Raging Stallion. Yesterday, Cooper spoke out against Falcon/NakedSword after they published a statement showing support for the Black Lives Matter-related protests happening around the world.
Read Falcon/NakedSword’s original statement:
In his tweets responding to the statement, Cooper said the company’s pro-BLM stance was a lie and pointed out multiple injustices he’s dealt with throughout his time in the industry.
“I have directly experienced continued, systemic racism as an actor and producer in the industry. From actor intake forms that ask about what ethnic groups white actors won’t have sex with, to even jobs black actors get that perpetually cast black men in stereotypical roles,” tweeted Cooper. “I want all porn studios to examine their own racism, not defend it, not distort is, but reflect on it. After that, they can take action to change. Only then, can they justly say they are working in solidarity with black communities.”
You can read Cooper’s entire thread in the screenshots below:
Now Valenti has issued a statement regarding Cooper’s tweets. The CEO emphasizes that the company does not have model applications with questions about racial preferences and while he has taken steps to “diversify the model pool at Falcon,” there is “obviously” a lot more work to do. Read his full statement below:
“Let me start by saying I respect Race Cooper for sharing his experience working at Raging Stallion. I believe voices like his should be heard. I only want to listen and work to do better. It’s true that in Falcon’s 50 year history, the studio has cast mostly white performers. I can’t excuse the choices of Chuck Holmes or any of the industry veterans who ran this company before me, but I can assure you that as President and CEO today, I do not want that to be the legacy of the Falcon brand.
“We want to be a part of improving racial inequality in our industry, and that starts here. As long as I am President and CEO of Falcon/NakedSword, I can promise you that we do not, and never will, have a written or unwritten policy regarding the race of our performers. Our model applications do not, and never will, include questions about racial preferences, and we will never knowingly cast anyone who refuses to work with another performer solely based on the color of their skin.
“I have taken steps to diversify the model pool at Falcon. While we have made strides in the right direction, we obviously have a lot more work to do. I am committed to continually evolving the Falcon brand to include more men of color, specifically black men, in all of our productions.
“While we can’t change the past, we acknowledge it, and commit to a better future. My team and I are here, listening and we vow to take action and keep marching toward equality in our industry and in the world.”
Tim Valenti, President & CEO of Falcon/NakedSword
Editor’s note: TheSword.com is owned and operated by Falcon/NakedSword
Thanks for printing criticism of your parent company along with its rebuttal.
For the record, I believe Race Cooper
Anyone who tries to argue the idea that “sexual preference” is some magical unexplainable mystic phenomenon entirely separate from racism, stereotypes, and the influence of media representation is 100% full of shit.
If our sexual preferences were pure and unaffected by these issues, then porn stars would have looked exactly the same throughout time. Nonetheless we have seen the ways in which different bodies and forms of self presentation have become considered disable at different points of time. Hairless bodies were desirable in the 80a and 90s because those were the bodies Chi Chi and Kristen Bjorn and Bel Ami gave us. Raging Stallion and Men.com normalized facial and body hair.
To throw up your arms and say the porn industry has no choice but to be the slave of a market that demands white performers is weak and irresponsible and cowardly and false. The same excuse has been made throughout time made to justify eliminating People of color from all media representation. But Shockingly the presence of more and more people of color in Movies, TV, magazine colors and adverting has not stopped people form watching tv or spending their money.
All porn studios should commit to having their casting accurately reflect the racial diversity of this planet, and those seeking to be porn actors should not have the opportunity to veto scene partners based on race. I question your qualifications to be a porn actor if you are unable to act, and quite frankly very few of them do a good job of acting genuinely excited even when fucking their mirror image.
The directors and studios need top stop being blackmailed by threats from the most racist and hate filled fans to remove their support for your product. it needs to stop immediately. Casting needs to change immediately and th industry needs to change with the world.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is stuck in the past
I am curious to see how we should educate our porn watching public–should we encourage them to jerk off to performers of whatever race, age, body type? Just because you can’t get a boner trying to jerk off to porn with performers who do not interest you does not mean you are a bad person. I don’t expect everyone to jerk off to watching Jake Cruise give a hot guy of whatever race a blowjob. If someone finds a heavy feisty older guy giving some twink the best blow job of his life attractive does that mean we should attack those that call him a disgusting old troll? Here’s hoping for lots of more great safe sex from all the talented black performers out there but don’t expect everyone to watch everything without making personal choices.
Perhaps it has nothing to do with racist or whatever you want to stick a label on. Perhaps it’s just white people are more horny so they make more porn? If you are so bitter about it, work for a black company. I am sure their doors are open. I don’t understand that mentality at all. Say if I were allergic to spicy red hot peppers but I choose to work at a Mexican restaurant and I wont’ shut up about how their spices aggravate my allergy, is it really their fault??
You are the dumbest human being to ever walk the earth. Seriously bruh, racism is the least of your worries Move it along.
No wonder you’re posting “Anonymous.” I’d be ashamed if I were an idiot like you too.
Make your own black porn, if you are so bitter about it. I am not saying it doesn’t matter, but there is no limit to what you can make and create. Everyone is racist, sexist, homophobe whatever phobe when you look under a magnifying glass with a million times magnifying power. It is rather pointless if you force play a victim card.
People have been making their own black porn. They can also call out the racism and hypocrisy that runs throughout the gay community… it’s possible to walk and talk at the same time…. and “victim card”? Stop gaslighting people, and actually listen to their experiences you jackass
Porn is a business. Business caters to consumer demand, and responds to what sells. No one can ‘force’ anyone to watch things. And, consumers will always simply show their preferences with their $$$ on porn, just like everything else.
No dumbass the reason a lot of gay porn has white men is that a lot of those boomer porn owners are biased as fuck. Look at how onlyfans is becoming successful because of all the diversity. so no it’s not catering to this made up demand.
And who are the top performers on onlyfans? Consumer’s money drives any business. Better be careful who you call dumbass, because it’s really you.
While I agree that there definitely is discrimination and racism in this country, and that it may permeate to many different industries… when we speak of the porn industry itself, what then is the solution? There are niche markets for all kinds of porn. Black porn, Latino porn, Asian porn, Middle Eastern porn, European porn, British porn, Twink porn, White porn, Redneck porn… basically whatever you want. I understand that actors of color want more work from major studios like Falcon, but I still wonder what is a solution that works for all?
As a person from an indigenous culture, I know that it can be VERY easy to criticize an industry or a society based on systemic racism. It does exist. But again, what are the exact changes that you want to see? What can the Falcon studio group do that would make you happy? I think there needs to be concrete discussions. Is it that you want black people in leading roles? Ok. How often? Do you want story lines that speak to the black experience? OK. Who’s going to write it? Are you going to allow white actors in the films as well? Or do you want an all-black production?
I’m all for inclusivity, but discussions need to be had… plans need to be made on how best to approach all of this. Complaining about it is a start. Now what’s the next step?
Perhaps they can start by not working with porn actors who are racists. It’s not that hard
Black owned porn studios trade in the same tropes as the rest of the industry. If I gave you a dollar for every occurrence of “THUG” and “BBC” you find on a FSG website and then took a dime from you for every such instance on the black owned sites, I’d get back all my money and then some.
You’re pretty dumb. Ask yourself why there’re black-owned porn studies in the first place, and why the do as they do?
Gee, uh. Let me scratch my dumb brain for a moment. Would it be they exist TO MAKE MONEY???
Chi Chi LaRue did a fantastic job with the Noir Male series with hot black men in storylines that are of course ridiculous, but not demeaning. What constitutes fair use of black performers? If some guys don’t want to jerk off watching black men does that make them racist? If someone jerks off to black men does that mean they are objectifying them? I’m just as worried about black performers exposing themselves to deadly mutated viruses at this time and wish they and all performers went back to using condoms.
I see white guys have unprotected sex, and letting random guys cum in them all day on twitter. So let’s no single out one group. Stop
And I am worried about them too–just that we have seen with both the AIDS and COVID pandemics that they disproportionally affect people of color–and prevention is a sounder alternative to treatment, avoiding unknowing future transmissions
Wait, this guy worked as an actor, casting director & producer, but feels that there isn’t black representation in porn???!!! If that was the case, would he have all those different roles?
As for actors “choices”, if you are going to have sex with someone, it would be nice to know what people like/don’t. There are some that will perform with poz or undetectable & others that won’t; some top, bottom, vers, fist/kink, etc.; some like older or younger; some want bi, etc. Stop judging people for having different tastes.
Sounds about white.
If you don’t want to fuck THAT black GUY, that’s a preference. If you don’t want to fuck ANY black people that’s racism.
Bingo!
EXACTLY
Take an example from kinkmen.com they got called out and started to be more diverse on the gay side. And guess what they didn’t go on any press junket they realized their fuck ups and fixed it.
We’ll be watching Tim, but honestly go to the front page of falcon and all I see are white models. Hell, you guys even took how many years to finally hire an Asian model. But we’ll be watching and keep your feet to the fire that you become more diverse.
You know racism within the gay porn industry exists, especially with Falcon/Naked Sword. Occasionally they throw in some Black performers, even Latinos. But majority of it is the same White vanilla twinks, and for the record they do typecast Blacks in a way that is condescending. Sometimes blatant. That is why many Black studios formed due to the racist views of the major studios.