Washington Post Adds “Editor’s Note” To Treasure Island Model DJ Steedley’s HIV Profile

After publishing their story about DJ Steedley being the “modern face” of HIV, The Washington Post has gone back and acknowledged the “germane” information that I pointed out here last week, which is that DJ is also a bareback porn star for Treasure Island Media.

WaPo (via Gawker):

Editor’s Note: This story includes interviews in text and video with D.J. Steedley, who was described in the story as “the modern face of the [AIDS] epidemic.” Following publication, The Post learned that Steedley signed a contract in June with a production company that specializes in filming and distributing videos that depict unprotected sex. This information was germane to the story and should have been included.

For its part, Treasure Island responded to my initial post by accusing me and my “group of followers” of “bashing” people with HIV:

While some narrow minded individuals, including Zach Sire and his group of followers at The Sword choose to bash those living with HIV, making comments such as “please only have sex with other contaminated people,” we celebrate D.J.’s willingness to be open and honest about his life.

That quote they’re using was taken from the comments section on my post and, obviously, was not from a person worth taking seriously. My post questioned—using Treasure Island’s own marketing copy—The Washington Post’s failure to report that the subject of their “modern face” of HIV story was also a bareback gay porn star, which they’ve now acknowledged. And by doing so, I guess The Washington Post is “bashing” people with HIV now, too? Poor Treasure Island!

 

25 thoughts on “<em>Washington Post</em> Adds “Editor’s Note” To Treasure Island Model DJ Steedley’s HIV Profile”

  1. What a bunch of judgemental prick I have been reading. I just read the Post article and now this. Who are we to judge anyone. Like we are all free of sin. D.J. put a face and acknowledge that he made a mistake. I could care less that he now is doing porn again. So what. It’s his life. We should be supporting everyone in the community especially with what Rommey will be undoing. I’m sorry but things happen when you are about to have sex. Sometimes you have a clear head sometimes you don’t. Same with alcohol. Should we ban that too because we might make choices that we later regret? I wish D.J. the best and wish more in our community would do the same. I remember that our community did the same thing to his friend David. It is time to stop this self rightous bullshit within our community and support those who need us. You know, one day it could be you.

  2. I wonder why DJ is working for T.I.M? Did Dink find out he was HIV+ and stop using him? Use being the operative word.

  3. Dan Zak, the author of the story, probably knew damn well DJ had just signed with Treasure Island Media when the story was written. I wouldn’t call him a bug chaser, but he probably fucked every source in his article.

  4. I have to say I’m thrilled to say so many more anti-bareback comments on all these blogs lately. It makes me feel slightly less depressed about the whole thing to know that I’m not the only one with some common sense.

    1. Rome may already be burning–with significant adverse consequences still to come–but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue speaking up.

  5. All the mankind are still fighting AIDS and condom is our most important resource. Then comes this person that earns lots of money using people like a pimp would do calling us ” narrow minded “. Being in desregard from people like them is like a compliment, a congratulation.

    1. YES, condoms are the BEST line of defense of HIV in the straight and gay world…but again, many sites have stripped away the condoms because the gay porn community has demanded it.

    1. What is that something more???

      Hmmm…let me see, are you implying drug use…hmmm, no drug use is happening at Sean Cody and Corbin Fisher…or do you think all those BIG MUSCLE appear out of nowhere…

      The double standard of high gloss content vs. seedy dark is nothing more than a wipe away with a cloth…OPEN YOUR EYES!!

      1. I think the “something more” is their erotization of the unsafe sex. Its not just simply sex without condoms like Bel Ami does. TIM purposely promotes and at often times sensationalizes the risk aspect of their sex. Its the “breeding”, the “cum dump”, the “50 loads”, etc., etc. One of the major core aspect of their brand is the the sexualiztion of the internal cumshot….the single most risky type of sex act. Their whole mantra is about sexualizing the risk. You are more of man if you take it raw. They purposely throw the risk in your face and make that the core element of their content.

        As an HIV+ person living with AIDS I personally find it disgusting. But, that’s just my opinion. I’m very public and open with my status and am not ashamed or embarrassed by it. What I am embarrassed by is the way that our community has so openly embraced and promoted unsafe sex and made it cool. We owe more to the younger generation of younger gay men, and quite honestly to ourselves.

        1. Yeah but SeanCody (maybe three isn’t a gangbang) and Corbin Fisher (NINE GUYS) has have bareback “gang bangs”….I just don’t see the difference…T.I.M. is just a little more “honest” with their intent…

          1. Does T.I.M Test their models? Do they pair HIV+ models with other HIV+ models or do they pair HIV+ with HIV- models? Are there Bug Chasers working at T.I.M?

            I would like to know.

        2. not everyone can be open about their status. and while i don’t think bb sex should be made cool, i also don’t think that poz guys who actually took the time to get tested and to treat their virus should now be made to be second class citizens to be touched only with sterile gloves. TIM at least makes it clear that these models are poz… how about cf or sean cody which have their models have bb sex with almost no repurcussion that there’s a virus and even other things out there?

        3. Again, Sean Cody, CorbonFisher, etc…have all had their bareback sex listed as creampies…come on read the write ups on SeanCody alone:

          From Brandon and Pierce:
          “It was awesome,” Pierce said afterward. “There was no friction at all… I could really feel him inside me!”

          From Brandon and Joshua
          “There is something hot as fuck knowing that this big stud came in my ass,” Joshua said afterward.

          From Calvin and Pierce
          After two good rounds of fucking, we took a break. Calvin came over to me and said quietly, “Maybe I can bottom for him? He looks like he likes to fuck… Plus, it’s been a while since I’ve had cum in my ass!”

          ALL THE SAME!!!

      2. I think that most, if not all the models at Sean Cody and Corbin Fisher are developing their muscles without steroids. I have two friends who have gone from average builds to quite muscular in the course of a year and a half with good diets, supplements and lots of gym time. Not steroids

  6. Hey I don’t know why I’m ” not worth being taken seriously ” but alright :)
    I’m not bashing people with HIV here , I’m criticizing people with HIV who behave irresponsibly and endanger others’ lives , making it worse for everyone including themselves .
    When I see someone like that I always have the question in the back of my head “Did he contaminate anyone?If so how many?” Because that’s what you do when you bareback carelessly . hence the ” please only have sex with contaminated people” thing. You may think it’s extreme but I don’t think serodiscordant people who take no precautions whatsoever in their personal life should get together, especially if the poz person doesn’t disclose her status (about 95% of the time I guess). I can see in my head many 20 something young dumb guys lining up to bareback with poz guys, I think someone who is poz should be responsible for others especially when dealing with someone younger .
    The conclusion is : wear a fucking condom.
    If that makes me an extremist , then so be it!
    Rant over.

    1. I wil add a prt to my conclusion :
      It was
      -wear a condom
      -if you don’t want to wear a condom ( which is the case in this TIM “culture” ) make sure that the person you have sex with is poz too because otherwise you could pass on your virus to someone and it’s not nice .

      I hope I have washed it down enough , please let me know if you need more -_-

      1. I agree with and support everything you said before and now, half porco, although I think it would be kinder, less unnecessarily inflammatory and just as accurate to refer to poz folk as “infected” rather than “contaminated.”

        I’m also delighted to see that further light has come to be shed on this matter, for to proclaim someone as irresponsible as Steedley as “the modern face of the epidemic” is an insult to the vast number of HIV-positive individuals who do strive to prevent transmitting the virus further.

      2. Wait… so you’re saying people with HIV (who have gotten tested and hence know that they’re positive) have the responsibility of telling EVERYONE about their status and forcing you to wear a condom? Why don’t we just make all of us who have HIV tattoo it in our foreheads? Maybe find a specific sign that we can wear in case we ever enter in a “risky” behavior with someone who also chose to come to it of their FREE choice.

        Oh wait, no… we’re all negative. Everyone assumes you’re neg–just like everyone assumes the standard is straight–and is up to US to make sure you’re ok, when it was precisely (more than likely) a “neg” person who never got tested because, “hey, I don’t want to be ‘contaminated'” and assumed that wearing a condom would ALWAYS keep them safe that got US infected in the first place. And yes, I can speak from personal experience. Not a single poz guy I had sex with got me infected. It was a “neg” guy who never got tested or treated that did.

        So what’s the solution… oh let the dirty fuckers fuck themselves, exclude them, badge them, make them tell us their lives, label them unclean, contaminated, lepers, and fuck science or anything else just so I can live with my sense of pride about myself, with my negative righteous ass telling everyone that if only they lived like I live the world would be better??

        I don’t agree that Zach has said what TIM claims it said… However, the environment could be better placed, and an article which really was just trying to show that people with HIV are not lepers anymore need not have been paraded like condoning “unclean” behavior. (for example, suggesting that tax payer dollars are being wasted, etc). I mean grow up; remember that words have connotations and quit hiding behind the mantle of sensationalism and “free speech” as if words didn’t have an impact or yelling “fire” in a crowded movie theater was just your right to be an asshole.

        1. You have HIV but that doesn’t preclude you to be thoughtful and protect others from infection. Indeed, “negs” have to be responsible and protect themselves. But you have a heavier task since the pathogen is in you. Should you not accept that fact, you can easily become a vector of disease. Sounds cruel? Too bad. It’s a fact.

          1. yes you’re right winter, which is why i and many others practice safe sex and take retrovirals. however, this doesn’t mean that i should now tell everyone my status. not everyone lives sf or california, and not everyone is accepting of hiv. should i just tattoo it in my head? should i tell a guy i french kiss at a dance floor that i’m positive? when is it the responsibility of “neg” people to get tested and not take others at their words? why must hiv be people be called unclean? why must any website that depicts bb sex be dubbed as dirty? considering most of the new infections of hiv are transmitted by people who don’t get tested, why must someone who’s open about his status be called irresponsible for simply enjoying sex like everyone else?

        2. I just find the HYPOCRISY of the GRAND PROMOTION of SeanCody, CorbinFisher and countless others a little too much to bear…as long as they have been tested…the truth is there is a bone to pick with Paul Morris and T.I.M. that we are not aware of…because I do not see the difference in ANY of these websites they are ALL promoting the safe damn thing…UNSAFE SEX!!!

    2. I’m curious: how many times do you think that the HIV- people you’re referring to even bothered to ask the status of the person with whom they were about to share body fluids? Or are they entirely free of responsibility for their own health?

  7. Zach, thank you for bringing this to the attention of the New York Post and for reporting the editors note on the sword. Indeed that bit of information was germane to the news item and it should have been included. Again, thank you!

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