October 1, 2008 | Sex & Society

Model insists he isn't homophobic

Yesterday we brought you the story of Ben Massing, the model suing "Genre" magazine and photographer, Rick Day, for using his image in the gay magazine without permission.

Massing is firing back at critics. He claims his side of the story isn't being told.

"Last week I filed a lawsuit in New York based on the unauthorized use, distribution, and publication of my image. One of the photographs was cropped and altered to make me look nude and included my contact information.

"Numerous media outlets focused on the fact that the images appear in a publication geared toward the gay community. Based upon these reports, some have mischaracterized me as homophobic, which could not be further from the truth.

"The real issue is that I never signed a release or gave permission to use or alter my pictures for adult-themed media. No matter what community the publication attracts, the use of my image in a sexually explicit way without my permission violated my rights."

Fair enough. Except that it was his legal team who made this into a gay issue, not the queer media. One of the images printed was described as "cruel and vulgar" and resulted in strangers soliciting him "for homosexual sex." 

Oh, and "it's definitely put him in a class where he's going to have difficulty obtaining contracts for family-related shows," one lawyer said.

Not homophobic? You be the judge.