Race: Race’s POV!

“Racism takes many forms and our thoughts on racism, sexuality and nudity need to change.” ~ Joseph Ross Anderson ~ aka Race Cooper The Pink News SGL News Service London, UK 10 June, 2020 

Prologue:

The examination and exploration of the topic of race extends beyond the limited concepts of just Black people and White people. It includes all of us, no matter our skin tone, ethnicity or racial heritage. Race, unfortunately, is also aligned with community, culture, politics, religion and value systems.

Regrettably, racism (racial discrimination and/or hatred based on skin tone) is often a “learned” behaviour – usually passed from one generation to the next – without any basis of proof or scientific fact. Unchallenged, it is frequently misunderstood as the “norm” – the routine standard.

ReNude Pride published a post entry here, Race On Race, last year on March 6, 2023. Click on the title to link. My spouse, Aaron, and I both offer this expanded version of the topic in the hope of overcoming our need to be reminded of the importance of this reality in our daily lives. This is the reason, among others, that we do not restrict this issue or topic exclusively to the period of Black History Month.

Race Cooper is the stage name of Joseph Ross Anderson, a talented and thoughtful star of same gender loving (SGL) – bisexual and gay – pornography and outspoken advocate for bare (naked/nudist) rights, sexuality rights and racial equality. He was born and grew up in Toronto, Canada on December 5, 1973. Amazing, he didn’t begin his film career (porn) until 2009 – he was 36 years old! An age when most openly gay porn actors are ready to retire from performing live!

In the same year that he launched his film debut, he started blogging about the porn industry on blogger.com and swiftly acquired notoriety as “a-man-who-tells-it-all!” Race’s blog was a popular favourite as he kept no secrets from his readers. He consistently posted of his experiences with his fellow actors, both complimentary and flattering and…honest and real. His descriptions and observations of their intimate abilities and anatomical attributes made his blog a success for many and a regular “must-read” for both his followers and his peers in the film studios! His writing skills hastened to dispel the stereotype of the gay porn actor as egotistical, “flaky,” and self-obsessed.

He also began to publicly encourage and endorse the expansion of the alpha-man (top-man) and the beta-man (bottom-man) sexual identities to include versatility (preference to engaging in either sexual position or fluidity)!

Additional facts on Race Cooper are listed below:

Name: Joseph Ross Anderson

Height: 6′ (183 cm)

Weight: 180 lbs. (82 kg)

Hair: head (shaved) body (armpit, pubic)

Penis: 7.9″ (20 cm) circumcised

Sexuality: gay exclusive

Sexual position: versatile (preference: bottom)

Clothing status: bare

Film career: 2009 – 2014

“I’m an African-Canadian. Growing up in Toronto, I got to see how lots of White Americans reacted to Black people. Working in gay pornography in the USA, I personally saw how Black men were treated by White men with no difference between gay or straight.” ~ Race Cooper ~ The Pink News 10 June, 2020

Race Cooper, based on his own experience in the SGL porn industry, views racism as “a daily constant in the USA.” He initially began working as a casting director for the exclusively SGL studios – Raging Stallion – before he moved to performing in front of the camera. He acknowledges that he was paid considerably less than his White peers and regularly and repeatedly had his work ethic and his intelligence questioned. He honestly believes that he was only hired initially in order for the studio to appear “less racist.”

“Homophobia and racism in the USA is the reasoning for discrimination and prejudice. It is part of the legacy of slavery. In Canada, race is just a difference. You shave your pubic hair, I let mine grow naturally. We’re both gay men, we’re just different in some ways.” ~ Race Cooper ~ The Pink News 10 June, 2020

Canada had slavery in the 1600s only. It was never a permanent institution like in the USA. As a slave, you were bought, you worked a couple of years, earned your freedom and then you moved on. Similar to an indentured servant. Enslavement was never a source of distrust and hatred. You worked, earned freedom and then became a neighbour – equal – not inferiour or subserviant.

“As a Black gay man, I know and have witnessed bias, hatred and prejudice because of nudity, race and sexual orientation. It is unfair and unjust. It is wrong. As a performer in the porn industry, I’ve never experienced criticism for being publicly or for being socially naked. But I do know of fellow gay nudists who are judged because of their nudity. Clothes freedom is part of who we are. Just like race and sexuality, we don’t have a choice.” ~ Race Cooper ~ The Pink News 10 June, 2020

Race Cooper was interviewed by The Pink News, a GLBTQ+ news service in London, England, United Kingdom, on 10 June, 2020, for his thoughts on racial inequality in the SGL porn industry in the USA in light of the killing of the late George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. He also wants the porn studios to openly admit that many White men – straight – have been cast into roles, intended for Black gay men. Many of these substitutions were in films catering to primarily SGL African-American audiences.

As a path forward, he’d like to see the studios hire and utilize “diversity mentors” to help casting and hopefully these very same mentors could advance the careers of actors of colour and other minority qualifications. He also advocates the ending of “gay-for-pay” and the immediate end to the shunning of HIV+ porn actors.

In the conclusion of his interview with The Pink News, Race Cooper offered – in my humble opinion – his most daring and profound argument against bigotry, discrimination and judgment based on not only just race but sexual orientation and nakedness as well. This declaration was made on his own initiative and observation. Proof positive that Joseph Ross Anderson (Race Cooper) is – heart and soul – a brother bare practitioner and all of us welcome and embrace him in complete nudity and pride into our community and culture! True equality is a basic human right for us all!

“I’ve made numerous naked appearance at gay studio social events. The newcomers to our profession are often intimidated by us older professionals. Usually, fellow Black new actors are gathered, made to strip out of their apparel and paraded through the White guests who are fully or partially clothed only to be ridiculed, teased and tormented and not allowed to get dressed until the social is done.” ~ Race Cooper ~ The Pink News 10 June, 2020

Great observations, Race Cooper! We are grateful for your honesty!

Naked hugs!

Roger Poladopoulos/ReNude Pride

Author’s Note: The next post entry here is planned for Monday, February 26, 2024, and the proposed topic is: “Bonus: +24!”