Gay for a Pay Day: Czech Rent Boys

on 26-06-2007 04:06

Published in : , Prague

hookoline.org

by Curtis M. Wong

Next time you’re bored, ask a gay friend about his ultimate escapist locale. You might expect him to describe a fantasy metropolis where John Cameron Mitchell films attract Harry Potter-style cult followings, Prada-filled closets are obligatory, shirtless football players host matches in the streets and Madonna reigns as president.

However, for a certain segment of the gay population, the notion of “paradise” isn’t quite so fanciful or flamboyant. In the 18 years since the Velvet Revolution, Prague has been attracting a subculture seeking a different type of escapism – in the form of male prostitutes, known on the street as “Czech rent boys.”

In a country that holds a conservative attitude towards gay lifestyles, the notion of Prague as a homosexual’s Babylon seems surprising. In fact, same-sex affection is virtually non-existent in the streets, and guidebooks suggest discretion for gay tourists in the Czech Republic. However, according to a man who identifies himself only as “Homo Superior,” the city is home to a randy selection of often heterosexual men willing to toss aside labels and intimately deliver – in exchange for cash, that is.

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“Prague is unique for its rent boy culture in Europe,” he says. “A significant number of these boys find the scene a place where they can experiment with sexuality. The large majority, however, just don’t see the big deal in responding sexually with a man. It makes them money and gives them an easy orgasm.”

Homo Superior is a unique individual on Prague’s rent boy scene, serving as a mentor, friend and confidante to many and occasionally playing the role of the group’s pimp when hosting tourists. Superior posts daily accounts of his experiences on his blog, homo-superior.blogspot.com/. Also featured are several boys in videos and photo spreads.

Most of the boys, he says, identify themselves as what the sex industry describes as “gay-for-pay” – they’re willing to perform sexual acts with men, despite labeling themselves as heterosexual in their private lives, often having steady girlfriends.

“A Czech boy will tell you that what he does for money is his own affair,” he says. “Of course some of them end up with perfectly recognizable gay sexual identities. But many, if not most, have girlfriends – some of whom know what their boyfriends do for a living – which is completely opposite of the escort industry in the U.S.A. which is mostly made up of gay men.”

This doesn’t seem to be a problem for clientele. In fact, many boys cultivate the “straight” illusion as much as possible, with clients willing to pay more for the fantasy aspect of being with the “unattainable” heterosexual man. As for the cost of a Czech boy rendezvous, a quickie with a typical hustler starts at 500Kč but can often reach 5,000Kč and beyond in many popular gay nightspots. And what, ahem, services does this fee cover? According to Homo Superior, anything – and everything – is on the menu. This can include playing either the passive or aggressive roles to their suitors.

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“Boys might say they don’t get fucked,” he says. “But get them in a private situation, and additional possibilities open up. I won’t say that most like it, but they do it. The more successful ones realize it’s part of their job.”

Beneath their brawny physiques, blonde highlights and happy-go-lucky appearances, however, many of the boys hide troubled personal backgrounds – as well as drug addictions.

“These boys wouldn’t be trying to make money this way if there weren’t something wrong somewhere,” he says. “I often hear about divorces, absent [parents] and frequently, physically abusive fathers. Almost all of these boys are involved in drugs in some fashion. The sex business is an obvious answer to that problem.”

However, counting many among his closest friends and companions, Homo Superior insists that it’s rent boy business as usual.

“It’s a business relationship, but friendships and loyalty inevitably develop,” he says. “I get great satisfaction putting a smile on some fat old man’s face who’d been waiting to fulfill the fantasy of [having sex with] some cute straight boy. It all seems quite innocent when I see that.”

previously published in Issue 20 of Provokator print magazine